This module is not currently running in 2024 to 2025.
In 1500 England and Scotland were both Catholic, and entirely separate countries. In 1603 they were united under one ruler, the Scottish King James VI who inherited the throne of England on the death of Elizabeth I. This module will introduce students to the political history of the period, meeting famous characters such as Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots, but it will also get beyond headline-grabbing monarchs to explore complex political realities. Alongside the contested process of religious change and the secret scheming between England and Scotland, we shall consider the impact of propaganda on the people of different parts of the British Isles. Students will encounter a wide variety of sources, ranging from political pictures and tracts to acts of Parliament and diplomatic correspondence.
There are no special costs associated with this module.
The module will be examined by coursework (40%) and a 2 hour examination (60%).
Students will submit two 2,5000-word essays (80% of the coursework mark) and being assessed on their contribution to seminars (20% of the coursework mark).
Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds: the Rule of the Tudors, 1485-1603 (2001)
S.G. Ellis, The Making of the British Isles (2007)
Jane Dawson, Scotland Re-Formed (2007)
John Guy, Tudor England (1990)
Peter Marshall, Reformation England 1480-1642 (2012)
Alec Ryrie, The Age of Reformation: the Tudor and Stewart Realms 1485-1603 (2009)
Jenny Wormald, Court, Kirk and Community (1981)
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
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