Heraldry and Iconography of Power in the Middle Ages
Objectives
1 To acquire a solid knowledge of the iconography of power and heraldry in the Middle Ages by analysing its practices and representations in the context of medieval written, material and artistic culture.
2. To grasp the methodological lines necessary for the study of such iconographic resources and to understand some of the problems related to the study and interpretation of the message of power contained in civic and religious rituals and visual representations in different socio-political contexts.
3 To identify and familiarise oneself with the documentary and visual sources related to power in the medieval period, in contact with the methodological tools necessary for reading the material and conceptual aspects of these sources, particularly with regard to heraldic emblems.
4. To learn to recognise, through the analysis of specific cases, the different types of historical sources, written and visual, and to master the specific terminology for their study.
General characterization
Code
01110269
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
Miguel Beirão de Almeida Metelo de Seixas
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 168
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
- HABLOT, Laurent - Manuel de Héraldique emblématique médiévale. Tours: Presses Universitaires François Rabelais, 2019.
- MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, Faustino - Los emblemas heráldicos, novecientos años de historia. Sevilla: Real Maestranza de Caballería, 2014.
- PASTOUREAU, Michel - Traité d'héraldique. Paris: Picard, 1997.
- SEIXAS, Miguel Metelo de; HILTMANN, Torsten (dir.) - Heraldry in Medieval and Early Modern State Rooms. Ostfildern: Thorbecke, 2020.
- SEIXAS, Miguel Metelo de; ROSA, Maria de Lurdes (dir.) - Estudos de heráldica medieval. Lisboa: IEM, 2012.
Teaching method
The exposition and discussion of theoretical content during the sessions of this curricular unit allows students to familiarise themselves with the definitions of the object of study, as well as with the historiographical debates underway. These references to theoretical content are complemented by classroom commentary on written and visual sources, which allows the student to acquire practice in handling the same methodological tools for analysing representations of power in the Middle Ages. Finally, tutorial guidance aims to ensure that the work done by the student for assessment purposes incorporates the correct methodologies for carrying out scientific research in this area of study.
Evaluation method
Avaliação continua - Preparation of an individual written assignment based on written and visual sources related to the iconography of power through a heraldic manifestation dating from the medieval period (max. 15 pp. - excluding bibliography and appendices) (80%), Participation in class (participation in the debates promoted during the teaching sessions will be assessed, with special emphasis on the mastery of the sources and texts given for study, as well as the ability to develop a ‘critical’ view of the object of study)(20%)
Subject matter
1) Studying heraldry today: epistemological and methodological framework of a science in renewal; heraldry in contact with other branches of historiography and the human and social sciences;
2) Origin and dissemination of heraldry: The problem of the creation of heraldry in the 12th century: how, where and why?The dissemination of heraldry between the 12th and 14th centuries: building a system of self-representation and visual communication.
3) The heraldic mutation in the final phase of the Middle Ages: The construction of heraldic knowledge: the role of heralds and others; A courtly code, put at the service of the monarchy and the nobility; Heraldry, art and literature.
4) The formation and characteristics of Portuguese medieval heraldry: Heuristic questions; The period of formation (12th-13th centuries); The period of consolidation (14th century); The period of transformation (15th century).
5) Medieval Portuguese heraldic production: Heraldic art in Portugal; Armorials and treatis