Frankish Lordships in Greek Lands (12th-15th c.): Politics, Society and Culture

The course focuses on the states created in Greek lands by various Westerners (excluding the Venetians). These “Franks” originated mainly from areas of Western Europe, such as Champagne, Flanders, Burgundy and Lombardy, where feudal organization was prominent, but also from city-states, such as Genoa and Florence. Most Frankish lordships were created in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1204) – for example, the Latin Empire of Constantinople, the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Principality of Achaia, the Duchy of Athens and the Duchy of the Aegean. However, some others came into being earlier, such as the County of Cephalonia, or later, such as the state of the Knights Hospitaller in the Dodecanese, or Genoese rule over Galata/Pera, Chios, and Lesbos in the later 13th and 14th c.  
The course examines both the political history of these states and a series of topics, such as: power and governance; society; the Church; economy and commerce; art and culture. Particular attention is given to the interaction between the conquerors and the conquered population, to the continuities and discontinuities from the earlier Byzantine period, and to the consequences and the importance of these Latin states in the history of the Greek lands in general. A further objective is to familiarize the students with the basic sources and available archival material for the period of Frankish rule.