This module will give you an introduction to the role of religion in the lives of people in the middle ages (c. 400-1400 CE). In eras before the modern age provided new conceptions of human existence, religious beliefs, practices, and ways of thinking were a fundamental part of life. This period saw the rise and institutional establishment of two major world religions (Christianity and Islam) in Europe, the Mediterranean world, and the Middle East. It also saw the canonical development of a third (Judaism), and—in many contexts—the suppression of the traditional beliefs and practices which modern historians normally call ‘paganism’. In this module, you will explore the patterns of conversion, conflict, and coexistence which resulted between and within these religious communities across western Eurasia. Possible topics include: Christianization and mission; the rise of Islam; the origins and development of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism; the Crusades; monasticism and committed religious lifestyles; the development of lay religion and everyday religious experiences; heresy, persecution and Inquisition. A specific strand will use Ireland and the wider Insular world as a case study for these big historical processes of religious change.