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In 1649 the king of England was put on trial as a war criminal, found guilty of crimes against his own people, and executed. This was a profoundly shocking event for contemporaries. True, the king had lost the civil war he had started against parliament, but even so, most people expected both sides to broker a political settlement. The public trial and execution of the sovereign was unprecedented, and it was orchestrated by a minority of his enemies who had no popular mandate for their actions. And yet tis course will encourage you to see this king-killing as the culmination of decades of political instability that had started in the 1530s with Henry VIII’s break from Rome and then continued with Catholic plots against Elizabeth I and with James I’s near-death experience of the Gunpowder Plot. On this course we will focus on the turmoil that characterised English politics and religion during our timeframe, especially the ways in which royal authority was contested; lots and conspiracies; rebellions; and the circulation of news and false news. We will look at lots of primary sources, including printed texts and images, paintings, and coins.
This course is for anyone who is interested in it. You don’t need to already have a good understanding of the period, but a good grasp of English is essential. If you would like to do some background reading before the course starts you could consider: John Guy, The Tudors: A Very Short Introduction (2000) John Morrill, Stuart Britain: A Very Short Introduction (2000) Alec Ryrie, The Age of Reformation, 2nd edition (2017) David Smith, A History of the Modern British Isles, 1603-1707 (1998) Our course is structured around eleven key case studies. These could include: · Opposing Henry VIII’s Reformation: The Pilgrimage of Grace · Opposing Mary Tudor’s Catholic Reformation: Foxe’s Book of Martyrs · Catholic and Puritan threats to Elizabeth I · The Gunpowder Plot · The Petition of Right: Charles I and fears of arbitrary government · Taking sides in the Civil War · The role of women in the Civil War · Tyrant or martyr? The trial and execution of Charles I · The English Republic of the 1650s · Charles II and the Popish Plot · A bloodless coup d’etat: the Glorious Revolution By the end of this course you should be able to · Give an account of the main events in England that contributed to its political and religious instability from the Reformation to the Glorious Revolution · Contribute to discussions of the limits of royal authority during the period studied · Discuss the main ways in which people could oppose the crown, and their rationale for doing so · Contribute to discussions of primary sources from the period studied, both texts and images
This is an interactive course. Each week we will have set reading to read before the class. This will usually be an article or chapter from a book, and sometimes a text or image from the period. We will then meet to talk about the reading and discuss its pros and cons, and any bias. Different points of view will be examined, and you will be encouraged to make up your own mind as to which you find the most convincing. Your progress will be assessed by your contributions to seminars, and by any one-to-one conversations with the tutor. This is not a stressful process.
You do not need to buy anything to study this course. You are expected to read and to prepare for seminars in your own time. Internet access will greatly help.
You could enrol on other courses at the Mary Ward Centre, to study History, History of art, or other Humanities courses.
See how long it will take you to get to college. Please select the campus of the course you wish to study.