Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Advanced Option: Revolution, Regicide, & Republic: The British Civil Wars, 1642-1660
School	History and Cultures
Department	History
Module Code	09 39779
Module Lead	Dr Imogen Peck
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	The Civil Wars that engulfed Britain in 1642 were the most destructive in the island's history: a larger proportion of the population were killed either in fighting or from war-related disease than in both World Wars combined. Print censorship collapsed; radical new religious and political ideas took hold; and on a chilly January day in 1649 King Charles I was executed for treason against his own people. For the first (and last) time Britain was declared a republic. But the new regime faced stiff opposition and a raft of thorny social and political challenges, not least of which was how to achieve peace and reconciliation in a nation that had been wracked by ten years of bitter civil conflict. Within a decade, the republican experiment had collapsed and Charles II returned to the throne. This module explores one of the most tumultuous periods in British history from the outbreak of war in 1642 to the Restoration of the monarchy 1660. With a particular emphasis on its social and cultural dimensions, students will explore the impact that the Civil Wars had on the lives of ordinary men, women, and children, from penniless Irish war widows and destitute orphans to female spies and cross-dressing soldiers. We will also consider how the expansion of news and print culture shaped popular politics, the growth of \"radical\" movements such as the Levellers, and the ways the conflict has been represented and remembered both in its immediate aftermath and in the centuries since. Students will work with a wide range of sources, including monuments, material culture, manuscripts, and print, and will use these to reflect on broader questions about the possibilities and challenges of doing history 'from below'.
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 3,000 word essay (100%) If the module runs in Semester 2: 1 x 3,000 word Take Home Examination (100%) Reassessment: Re-submit failed component
Other
Reading List