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European Empires and Proto-Globalisation 1200-1800

Module description

This module focuses on European medieval and early modern expansion and the establishment of empires. Focusing on the importance of long-distance maritime trade for European economies and societies, you will analyse the reasons behind European expansion and its practical modalities, analysing the different kinds of empires that were constructed by different European states. You will focus on European countries other than England (the later United Kingdom), as they developed different varieties of empires. This module is suitable for the following pathways: Early Modern Studies, Imperial and Global History, Maritime Historical Studies, Medieval History.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module is designed to foster the understanding of the variety of empires which were established and developed by European powers (plus the Ottomans) during the late medieval and early modern periods. You will focus especially on those which had a maritime dimension, and will pay particular attention to the legal framework supporting imperial expansion and to the issues related to intercultural communication and exchange. The module aims to challenge the Anglocentric view of European imperial expansion, and the traditional perception of empires as simple emanations of nation-states. Particular attention will be dedicated to how Europeans adjusted their modalities of penetration and conquest in different regions of the globe, and to how this contributed to shape global politics, economies and culture in the longue durée. You shall also analyse the economic and social underpinnings of empires, the role played by technology and violence in their establishment and development, and the essential connective role played by ethnic and religious minorities.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand and evaluate the main themes and approaches in the history of medieval and early modern European empires.
• 2. Understand the key historiographical and theoretical debates informing the study of European imperial history.
• 3. Assess critically the variety of the European imperial experience.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse and synthesise different types of historical material and evidence.
• 5. Assess critically the role of primary sources on contested topics.
• 6. Demonstrate a critical understanding of key historical concepts and debates, and recognise the differences between different approaches and source types.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Demonstrate a capacity to construct and defend a sustained argument using primary and secondary materials.
• 8. Work as an individual and with a tutor and peers in an independent, constructive and responsive way and apply key bibliographical skills to independent study.
• 9. Learn to deliver an effective presentation or write an effective literature review.

Syllabus plan

The specific topics may vary from year to year, but topics may include some of the following:

-        Before European Hegemony

-        The Ideological Background of Empires

-        Venice: a Republic and an Empire

-        Genoa: private enterprise and financial innovation

-        Encounters in the Indian Ocean

-        The Iberian Experience

-        The Dutch Experience

-        The Ottoman Empire and maritime trade

-        Legal Structures and Financial connections

-        Technology, Taxation and Co-ordination of resources

-        Ethnic and Religious Minorities as Agents of Empire

-        Food and Germs, the real Proto-Globalization

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• J.L. Abu-Lughod, Before European hegemony: the world system A.D. 1250-1350,Oxford, 1989
  
  
• Edward Cavanagh ed., Empire and Legal Thought: Ideas and Institutions from Antiquity to Modernity, Leiden, Brill, 2020  
  
  
• D.O. Flynn, A. Giráldez and J. Sobredo J. (eds.), European Entry into the Pacific. Spain and the Acapulco-Manila Galleons, Ashgate, 2001;
  
  
• F.C. Lane, Venice, a maritime republic, Baltimore, 1973;
  
  
• Sanjay Subrahmanyam,â?¯Europe’s India: Words, People, Empires, 1500-1800,â?¯Boston: Harvard University Press, 2017
  
  
• F. van den Eijnde, R. Strootman and R. Van Vijk eds., Empires of the Sea: Maritime Power Networks in World History, Leiden, 2019

Key words search

Empires; maritime; early modern Europe; medieval Europe