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History

King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and the Great Rebellion

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

Explore one of the most turbulent periods in British history - the era of Charles I and Oliver Cromwell - including a civil war, the trial and execution of a king, a period of republican government and the emergence of some startlingly radical political and religious ideas.

Course Details

Content of Course

1. Introduction.

2. The Origins of the Crisis: Tensions in Church and State, 1625-1637.

3. The Onset of the Crisis: the collapse of Charles I’s regime, 1637-1642.

4. The Civil Wars, and the triumph of Cromwell and the New Model Army, 1642-1646.

5. The search for a settlement and the execution of the King, 1646-1649.

6. The Commonwealth and Lord Protector Cromwell, 1649-1658.

7. The collapse of the Commonwealth and the Restoration of the Monarchy, 1658-1660.

Teaching method(s)

Lecture and facilitated discussion.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  • Understand the issues that led to the collapse of Charles I’s regime and the outbreak of civil war in all three of his kingdoms;

  • Discuss the key events in the civil wars of the 1640s;

  • Assess the personalities and motivations of key people, notably the King and Cromwell;

  • Understand why the monarchy was abolished, and assess the nature and impact of the regimes of the Commonwealth era;

  • Assess the events that led to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

Sources

Core Readings

  • Coward, B., 1980. The Stuart Age. London: Longmans (chapters 4-7).

  • Cust, R., 2005. Charles I: A Political Life. Harlow: Pearson.

  • Fraser, A., 1973. Cromwell our Chief of Men and Lord Protector Cromwell. London: Phoenix Press.

  • Wedgewood, C. V., 1964. The Trial of Charles I. London: Collins.

  • Worden, B., 2009. The English Civil Wars, 1640-1660. London: Weidenfeld.

Class Handouts

Lecture notes for each class.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.