British History 1500-1750

Course code: HICL028S5

Tutor: Autumn term - Dr Vanessa Harding; Spring term - Dr Laura Stewart

In 1500, England and Scotland were separate kingdoms, governed by hereditary monarchs presiding over a land-based feudal hierarchy. Two centuries later, the kingdoms had been united into what was rapidly becoming the most economically and politically powerful nation-state in the world. This transition was neither linear in its progression, nor did it signify unqualified improvement for all British inhabitants. Great events and key personalities provide a framework for the course: students will join the scholarly debates on such issues as how long it took to make Britain protestant, or whether Charles I was responsible for the civil wars. The perspectives of people from across the social spectrum will also be represented, in urban as well as rural communities. British people were born, worked, married, had their children and died within a patriarchal, hierarchical society, where epidemic disease, food shortages or war could plunge families and communities into crisis. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to consider historical issues that transcend boundaries of time and place – religious fragmentation, challenges to the prevailing socio-political order, gender relations and economic lives. Students interested in how societies develop over time will gain a perspective that is both more stimulating and complex than the ‘grand narrative’ of political history.

Preliminary reading:

Click here to download a copy of the reading list