The centuries between 1100 and 1500 witnessed a transformation in European society as its population trebled, hundreds of new towns and cities appeared while existing settlements expanded, and an international banking system emerged. Yet not every social group reaped the benefits of economic prosperity, rapid urbanisation and cultural renaissance. This module will examine the material conditions of the poor, sick and needy in medieval society, focusing primarily on Europe between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. From the labouring poor in towns and rural areas to mobile beggars and the destitute sick, the experience of poverty differed according to region, life-cycle and gender. The responses of the Church and state to poverty shifted across this period, with authorities reacting differently to population growth and disease. The Church provided much relief through hospitals, charity and alms-giving, yet sermons and debates over the meaning of poverty indicate complex religious attitudes towards the poor. The plague epidemics that began in 1347 were accompanied by a host of other devastating diseases, which wrought their worst havoc on the urban poor who lacked the economic resources of social elites. Throughout the module, we will consider the experience of poverty, how authorities identified and sought to control the poor, and how the destitute coped in everyday life. The unit will explore a range of sources from miracle tales, legal records, chronicles, sermons and archaeological evidence.

• Demonstrate both detailed and broad knowledge of the experience and treatment of poverty in later medieval Europe.
• Understand and appreciate the historiographical contexts for the study of poverty and dearth in the historical past.
• Distinguish between different perceptions of and responses to poverty in medieval Europe, including the perspective of the Church, the religious orders and clergy, the government and local communities.

A range of teaching methods will be used in each of the sessions of the course, comprising a combination of lectures and seminar discussion of major issues. The syllabus is divided into a series of major course themes, then sub-divided into principal topics for the study of each theme.

Lectures:

The aim of the lectures is to provide a brief introduction to a particular topic, establishing the salient features of major course themes, identifying key issues and providing historiographical guidance. The lectures aim to provide a basic framework for understanding and should be thought of as useful starting points for further discussion and individual study. Where appropriate, handouts and other materials may be distributed to reinforce the material discussed.

Seminars:

The primary aim of seminars will be to generate debate and discussion amongst course participants. Seminars for each of the course topics will provide an opportunity for students to analyse and further discuss key issues and topics relating to lectures.

• communicate ideas and arguments effectively, whether in class discussion or in written form, in an accurate, succinct and lucid manner.
• formulate and justify arguments and conclusions about a range of issues, and present appropriate supporting evidence
• an ability to modify as well as to defend their own position.
• an  ability to think critically and challenge assumptions
• an ability to use a range of information technology resources to assist with information retrieval and assignment presentation.
• time management skills and an ability to independently organise their own study methods and workload.
• work effectively with others as part of a team or group in seminar or tutorial discussions.  

Students will be assessed by means of a combination of one 1000 word assessed essay [15%], one 2000 word assessed essay [35%] and one two-hour unseen written examination paper in which the student will answer two questions [50%].

Course assignments:

1. Assessed Essay 1will contribute 15% of the final mark for the module. It is designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to review evidence, draw appropriate conclusions from it and employ the formal conventions of scholarly presentation. It must be no longer than 1,000 words (excluding empirical appendices and references).
2. Assessed Essay 2will contribute 35% of the final mark for the module. It is designed to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to review evidence, draw appropriate conclusions from it and employ the formal conventions of scholarly presentation. It must be no longer than 2,000 words (excluding empirical appendices and references).
3. The Examination will take place during the second assessment period [May/June] and will consist of an unseen two hour paper that will contribute the remaining 50% of the final mark for this module. Students must write 2 answers in total.

Topics will include:

Introduction: histories of poverty

Social Orders

Poverty before 1000 

The Medieval Manor

Agrarian society

Market economy

Standards of living

Credit and Debt

Poverty and gender

Single women

Family Life

Parenting, Childhood & Poverty

Life-cycle and poverty

Working poor

Urban Society

the Urban Poor

Religious Teachings

Popular Sermons

Hospitals

Guilds and Fraternities

The Franciscan Order

The Absolute Poverty of Christ?

Women and the Poverty movement

Beguines and Poor Clares

Poverty and Disease

The Black Death

Dives and Pauper

Piers Plowman

Poverty outside Europe

Case studies

K. Crassons, The Claims of Poverty: Literature, Culture and Ideology in Late Medieval England (Notre Dame, 2010).

S. Farmer, Surviving Poverty in Medieval Paris: Gender, Ideology and the Daily Lives of the Poor (Ithaca, 2005).

R. C. Finucane, Miracles and Pilgrims: Popular Beliefs in Medieval England. (London, 1977).

B. Harvey, Living and Dying in England 1100-1540: The Monastic Experience. (Oxford, 1993).

M. Lambert, Franciscan Poverty: The Doctrine of Absolute Poverty of Christ and the Apostles in the Franciscan Order, 1210-1323 (London, 1961; repr. New York, 1998).

L.K. Little, Religious Poverty and the Profit Economy in Medieval Europe (Ithaca, 1978).

M. McIntosh, Poor Relief in England, 1350-1600 (Cambridge, 2012).

M. Mollat, The Poor in the Middle Ages: An Essay in Social History. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer (London, 1986).

C. Rawcliffe, Leprosy in Medieval England (Woodbridge, 2006).

M. Rubin, Charity and Community in Medieval Cambridge (Cambridge, 1987).

A. Sabra, Poverty and Charity in Medieval Islam: Mamluk Egypt, 1250-1517 (Cambridge, 2000).

Please see Essential Reading List.