Civil War and Revolution: Britain Divided, 1640-1660 (Online)



Overview

The Civil Wars which swept across the British Isles in the seventeenth century left few lives untouched. For many it was 'a world turned upside down as fathers fought sons, and brother killed brother. We will explore the causes, conduct and significance of the English Civil Wars.

Listen to Dr Andrew Lacey talking about the course:

On 30th January 1649, Charles I, the king of England, was executed outside his palace of Whitehall after a public trial. We will look at the series of events which led to this revolutionary act: from the 'personal rule of the king in the 1630s and the opposition this provoked, through the calling of 'the 'Long Parliament' in November 1640 and the country''s gradual slide into civil war.

We will examine the war itself in some detail, including the rise to prominence of Oliver Cromwell, before moving on to look at the search for settlement and the second Civil War which, in turn, provides the background for the trial and execution of the king.

Along the way we will pause to consider radical religion and the political ideas of the Levellers and Diggers. With the king dead, England embarked upon eleven years of republican constitutional experiment - which included the five year rule of Cromwell as Lord Protector.

We will end by discussing why, within two years of Cromwell's death, England had restored the monarchy.

For information on how the courses work, please click here.

Programme details

1. Countdown to war 1625-1640

  • Britain and Europe in the early seventeenth century
  • Who was King Charles?
  • Parliaments and favourites, 1625–9
  • The Personal Rule I: ships and taxes
  • The Personal Rule II: ‘the beauty of holiness’
  • The Personal Rule III: the art of absolutism
  • The National Covenant and the Bishops’ Wars
  • Parliament recalled – eventually

2. The rise of the Royalists 1640-42

  • Dismantling the Personal Rule
  • The rise of ‘King Pym’
  • The Root and Branch Petition
  • The trial of Strafford
  • Unrest in the country
  • The Irish Rebellion and its consequences
  • Charles, the constitutional king?
  • ‘I see all the birds are flown’

3. The War in the Three Kingdoms 1642-46

  • Choosing sides and the battle of Edgehill
  • Royalist and Parliamentarian England
  • 1643: Royalist success and the Solemn League and Covenant
  • Cromwell and the Eastern Association
  • Financing the war
  • 1644: successes and failures
  • The New Model Army wins the war

4. The search for settlement 1646-48

  • The players in the game
  • Parliament and the Army
  • Parliament and the king
  • Parliament vs the army
  • The Heads of the Proposals
  • The Putney Debates
  • The Engagement
  • Assignment I

5. The world turned upside down I  religious radicalism

  • Who were the Puritans?
  • The Puritan impulse
  • Presbyterians and Independents
  • Spiritual warfare – Meroz, Dowsing and Hopkins
  • The light within
  • Godly reformation: its consequences

6. The world turned upside down II  political radicalism

  • These distracted times
  • The New Model Army and political radicalism
  • John Lilburne and the Levellers
  • Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers
  • The retreat from the vision

7. 1648: return of the sword

  • Riots and mince pies
  • The revolt in south Wales
  • The Scottish invasion and the battle of Preston
  • Revolts in Kent and East Anglia
  • The siege of Colchester
  • Charles Stuart – ‘that man of blood’

8. Regicide 1649

  • Pride’s Purge
  • The Rump Parliament and the High Court of Justice
  • The trial of the king
  • The king’s execution
  • The cult of King Charles the martyr
  • 1649 – revolution contained?
  • Assignment II

9. A Free Republic? : the Commonwealth and Protectorate 1649-58

  • ‘Freedom by God’s blessing restored’
  • The enemies of the Commonwealth I: the radicals
  • The enemies of the Commonwealth II: the Irish
  • The enemies of the Commonwealth III: the Scots
  • Barebone’s Parliament
  •  Lord Protector Cromwell and the Instrument of Government
  • Conspirators and major-generals
  • Lord Protector Cromwell and the Humble Petition and Advice

10. Restoration 1658-1662

  • Richard, by the Grace of God, Lord Protector
  • Turn and turn about – the army takes charge
  • General Monck intervenes
  • Restoration!
  • The fate of the regicides
  • The restoration of the old regime
  • The history of history
  • Was there an English Revolution?
  • Further reading

 

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £385.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

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Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Andrew Lacey

Andrew Lacey completed a first degree in history followed by a postgraduate degree in Library and Information Studies. He then worked as a professional librarian in a variety of Colleges and Universities. He was College Librarian at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, for ten years and for four years simultaneously Special Collections Librarian at the University of Leicester. Moving on from both Trinity Hall and Leicester, Andrew worked in the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Architecture and History of Art.

In tandem with his professional career, Andrew has pursued his academic interests and teaching in adult education. He is a tutor for both the University of Oxford, Department for Continuing Education and the University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education. His teaching and research includes work on the Tudors and the Reformation, the English Civil War, sixteenth and seventeenth century English and European history, the relationship between art and power, and nineteenth and twentieth century British and European history.

Andrew was awarded a doctorate by the University of Leicester for research on the cult of Charles I and the fruits of this work were published by the Boydell Press. He has also published many articles and essays on aspects of sixteenth and seventeenth century history, this has included the writing and tutoring of an online course for the University of Oxford on the English Civil War. He has also written and tutors online courses for the University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, on the Early Tudors, Queen Elizabeth I, and, reflecting the range of his interests, Hitler and Nazi Germany, he is also a joint tutor for the Cambridge Undergraduate Certificate in History. In among all this Andrew published a book on the English Civil War published by Amberley Press in 2017 – never a dull moment!

Andrew lives in a village near Cambridge with his much loved wife Vanessa.

Course aims

Provide a comprehensive introduction to the general narrative of events known as the English Civil War between 1625 - 1662, the personalities and issues involved and some of the long-term consequences of the conflict.

Course Objectives

  • To provide a narrative of the English Civil War.
  • To introduce the key personalities in the conflict and their significance.
  • To discuss some of the major political and religious ideas of the period.
  • To discuss some of the long-term significance of the conflict.

Teaching methods

  • Guided reading of contemporary document extracts.
  • Set questions on document extracts.
  • Use of visual imagery.
  • Discussion sessions.
  • Creating a glossary of religious terms and sects.
  • Maps.
  • Case studies of relevant incidents, events and personalities.

Learning outcomes

As a result of taking this course students should be able to:

1. Understand the significance of the key events and personalities involved in the conflict.

2. Engage with the issues over which the Civil War was fought and evaluate the significance of the religious and political ideas generated by the War.

3. Compare, evaluate and interpret contemporary sources (whether written or visual) as evidence and learn how to deploy such evidence in support of their own ideas.

4. Demonstrate some understanding of the long-term significance of the English Civil War

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Application

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support