4V3ACIVP: Early Modern England, 1500–1689

Early Modern England

Course goals

This course deals with the history of early modern England from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century. It focuses more particularly on three pivotal moments: 1) the reign of King Henry VIII, who broke with Rome and created a national independent Church of England, while the Reformation was taking place in Europe; 2) the Elizabethan era, when the Church of England adopted a form of Protestantism that is still extant today; at that time, England also progressively became a colonial empire and an opponent of Catholic Spain; 3) the reign of the Stuarts, whose conception of the relations between monarchy and parliament led to the 1640s civil wars, a political, religious and diplomatic conflict that had consequences on the following decades with the Commonwealth in the 1650s. The intellectual context, such as the role of humanism and the emergence of the new science, will also be briefly mentioned as they had an impact on the religious and political developments of the period.

The aim of this course is twofold: first, students will learn how to read and understand a historical text, and second, they will learn how to analyze those texts and write commentaries in English following a specific methodological approach.

Instructor

Yan BRAILOWSKY, yan.brailowsky@parisnanterre.fr. Bureau V225.

The best way to contact me is by email. Please provide relevant details in your message so that I know who you are and what you need as I teach different classes with hundreds of students each semester. Please proofread your message before hitting ‘send’!

Course material and requirements

A brochure with primary documents will be distributed in class. Please use it (i.e. read and annotate it), and always bring it to class. Additional resources are mentioned below and in the brochure.

Warning: this is a work-intensive course. I will expect you to have read/listened to the material listed in the syllabus before each class. Everyone will be expected to participate in class discussions, even those who do not enjoy speaking up! You cannot learn effectively without reading and listening to the material, or without actively participating in class or asking questions. Trust me.

Course schedule

Le travail indiqué ci-dessous est à effectuer pour le jour indiqué. Le programme peut être modifié. Consultez régulièrement le site.

15 September: Introduction, Henry VIII

· In class: doc. Dean of St Paul criticises the Church

· In class: doc. Thomas More answer to the heretics

22 September: Henry VIII

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011vh4k (45mn), on Lollards and Wyclif.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bmlsy (45mn), on Erasmus.

· Read: doc. Tyndale attacks pilgrimages.

· Read: doc. Act of Supremacy.

· In class: doc. Act in Restraint of Appeals.

29 September: Henry VIII

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009jtq1 (45mn), on the dissolution of the monasteries.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ct4n4 (43mn), on the Book of Common Prayer.

· Read: doc. Pilgrimage of Grace

· Read: doc. Act of Repeal 1554

· Exercise: write biographies of Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer

6 October: Edward VI, Mary I

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vy2dd (45mn), on Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qvqpz (45mn), on Calvinism.

· Read online: Article on the BCP’s 350th anniversary: http://bit.ly/bcp-350-bday

13 October: Elizabeth I

· Read: doc. Act of Uniformity 1559

· Read: doc. Apology of the Church of England, 1562

· Read: doc. The 39 Articles, 1563.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v1qyb (45mn), on the Spanish Armada.

· Read: doc. Pius V’s Regnans in Excelsis, 1570- Read about portraits of Elizabeth I

20 October: James I

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5nqr (45mn), on the death of Elizabeth I.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00546xd (45mn), on the Tudor State.

· Read: doc. The Millenary Petition, 1603

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0080xph (45mn), on divine right of kings.

27 October: Charles I – Mid-term essay due

MID-TERM ASSESSMENT. See handout circulated in September.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z5y9z (45mn), on Free will (cf. with predestination).

· Read: doc. The Nineteen Propositions, 1642

· Read: doc. A Solemn League and Convenant, 1643

  • assign icon Devoir à rendre (commentaire de texte)

3 NOVEMBER: NO CLASS (Holidays)

10 November: Correction ‘mid-term assessment’

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007rlb6 (45mn), on the Pilgrim Fathers.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007731w (45mn), on the Jesuits.

17 November: Civil War, Commonwealth

MID-TERM ASSESSMENT. See handout circulated in October.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007rlb6 (45mn), on the Pilgrim Fathers.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007731w (45mn), on the Jesuits.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kpzd6 (45mn), on the trial of Charles I.

· Read: doc. Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, 1649

· Read: doc. Oliver Cromwell, The Four Fundamentals, 1654

24 November: Glorious Revolution

· Read: doc. The Declaration of Breda, April 4, 1660

· Exercise: doc. Petition of Right, 1628:

  • What legal precedents are mentioned by the petitioners to buttress their claim?
  • Where their requests unusual?
  • Which individual rights are asserted?

· In class: doc. Declaration of Indulgence, April 4, 1687

· In class: doc. The Bill of Rights, December 16, 1689

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547fk (45mn), on the Glorious Revolution.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01f67y4 (45mn), on Quakers.

· Listen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y288 (45mn), on Toleration in England.

1 December: FINALS

In class: FINAL EXAM (2h). The class brochure will be allowed, with your annotations.

Modalités de contrôle

  • Formule standard session 1 – Contrôle continu : un devoir écrit de 2h à mi-parcours (questions de cours + questions sur un document historique) 40% ; un devoir écrit de 2h en fin de semestre (commentaire de document historique) 50%, participation et travail personnel 10%.
  • Formule dérogatoire session 1 : 1 devoir écrit de 2h (commentaire de texte)
  • Session 2 : 1 devoir écrit de 2h (commentaire de texte)