Aims
The British Civil Wars, or the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, plunged England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales into an uncertain period of war, revolt and rebellion, resulting in the execution of an anointed monarch and experiments in republican government. Ostensibly an argument about who rules and by what right, long term political, social and religious tensions contributed to the outbreak of war in 1642. This course will examine the steps to war and the short and long term impact of the revolutionary ideas unleashed during this period.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the causes, course and impact of the Civil Wars within the context of regional, national and international political, economic, religious and social changes
- Identity, assess and evaluate key turning points and significant events in these changes
- Understand the roles of Charles I and significant individuals such as Thomas Fairfax, Oliver Cromwell, John Lilburne and radical groups such as the Levellers and Diggers in shaping the Civil Wars
- Understand and critically evaluate a range of historiographical approaches to the Civil Wars
The Seminars
After week one, each session will begin with a class discussion of the key issues raised in the reading for that week. Then the key questions and themes of the reading for the next week will be introduced by the tutor.
- Week 1: Britain in the Seventeenth Century
- Week 2: The Bishops Wars 1637-40
- Week 3: The Steps to Civil War 1640-42
- Week 4: Recruiting Troops, Arms and Armour and Battle
- Week 5: 1642- 1646 The First Civil War
- Week 6: 1648-49 The Second Civil War
- Week 7: 1649- The Execution of Charles I
- Week 8: The Third Civil War, The Interregnum, and the Rump Parliament
- Week 9: Cromwell and the Protectorate
- Week 10: The Collapse of the Republic
- Week 11: Charles II and the Restoration
Assessment
Formative assessment set around week 6, usually an essay plan. Feedback is given on the essay plan.
Summative assessment at the conclusion of the course. This will be a 2,000 word essay.
Suggested Initial Reading List
Other texts will form part of the reading list for the course. These are background texts:
- M. J. Braddick, God’s Fury, England’s Fire: A new history of the English Civil Wars (2008)
- Ann Hughes, Causes of the English Civil War (London, 1991)
- A. Woolrych, Britain in Revolution, 1625-1660 (2002)