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History

The Stuarts: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty (10 credit points)

Course Times & Enrolment

This course is currently unavailable.

Course Summary

The 17th century saw the establishment of strong and increasingly centralised royal authority in many European countries. The key aim of the course is to understand why this did not happen in Britain, through exploring the nature of kingship in Britain under the four 17th-century Stuart kings and assessing the challenges they faced.

Course Details

Pre-requisites for enrolment

None.

Content of Course

  • Introduction and Course Review.
  • An Imperfect Union: Britain in 1603.
  • Promise Unfulfilled: James VI and I 1603-1625.
  • A Drama becomes a Crisis: Charles I and the collapse of the monarchy 1625-1649.
  • The Republican experiment: Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth 1649-1660.
  • Back with a Vengeance? The Restoration and Charles II 1660-1685.
  • The end of the line: James II and The Glorious Revolution 1685-1690.
  • The New Regime: William, Mary, Anne and the Hanoverian succession 1690-1714.
  • The Stuarts in Exile: The Old Pretender and Bonnie Prince Charlie 1690-1746.

Learning outcomes

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

  • Understand the personalities, ambitions and impact of the four Stuart kings of Great Britain;

  • Assess the major political, religious and constitutional themes in British history during the seventeenth century;

  • Examine the issues that led to the Civil War and the republic, and why the Stuarts were recalled in 1660;

  • Understand the background to and key events of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and both the appeal and the shortcomings of the Stuart dynasty in exile;

  • Demonstrate the acquired knowledge and skills in their essay and the unseen assignment.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

  • Coward, B., 1980. The Stuart Age. London: Longmans.

  • Lee, C., 2003. 1603: A Turning Point in British History. London: Headline Review.

  • Vallance, E., 2006. The Glorious Revolution. New York: Little Brown.

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

Recommended:

  • Bennett, M., 1997. The Civil Wars in Britain and Ireland 1638-1651. London: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Bryant, A., 1931. King Charles II. London: Longmans.

  • Fraser, A., 1997. Cromwell, Our Chief of Men. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

  • Gregg, P., 2001. King Charles I. Sheffield: Phoenix Press.

  • Stewart, A., 2003. The Cradle King: A life of James VI and I. London: Chatto and Windus.

  • Turner, R. C., 1948. James II. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.

Assessments

10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide.

Studying for Credit

If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.

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.