Post by Lady Mage on Feb 26, 2007 18:20:25 GMT -5
This is a series I'm writing on the History Of England From the Tudors to the Stuarts. It is based on a lecture series by Professor Robert Bucholz of the Loyola University of Chicago. The title on that is the same too. Enjoy! Rating: K+
Introduction to England-1485-1714, The First Modern Country
During the reign of the Tudors and Stuarts, England transformed itself from a nation poorer than contemporary Belgium, and as militarily ineffective as contemporary Denmark into one of the first modern countries. The story of this transition is fascinating. But why should Americans care? Well, for one, it makes a terrific story. It is also a very relevant story- America was founded from mostly Englishmen. America has its roots in England of this time period. Also, many of America’s founding ideals were born in England in this time period. So the study of English history is extremely relevant to Americans.
Many great Ideas come from Britain. The Rule of Law originated there, and rights to trial by jury and habeas corpus did as well. Britain had the first modern political parties (the Whigs and the Tories). Britain was one of the first nations to have a relatively free press, and popular participation in politics. No other country in Europe, certainly not before 1787, can make those same claims.
British History, and in fact, History in general, should not just be approached through the kings and queens, although there are plenty of them. You can’t beat English monarchs for s*x and scandal- Henry VIII and his six wives, Elizabeth and her flirtations with men; James I and his flirtations with men, and Charles II and his mistresses. We remember all sorts of anecdotes: Henry VII taking a former rebel (Lambert Simnel) and making him turn the royal spit, Elizabeth I, slapping the Earl of Essex and telling him to go and be hanged, James I being frightened by the royal salute, and Charles II asking his successor not to let “poor Nelly starve”. Nelly turned out to be his mistress rather than his wife. And then there’s Queen Anne on her deathbed, handing the staff of the lord treasurer of England to Lord Shrewsbury saying to “Use it for the good of my people”.
These are splendid stories. But within the last half-century, historians have come to realize that they are not the whole story. Two to six million other people lived in England other than the king or queen. The problem with just telling the story of the monarch is that it gives the impression that everything that happened is based on the whims and dictates of about twelve people. Well, you might say, the reason the English Reformation happened was because Henry VIII was in lust (or love) for Anne Boleyn, and couldn’t marry her through the Roman Catholic Church. But how sensible is that? Is that saying that if Henry had stayed loyal to Catherine of Aragon, the reformation wouldn’t have happened? If you believe that, then you ignore the general mood in Europe that was for reformation. So, as historians, we must learn about broader movements as well. As British Historian Robert Bucholz says, “English History is not simply the workings of the rulers upon the ruled, but a sort of dance between the two parties where the lead switches.”
We must also keep in mind that great events such as reformations, wars, and more didn’t automatically filter down to the lower levels of society in this time period. That’s how Henry VIII got away with the reformation- nothing changed in any parish church for quite some time. Likewise, the great mass of people in early modern England never saw the king, but were worried instead with the more mundane matters of life. The story of wars and scandals is not usually about the normal everyday person.
So, History must be told from the bottom up, as well from the top down. It also must be told from side to side, for the story of England must be told in context with other nations. This particular time period in English History must also be told by what happened before and after- you can’t understand the Tudors without understanding the wars that had come before and had motivated them so.
This time period is fascinating, and one of my favorites. It encompasses 17 kings, 4 queens, 4 Lords Protector, 2 civil wars, countless foreign wars, political, economic, and social revolutions; numerous rebellions, and changes in religion. The idea of the perfect Utopia is first conceived; the first sonnets and essays are written. The King James Bible was first published in this time period, along with books such as Pilgrim’s Progress, King Lear, and Gulliver’s Travels. This was the age of Wolsey, More, two different Cromwells, Wyatt, Leichester, Burghely, Drake, Raleigh, Sydney, Spencer, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne, Byrd, Bacon, Buckingham, Milton, Newton, Oxford, Swift, Pop, and Walpole.
Introduction to England-1485-1714, The First Modern Country
During the reign of the Tudors and Stuarts, England transformed itself from a nation poorer than contemporary Belgium, and as militarily ineffective as contemporary Denmark into one of the first modern countries. The story of this transition is fascinating. But why should Americans care? Well, for one, it makes a terrific story. It is also a very relevant story- America was founded from mostly Englishmen. America has its roots in England of this time period. Also, many of America’s founding ideals were born in England in this time period. So the study of English history is extremely relevant to Americans.
Many great Ideas come from Britain. The Rule of Law originated there, and rights to trial by jury and habeas corpus did as well. Britain had the first modern political parties (the Whigs and the Tories). Britain was one of the first nations to have a relatively free press, and popular participation in politics. No other country in Europe, certainly not before 1787, can make those same claims.
British History, and in fact, History in general, should not just be approached through the kings and queens, although there are plenty of them. You can’t beat English monarchs for s*x and scandal- Henry VIII and his six wives, Elizabeth and her flirtations with men; James I and his flirtations with men, and Charles II and his mistresses. We remember all sorts of anecdotes: Henry VII taking a former rebel (Lambert Simnel) and making him turn the royal spit, Elizabeth I, slapping the Earl of Essex and telling him to go and be hanged, James I being frightened by the royal salute, and Charles II asking his successor not to let “poor Nelly starve”. Nelly turned out to be his mistress rather than his wife. And then there’s Queen Anne on her deathbed, handing the staff of the lord treasurer of England to Lord Shrewsbury saying to “Use it for the good of my people”.
These are splendid stories. But within the last half-century, historians have come to realize that they are not the whole story. Two to six million other people lived in England other than the king or queen. The problem with just telling the story of the monarch is that it gives the impression that everything that happened is based on the whims and dictates of about twelve people. Well, you might say, the reason the English Reformation happened was because Henry VIII was in lust (or love) for Anne Boleyn, and couldn’t marry her through the Roman Catholic Church. But how sensible is that? Is that saying that if Henry had stayed loyal to Catherine of Aragon, the reformation wouldn’t have happened? If you believe that, then you ignore the general mood in Europe that was for reformation. So, as historians, we must learn about broader movements as well. As British Historian Robert Bucholz says, “English History is not simply the workings of the rulers upon the ruled, but a sort of dance between the two parties where the lead switches.”
We must also keep in mind that great events such as reformations, wars, and more didn’t automatically filter down to the lower levels of society in this time period. That’s how Henry VIII got away with the reformation- nothing changed in any parish church for quite some time. Likewise, the great mass of people in early modern England never saw the king, but were worried instead with the more mundane matters of life. The story of wars and scandals is not usually about the normal everyday person.
So, History must be told from the bottom up, as well from the top down. It also must be told from side to side, for the story of England must be told in context with other nations. This particular time period in English History must also be told by what happened before and after- you can’t understand the Tudors without understanding the wars that had come before and had motivated them so.
This time period is fascinating, and one of my favorites. It encompasses 17 kings, 4 queens, 4 Lords Protector, 2 civil wars, countless foreign wars, political, economic, and social revolutions; numerous rebellions, and changes in religion. The idea of the perfect Utopia is first conceived; the first sonnets and essays are written. The King James Bible was first published in this time period, along with books such as Pilgrim’s Progress, King Lear, and Gulliver’s Travels. This was the age of Wolsey, More, two different Cromwells, Wyatt, Leichester, Burghely, Drake, Raleigh, Sydney, Spencer, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne, Byrd, Bacon, Buckingham, Milton, Newton, Oxford, Swift, Pop, and Walpole.