Horrible Middle Ages
Take a guided tour through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East by way of Headmaster Galahad and the acclaimed Horrible Histories series: a fun and accessible introduction to the dark, dangerous and weird place Europe becomes after the fall of the Roman Empire. Our end goal? To instill an unbridled love of history and the desire to go forward and explore in-depth even more world events, Horrible and otherwise. In and outside the webinars, this class will focus on the stories of the people of Europe and the Middle East, while also beginning to introduce critical thinking skills and primary source analysis in supplement to the Horrible Histories.
Take a guided tour through Europe and the Middle East by way of Headmaster Galahad and the acclaimed Horrible Histories series: a fun and accessible introduction to the dark, dangerous and weird place Europe becomes after the fall of the Roman Empire. Our end goal? To instill an unbridled love of history and the desire to go forward and explore in-depth even more world events, Horrible and otherwise. In and outside the webinars, this class will focus on the stories of the people of Europe and the Middle East, while also beginning to introduce critical thinking skills and primary source analysis in supplement to the Horrible Histories.
This course covers:
- The peoples of Europe in the “Dark Age” (Celts, Franks, Vikings, Saxons and more)
- Islam and Christianity in Eurasia
- The Norman Conquest
- The Crusades
- The Wars of Europe
- The Fall of the Eastern Roman Empire
- The Rebirth of Science
This is a semester-long, early middle school course. Weekly webinars are 50 minutes long. Recordings are available for students who must miss a session.
Links to Required Books (roughly in reading order, though we bounce around a bit):
- Horrible Histories: Cut-Throat Celts
- Horrible Histories: Vicious Vikings
- Horrible Histories: Measly Middle Ages
- Horrible Histories: Smashing Saxons
- Horrible Histories: Stormin Normans
- Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors
- Horrible Histories: Terrifying Tudors
Links to OPTIONAL Book:
The best source for Horrible Books in the United States is Horrible Ray in California. Some books may also be available at your local library. Any edition is acceptable, so if you find an inexpensive used copy, feel free to purchase. Reading assignments are posted by section, not page number.
| Topics Covered | The "Middle Ages" |
|---|---|
| Challenge Level | Aimed at students ready for work appropriate to grades 6 and 7. This is a middle school history course open to students ages 8 and up who are prepared to critically think about challenging medieval history topics. |
| Time Commitment | Most students report spending approximately 3-4 hours per week on homework outside of the webinar, including the reading assignments. |
| Instructor | Headmaster Galahad |
| Reading List | Horrible Histories: Cut-Throat Celts Horrible Histories: Vicious Vikings |
| Usually offered | Spring Semester |
| Prerequisites | None. Students must be able to read at the 5th grade level or above (Lexile 780+), and have sufficient typing skills to communicate effectively with classmates in complete sentences. Ability to compose a paragraph independently recommended but not required. |
| Available Sessions | Spring 2025 Friday 10am Pacific, Spring 2024 Monday 1pm Pacific, Spring 2024 Monday 11am Pacific, Spring 2023 Thursday 10am Pacific, Spring 2023 Wednesday 11am Pacific |