RAIDERS, TRADERS AND CRUSADERS: HOW THE BALTIC RIM SHAPED THE WORLD
Chris Danziger, tutor, Continuing Education Department, Oxford University
Monday 20–Friday 24 January 9.15 am COURSE FEES R550; Staff and students R275
The Baltic Sea is shallow and almost landlocked. The lands surrounding it are inhospitable and sparsely populated. One third of them lie above the Arctic Circle. Their early history is an endless tale of violence and strife. Yet their inhabitants have made a disproportionate contribution to the history of Europe and the world. Their influence was once pivotal across four continents. The Baltic Rim spawned waves of colonisers, powerful if transitory empires, Crusading Orders and international trading consortiums. They altered the fate of places thousands of miles from the Baltic Rim. But in time these successes brought their own hazards. The attention of larger political units was attracted. The native populations were ultimately too small to sustain serious political power. The role of the Baltic Rim in the modern world has changed. Instead of political competition, the Baltic Rim has become an exemplar for good values, education, freedom of expression and working democracy.
Lecture titles
- The Viking diaspora
- The Teutonic knights
- Vanished empires: Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Prussia
- The Hanseatic League
- Russia and the new world order
Recommended reading
Boggis-Rolfe, C. 2019. The Baltic Story. Gloucestershire: Amberley Publishing Limited. Jesch, J. 2015. The Viking Diaspora. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.
O’Connor, K. 2015. The History of the Baltic States. United States: ABC-CLIO.
Palmer, A. 2006. The Baltic: a new history of the region and its people. United Kingdom: Harry N. Abrams.
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