131-112 Politics, Religion and Culture in Tudor England, 1485-1603

Note

It is recommended that this subject be taken in conjunction with 131-113 Religion, Revolution and Civil War: Britain 1603-1660.

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Subject Description

This is a period of highly significant historical transformation in British and European history. When the civil 'War of the Roses' ended in 1485 with the violent death on Bosworth Field of the enigmatic Richard III, the Welsh Tudor family built up a powerful nation-state whose history is rich in the complexities of political power and religion and the paradoxes of social structures. It includes Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the Tudor revolution in government, the Protestant Reformation, the Anglican Church, Catholic priests in hiding. It takes us into the analysis of both spirituality and vigorous materialism. We study women, families, culture and cuisine, the long reign of a female monarch, British links with the rest of Europe, nationalism, xenophobia, fears of invasion, the Spanish Armada of 1588, and the literature of Shakespeare's England. We investigate the anatomy of political transformations in centralised government, constitutional definitions of parliamentary authority and civil liberties. Students are introduced to theoretical views and are encouraged and helped to work from the many printed original sources available to them at this University.

Assessment

Tutorial participation, including an oral class presentation (10%), one short research essay of 1500 words (40%), one major research essay of 2000 words (50%).