The Practice of Magic in Medieval Society

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 Sep 2026, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 21 Sep 2026, 19:00-20:00 (UK time).

Week 1: Introduction

• What did “magic” mean?
• The breadth of medieval magic
• Sources of magic – demonic or natural?

Week 2: Divination

• Different forms of divination
• Divination v. prophecy
• Divination across the social spectrum

Week 3: The common tradition and sorcery

• Common uses of magic amongst the populace
• Objects of magic
• Harmful magic

Week 4: Learned magic

• The twelfth-century renaissance
• Alchemy
• Astrology

Week 5: Necromancy

• The changing concept of necromancy
• Astral magic
• Clerical necromancy

Week 6: Magic and medicine

• Magical cures and remedies
• Astrological medicine
• Curing magic

Week 7: Magic at court

• Political magic
• Court magicians
• Magic for entertainment

Week 8: Authoritative attitudes to magic

• Magic and the Church
• Magic and the state
• The crime of magic 

Week 9: Magic and heresy

• The Devil’s pact
• Magic as a heretical weapon
• The consolidation of magical belief

Week 10: Beyond medieval magic

• The end of the medieval period
• The Renaissance magus
• The emergence of the witch trials

Level and demands

This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.

Course aims

To explore the full range of beliefs and practices in relation to magic in medieval Western Europe, demonstrate the changing nature of “magic” as a defined concept, and explain the contradictions amongst attitudes in medieval society.

Course objectives:

• We will investigate and understand the breadth of magical practices being undertaken across the social spectrum in the medieval period.
• You will examine primary sources, both objects and texts, to demonstrate the beliefs and practices of the time.
• You will come to understand how both the actual practices being used and the perception of magic changed significantly across the medieval period and the impact this had on later centuries.

IT requirements

Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 Sep 2026, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 21 Sep 2026, 19:00-20:00 (UK time).

Week 1: Introduction

• What did “magic” mean?
• The breadth of medieval magic
• Sources of magic – demonic or natural?

Week 2: Divination

• Different forms of divination
• Divination v. prophecy
• Divination across the social spectrum

Week 3: The common tradition and sorcery

• Common uses of magic amongst the populace
• Objects of magic
• Harmful magic

Week 4: Learned magic

• The twelfth-century renaissance
• Alchemy
• Astrology

Week 5: Necromancy

• The changing concept of necromancy
• Astral magic
• Clerical necromancy

Week 6: Magic and medicine

• Magical cures and remedies
• Astrological medicine
• Curing magic

Week 7: Magic at court

• Political magic
• Court magicians
• Magic for entertainment

Week 8: Authoritative attitudes to magic

• Magic and the Church
• Magic and the state
• The crime of magic 

Week 9: Magic and heresy

• The Devil’s pact
• Magic as a heretical weapon
• The consolidation of magical belief

Week 10: Beyond medieval magic

• The end of the medieval period
• The Renaissance magus
• The emergence of the witch trials

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you will have:

• an understanding of the breadth of magical practices being utilised across medieval society;
• an appreciation of the changing and contradictory nature of concepts such as magic, and the inability to provide a single, coherent definition for all individuals across the medieval period;
• an ability to analyse and evaluate the practices and beliefs pertaining to magic in the medieval period, and to understand the importance of an individual’s social group and background in their attitudes towards them;
• an ability to utilise primary source material to support arguments relating to the practice of magic in medieval society;
• an understanding of the significant shift in attitudes toward magic from the beginning of the medieval period to its end.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Dr Vikki Burns-Price

Victoria Burns-Price has a PhD from the University of Reading in Medieval History. Her research interests lie in medieval magic, its practitioners, and the influence of formal theology on societal attitudes toward it.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Level and demands

This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.

Fees

Module code: O26P765LHZ

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