• This four-week course begins January 9, 2026

  • Live 90-minute sessions each week from 1:00 - 2:30pm Eastern U.S. time

  • All sessions are recorded so you can watch them at your convenience

The Rise of Urban Europe c.1000-1300

In this introductory lecture we establish what was the situation of towns in Europe in the early stages or urbanization. From old Roman towns to medieval cities, their change in status will be reflected through population shifts, legal changes, economic opportunities and the role of religion in urban life.

Managing Medieval Urban Europe

This class delves into the details of how urban administrations try (more or less successfully) to run towns. From guilds to associations, to the decline of urban life as a result of the Black Death, by the end of this lecture we will understand how urban communities have always played a role in legislation, development and revolution.

The Town and its People

This lecture is about understanding what makes a community and who lives in a town. We explore the roles of families as networks, the role of women in urban societies, the lives of the urban poor and their social status. Finally we investigate the impact that violence had in urban communities and how it affected their standing from the viewpoint of crime and punishment.

Religion and Culture

The final session will provide insight into the tools medieval urban communities developed for their success (and sanity!). The role of the church in shaping urban Europe is crucial, just as much as it is providing relief for the trials and tribulations of life. The Middle Ages became a new golden period for festivities and celebrations, many of which have left their mark in modern towns today and often are the spirit and identity of the community. Understanding the role these played in the lives of day-to-day people, is our final clue and connection to the distant past from the present.

This course requires no homework or prep, just an open and curious mind to reflect on how our modern lives are still so similar to early urban communities. At the end of the course there will be a “survey”, purely as an exercise of reflection between these issues which are so very relevant to our modern living conditions.

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Meet your Instructor

Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez

Dr. Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez is a medievalist with a PhD from the University of Winchester, specializing in culture and identity within the subject of medievalism and popular culture. She is a cultural scholar and historian with an interdisciplinary and international approach. While her PhD focused on Norse women and their representation in popular culture, she has always had a keen interest in the way humans see the world: mythology, religion, art and literature are the things she enjoys most. Her academic publications include many works on the Norse, comic book studies and cultural identity. She is also an active blogger and podcaster and currently runs her own tour guiding and cultural education company as a public historian, where she gets to bring history to life every day for anyone who will listen.

  • Start Learning

    First live session is January 9, 2026 at 1:00pm Eastern U.S. time

  • Access

    Course materials are available for 30 days after the last course session.

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