Early Modern England: Politics, Religion, and Society under the Tudors and Stuarts - Audio
by Keith E. Wrightson
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Description
This course is intended to provide an up-to-date introduction to the development of English society between the late fifteenth and the early eighteenth centuries. Particular issues addressed in the lectures will include: the changing social structure; households; local communities; gender roles; economic development; urbanization; religious change from the Reformation to the Act of Toleration; the Tudor and Stuart monarchies; rebellion, popular protest and civil war; witchcraft; education, literacy and print culture; crime and the law; poverty and social welfare; the changing structures and dynamics of political participation and the emergence of parliamentary government.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
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1 |
01 - General Introduction | Professor Wrightson provides an introduction to the course. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
02 - "The Tree of Commonwealth": The Social Order in the Sixteenth Century | Professor Wrightson provides a broad sketch of the social order of early modern England, focusing on the hierarchical language of "estates" and "degrees" and the more communitarian ideal of the "commonwealth" by which society was organized. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
03 - Households: Structures, Priorities, Strategies, Roles | Professor Wrightson lectures on the structures of households in early modern England. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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4 |
04 - Communities: Key Institutions and Relationships | Professor Wrightson begins by discussing how modern perceptions of the 'traditional' community have informed the manner in which the early modern social landscape is discussed. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
05 - "Countries" and Nation: Social and Economic Networks and the Urban System | Professor Wrightson discusses local particularism and regionalism in early modern England and highlights the importance of local customs and economic patterns. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
06 - The Structures of Power | Professor Wrightson begins by discussing recent trends in English political history, which has expanded from focusing solely on institutions to include analysis of political culture. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
07 - Late Medieval Religion and Its Critics | In this lecture Professor Wrightson surveys the religious landscape of England during the later medieval period through to the reign of Henry VIII and the beginnings of the reformation. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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8 |
08 - Reformation and Division, 1530-1558 | Professor Wrightson examines the various stages of the reformation in England, beginning with the legislative, as opposed to doctrinal, reformation begun by Henry VIII in a quest to settle the Tudor succession. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
09 - "Commodity" and "Commonwealth": Economic and Social Problems, 1520-1560 | Professor Wrightson surveys the changing economic landscape of early modern England in the early sixteenth century. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
10 - The Elizabethan Confessional State: Conformity, Papists and Puritans | Professor Wrightson discusses the Elizabethan settlement of religion and the manner in which it was defended from both 'Papist' and 'Puritan' opponents. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
11 - The Elizabethan "Monarchical Republic": Political Participation | In this lecture Professor Wrightson provides an overview of central political issues of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
12 - Economic Expansion, 1560-1640 | Professor Wrightson traces the major economic expansion of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
13 - A Polarizing Society, 1560-1640 | Professor Wrightson reviews the consequences of the economic and population changes discussed in the last lecture. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
14 - Witchcraft and Magic | In this lecture, Professor Wrightson discusses witchcraft and magic. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
15 - Crime and the Law | In this lecture Professor Wrightson examines the problem of order in early modern society, focusing on crimes of violence and upon property crime. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
16 - Popular Protest | Professor Wrightson reviews the basic structures and aims of popular protest: notably food riots and agrarian disturbances. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
17 - Education and Literacy | Professor Wrightson begins by assessing the state of education in the late medieval period and then discusses the two cultural forces which lay behind the educational expansion of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
18 - Street Wars of Religion: Puritans and Arminians | Professor Wrightson reviews the conflicts which developed within the Church of England in the early seventeenth century and played a role in the growing tensions which led to the English civil wars. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
19 - Crown and Political Nation, 1604-1640 | Professor Wrightson reviews the events leading up to the outbreak of the English civil wars and assesses the various historiographical interpretations that have been advanced to explain the war. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
20 - Constitutional Revolution and Civil War, 1640-1646 | Professor Wrightson begins his examination of the major events of the English Civil Wars which culminated ultimately with the defeat of the royalist forces and the execution of King Charles I in 1649. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
21 - Regicide and Republic, 1647-1660 | In this lecture Professor Wrightson considers the events leading to the execution of Charles I in 1649, and the republican regimes of 1649-60 (the Commonwealth and the Protectorate), with particular attention to the role of Oliver Cromwell. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
22 - An Unsettled Settlement: The Restoration Era, 1660-1688 | In this lecture Professor Wrightson discusses the Restoration settlement of 1660 and the reigns of Charles II and James II. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
23 - England, Britain, and the World: Economic Development, 1660-1720 | Professor Wrightson discusses the remarkable growth of the British economy in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
24 - Refashioning the State, 1688-1714 | In this lecture, Professor Wrightson discusses the transformation of the English state in the twenty years following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
25 - Concluding Discussion and Advice on Examination | In this final lecture, Professor Wrightson reviews the major themes of the class through a reflection on the nature of the historical process. | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 25 Episodes |
Customer Reviews
Excellent course and podcast
I'm in my third year of EFM (Education for Ministry) in which we study the history of the Episcopal Church. This course provided a comprehensive political, cultural, and economic context for that study. Production value is excellent. Highly recommended.
Early Modern Europe: Religion and Society under the Tudors and Stuarts
I very much enjoyed listing to this series of lectures. I am a history buff to begin with and I always like to learn more. Professor Wrightson lecture style is easy to follow and enjoyable. I may even listen to the series again at some point.
Early Modern England
THis is the best lecture I have listened to. Prof. Wrightson has organized his material very well, includes many fascinating glimpses into this period and has a sense of humor. This course is very informative for understanding how our political system in the US has evolved. He is a great story teller making history so vivid.











