Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Advanced Option: Messiahs and Monarchs: Islam and Early Modern Iran
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 39778
Module Lead	Ferenc Csirkes
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module discusses the emergence of a confessionally defined, territorial monarchy in Iran in the sixteenth century out of the religiously and politically fluid matrix that had characterized the Islamic world since the destruction of the caliphate by the Mongols in 1256. In the sixteenth century, Iran converted to Shiism under the Safavid dynasty and developed a monarchic and social pattern that was in vogue until the twentieth century. We will locate these momentous changes in the global context of both the so-called 'Gunpowder Empires' of the Islamicate world – Safavid Iran, the Ottoman Empire and Mughal India – and the global early modern world at large. Topics to be discussed may include (but are not limited to) conversion, Twelver Shiism, religious belief and practice, state-building, cosmopolitanism, vernacularisation, nomadism, religious minorities, the role of women, the Silk Road, and global trade patterns.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: analyse and explain key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny, analyse and explain reasons for and implications of these events and processes (including analysis of primary evidence where appropriate) compare and evaluate the main scholarly views on the subject under investigation, critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration work with an appropriate degree of learner independence to explain and analyse the material under scrutiny summarise, analyse and evaluate the subject material clearly and effectively in writing, synthesise and evaluate themes across a wide range of diverse material
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: If the module runs in Semester 1: 1 x 3000 word essay (100% each) 100% Coursework If the module runs in Semester 2: 1 x 3,000 word Take Home Examination (100%) 100% Examination Reassessment: Re-submit failed component(s)
Other
Reading List