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This module will allow students to consider an intense period of history, when England (or ‘Britain’) was engaged in a period of civil war.  It will consider the relationship between England, Scotland and Ireland; religious and political tensions and conflicting ideas about monarchical rule.  The module will encourage students to question the terminology we might use to understand this period (was this a ‘revolution’?  Did ‘Britain’ yet exist?  Were the wars caused by religious radicalism?).  Students will engage with a variety of primary and historiographical resources, to consider the many competing interpretations of this complex period. 

This module will consider political, social, cultural and religious events during the period of Civil War in England, c 1640-1660.  Throughout the module we will look at the Stuart Kingdoms, and the circumstances which led to the outbreak and continuation of war; the attempts to reach a settlement in the years between 1646-49; the factions which shaped the post-war period and the breakdown of negotiations leading to the trial and execution of Charles I; the role of Oliver Cromwell as General and Lord Protector of England; community and society in the English Republic; and the end of the Republic. 

We will explore in detail the themes of republicanism and kingship, what they meant to people in the Stuart Kingdoms and how such ideas were fought out between competing factions.  The module will also consider the wider impact of the war on English society, looking at religious radicalism, social change and the role of the written word.  The module will offer students the opportunity to consider the ‘writing of histories’ – how various historians have understood and represented the war and the various debates that exist between them.  In particular, we will look at Marxist interpretations of the Civil War, asking if England really did experience a Revolution?  Students will write an essay and a literary review. 

A student passing this module should be able to show

1) A strong and critical knowledge of the major developments in English, Scottish and Irish history in the period 1640-1660

2) A critical understanding of a range of historiographical approaches employed in the analysis of the English Civil War and Interregnum

3) An appreciation of the interrelated nature of the causal factors of the Civil War period (cultural, religious, social and political)

4) An ability to evaluate critically and synthesise information drawn from primary source materials and to communicate ideas in written work

5) An ability to identify historiographical issues and critically assess historical debates and to communicate these ideas in written work

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.