Part 1). To complete this assignment, please research and analyze the chosen battle site from the list below and complete a primary source evaluation of the event.
Battle of Hastings, 1066
Part 2). After choosing your battle site, identify one primary medieval historian associated with the event and discuss the reliability of his/her narrative and analysis. This will require consultation with a minimum of four modern academic secondary sources (monographs or scholarly articles only). In this exercise, please consult the primary source writing itself with an eye on identifying three critical passages tied to the battle site (battlefield or siege).
Part 3). Next, familiarize yourself with the location, archaeology, and cultural importance of the battle site. Has the location of the military action been accurately identified? What role has archaeology played in furthering our understanding of the event? How has the battle and/or battle site been memorialized or celebrated in modern culture? Finally, in your estimation, what is the overall cultural importance of this military event to the history of the region in particular and to the history of warfare in western civilization in general.
Required Assignment Subheadings:
Please utilize the following required italicized subheadings to better organize your paper. Cut and paste as subheadings.
Introduction and Thesis
Briefly introduce the battle site (siege or battle) to your reader. Identify time and location and the major commanders and tactical and/or strategic importance of the event.
Identify the two primary sources that scholars most often use to reconstruct the event.
Provide a bolded thesis as last sentence of introduction asserting the importance of this military event to military history and/or the identity of a region or culture.
(Complete in no more than 250 narrative words).
A Brief Summary of Siege or Battle
Outline the origins, course, and outcome of the engagement. Provide the basics only using academic secondary sources. Deeper analysis will follow.
(Complete in no more than 1,000 narrative words).
Reconstructing the Past: Three Critical Passages
Briefly introduce the primary source historian to your reader (life dates, ethnicity, national origins) and his/her relationship to the military event (eye-witness, writing at the same time as event, constructing his or her analysis from other primary sources).
Identify the three most important passages (a series of direct quote sentences from the primary source) from his or her writing presented as a block quote that reconstructs the siege or battle. After each block quote, defend your reasoning by explaining why those passages, in your mind, best represents the primary source’s understanding of the event (if using archaeological data, use findings here).
Are there any contradictions in this historian’s interpretation and other contemporary accounts? Do modern historians see any biases or inaccuracies in his or her commentary?
Analyzing your secondary sources, identify agreements or disagreements with this historian’s perception of the event (here, include troop numbers, strategies, tactics, or motivations for battle or siege)?
In your estimation, what is the value and limitations of this primary source to reconstructing this military event?
(Complete in no more than 1,000 narrative words).
The Significance of the Battle Site
Briefly describe condition of the battle site in the twenty-first century. Has the location of the military action been accurately identified? If not, what are some of the current theories concerning its location?
If applicable, describe the role of archaeology in furthering our understanding of the event. Were other battles or sieges associated with this location throughout history?
What is the site’s current state of preservation? How has the battle and/or battle site been memorialized or celebrated in modern culture (locally, nationally or internationally)?
(Complete in no more than 1,000 narrative words).
Conclusion
Defend your conclusions. Is the historian a reliable source to assist in the reconstruction of this event? What is the overall cultural importance of this military event to the history of the region in particular and to the history of warfare?
(Complete in no more than 250 narrative words).
Paper Length and Citation and Multimedia Requirements:
Your Primary Source and Battle Site Assignment should be completed using a minimum of two primary source and four quality academic secondary sources in between 3,200 and 3,500 narrative words (minus citation and bibliography). Chicago-Turabian footnote or endnote citation is required (use of parenthetical citation will result in a one-letter grade deduction). This assignment will also include a minimum of three multimedia contributions (pictures of the battle site, associative memorials or commemorations, or archaeological evidence). Please include a short caption tying in this multimedia asset to the paper. Please separate bibliography into three sections (Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, and Multi-media Sources).
