What was new about the New Model Army?



Overview

The New Model Army has a formidable reputation. Raised by parliament in 1645 to win the English Civil Wars, it not only succeeded in crushing the king’s cause but was also instrumental in bringing him to his trial and execution four years later.

The New Model Army was a revolutionary force in more ways than one. It was the first standing army to be raised on English soil and its formation provided the blueprints for the military growth of the later seventeenth century that enabled England to become a world power. At the heart of the New Model’s success were a series of tactical and administrative innovations. Yet, it is this army’s impact on politics and society that is perhaps most remarkable. Having overturned the monarchy, the New Model Army played a crucial role in dismissing and calling parliaments and in keeping its commander-in-chief during the 1650s, Oliver Cromwell, in power as Lord Protector. Their actions were underpinned by a variety of radical political and religious beliefs that permeated throughout its ranks.

Using fresh new evidence and the latest scholarly research, this course will examine the military, political, economic, religious and social impact of the New Model Army. It will place these occurrences in the context of wider British and European developments to better understand the extent of the New Model Army’s novelty and invite students to consider how far the New Model Army was a truly ground-breaking institution.

Programme details

Courses starts: 17 Jan 2024

Week 0: Course Orientation

Week 1: The European military revolution and the standing army controversy

Week 2: Inauspicious beginnings: the political formation of the New Model Army

Week 3: Campaigning in England, Ireland, Scotland and Overseas, 1645-59

Week 4: Pay and provisioning

Week 5: Military-civilian relations

Week 6: Medical care and welfare

Week 7: Military service and social mobility

Week 8: An army of saints? Religion in the New Model Army

Week 9: Parliaments, protectors and kings: politics in the New Model Army

Week 10: Legacies

Certification

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. 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.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

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:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Ismini Pells

Ismini Pells is a Departmental Lecturer at OUDCE. She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge and subsequently held positions at the Universities of Exeter and Leicester. She has published on early modern military history, especially the English Civil Wars and military medicine.

Course aims

To develop knowledge and understanding about the centrality of military matters to the political, religious and social upheavals of the mid-seventeenth century and to encourage students to approach early modern military history from a broad perspective, using an imaginative selection of sources.

Course objectives:

  • To explore the role of war and military matters in political, economic, religious and social developments in England during 1645 to 1660.
  • To understand how wider military developments in the early modern period were experienced in England, including at a local level and across different social groups.
  • To develop critical thinking and source analysis skills through working with a wide range of primary materials.

Teaching methods

Each class will begin with a pre-recorded tutor-led presentation, followed by a live session to enable student interaction and questions. The live session will take a seminar format, comprising of small group work, student presentations and class discussion. This will be based on a selection of primary sources and short secondary readings. At the end of the class, students will be supplied with the primary sources and secondary readings for the next week’s class (those for week 1 will be supplied via email before the start of the course). Students will be expected to have completed the secondary readings in advance of the class.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which war and military matters influenced political, economic, religious and social developments in England during 1645 to 1660;
  • discuss how the experiences of contemporaries from across English society related to macro military developments during the early modern period;
  • critically assess a range of primary and secondary sources.

Assessment methods

Students can choose between two assessment methods:

Option 1) Completing three separate 500-word commentaries. These may take the form of primary source analyses, book/film reviews or a report on a visit to a museum/site of historic interest. The topic and format of the commentaries will be agreed between the student and the tutor.

Option 2) Completing one 1,500-word essay on a question agreed with the tutor. Those who choose this option will have the opportunity to submit a 500-word essay plan for feedback before submitting their essay.

The submission deadline for either option will be the end of term.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support