Due Monday Dec. 18, in the History Dept. (145 Eggers Hall) at 4pm. Be sure to take it directly there yourself (do not use campus mail, and do not trust your roommate to hand it in for you) and put it in the appropriate box (ask the staff).

Please take note: I have given you the latest possible due date (the last day of exams) for this paper. This means that we cannot accept late papers.

This is a creative project, asking you to imagine yourself as an early medieval person and therefore to write "in character." You are highly encouraged to draw upon the primary sources and imitate their writing style in order to find a distinctly "medieval" voice. However, avoid excessive direct quotation from those texts. Use footnotes to indicate the sources of your ideas. The project should be between 6 and 8 typed, double-spaced pages in length.

In incorporating ideas from different texts, or material from lectures, into your work, you may find it useful to have your character introduce it by phrases such as "My friends tell me that… [or] the great bishop Augustine once said that…" You should handle these sources critically, when your own character might be expected to do so: e.g. "I disagree with what he said, because…" Note that some of the scenarios ask you to take on a single character and point of view, and others require you to stage a debate between two opposing positions. In the latter case, you may choose to write in a dialogue format.

Unless otherwise specified, the characters involved may be of either sex; but keep it plausible within the limits imposed by the gender roles of the time (e.g. no female military officers).

Choose from one of the following situations. You are welcome to come up with a scenario of your own, but if so you must see me or Keith to discuss it at least a full week before the due date.

1. You are a Roman soldier who has defected to the camp of Attila the Hun. Write a letter to your family justifying your actions, and explaining why you believe barbarian society is morally superior to that of the Romans.

Or: you are a wealthy Roman senator in fifth-century Gaul. You have decided to stop paying taxes to the imperial government (such as it is) in Ravenna. Instead, you have struck a deal with a wandering army of Goths to provide military protection in return for a share of local tax revenues. Write a letter to a friend in Italy, explaining what you have done and why. Do you have any misgivings about your new neighbors?

2. You have just been caught trying to steal the holy [pick a body part] of St. [pick a name], renowned for its ability to perform miracles. Compose a speech justifying your actions, and explaining why you should not be prosecuted as a thief. Persuade a skeptical audience that the saint would approve of the deed.  Optional: you may do this in dialogue form, presenting arguments for both prosecution and defense.

3. St. Radegund left her husband, the Merovingian king Chlotar and retired to a monastery. As Radegund, write a letter to your husband explaining what you are doing and why.

4. You are an officer in Belisarius’ army, sent by Justinian in the 530s to "reconquer" Italy from its current Ostrogothic rulers. As you settle down to besiege the city of Rome, you are asked to compose a speech persuading the citizens to surrender. Explain to the Romans that the true "Roman Empire" now resides in Constantinople, and convince them that they ought to embrace Justinian’s rule and reject that of the "barbarian" Goths.  Optional: you may do this in dialogue form, presenting both sides of the argument.

5. In 594, papal missionaries arrived at the court of Ethelbert, king of Kent, bearing a new religion (Christianity) and a new technology (writing.) King Ethelbert asks his leading wise men for their opinions. Stage a debate, in dialogue form, between a proponent of conversion and a defender of the old ways.

6. The Syracuse Orangemen, a savage pagan tribe, are interested in converting to Christianity. You are a Christian monk sent to teach them the faith, and you are perplexed. What should you do about their many bizarre and disgusting customs? [Have some fun here: these could cover diet, clothing, sexual behavior, law, or just about anything.] Should you take a hard line against practices you dislike, or does the church need to be flexible? Write a letter to the pope describing the situation and asking his advice.

7. You are the steward of one of Charlemagne’s royal estates. The emperor has just sent you a capitulary with excruciatingly detailed instructions for what foods, supplies and provisions need to be stored up for the royal court’s impending visit. Unfortunately, due to a variety of circumstances [bad harvest, Vikings, witchcraft, or whatever excuses you can think up] you will not be able to meet the emperor’s demands. Write a letter back to Charlemagne explaining the situation.

8. You are the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus Phocas. You have just read Liudprand’s account of his embassy to Constantinople, and you are grievously insulted by his offensive remarks about you and your people. Write a response in which you assert the superiority of eastern civilization as against "backward" western Europe, and argue that Constantinople, not Germany, represents the true "Roman Empire."

9. A Christian and a Muslim meet in ninth-century Cordoba. The Muslim claims that the Arabs’ military victories since the seventh century prove that God favors Islam; the Christian argues the contrary. Record their debate in dialogue form.