48
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
England 1485–1714, the First Modern Country
A look at the scope of the course, the significance of English history, and why this Early-Modern period was crucial not only to the development of England, but to transatlantic civilization itself.
1.
England 1485–1714, the First Modern Country
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25.
Towns, Trade, and Colonization
England begins its movement out of the countryside—not only into towns, but to fledgling colonies that form an alternative for those who cannot make a go of it in England or conform to its rigid religious and social structure.
25.
Towns, Trade, and Colonization
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2.
The Land and Its People in 1485—I
This lecture examines England's so-called "island mentality" and its complicated relationship to both Europe and the Celtic lands of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
2.
The Land and Its People in 1485—I
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26.
London
A guided walk through what is, by far, the largest city in the realm, as well as its capital, greatest port, and center of culture and fashion.
26.
London
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3.
The Land and Its People in 1485—II
The discussion of the physical world of the English people in 1485 continues with this look at the material and social topography of the English town, manor, and village, from the wealthiest residents to the poorest.
3.
The Land and Its People in 1485—II
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27.
The Elizabethan and Jacobean Age
A look at the tremendous flowering of English culture at the turn into the seventeenth century, including what is possibly the greatest achievement of the age—the development of the English language itself—and the reaction of authorities to this powerful and thus dangerous tool.
27.
The Elizabethan and Jacobean Age
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4.
The Land and Its People in 1485—III
The focus switches to the mental landscape of the English people, and especially to the concept of the "Great Chain of Being" and the unyielding social hierarchy it implied.
4.
The Land and Its People in 1485—III
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28.
Establishing the Stuart Dynasty—1603–25
The problems that James I inherits from the Tudors will eventually overwhelm the early Stuart state and produce the British Civil Wars. This lecture introduces five enduring areas of tension—sovereignty, financing the government, war and foreign policy, religion, and local control—with a focus on the first two.
28.
Establishing the Stuart Dynasty—1603–25
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5.
Medieval Prelude—1377–1455
Beginning with the end of the reign of Edward III, the English monarchy and constitution undergoes more than a century of instability prior to the accession of the Tudors. This lecture begins the explanation of why this happened.
5.
Medieval Prelude—1377–1455
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29.
The Ascendancy of Buckingham—1614–28
A look at the 14-year dominance over English politics and government of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who rises to be the principal favorite of both James I and his son, Charles I.
29.
The Ascendancy of Buckingham—1614–28
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6.
Medieval Prelude—1455–85
Over a 30-year period, the Lancastrian and Yorkist claimants to the throne fight three different Wars of the Roses and produce a short-lived line of Yorkist kings, including Richard III, whose reign ends in the successful rebellion that begins the Tudor Dynasty.
6.
Medieval Prelude—1455–85
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30.
Religion and Local Control—1628–37
This lecture examines the impact of the different and problematic religious settlements reached in each of the three kingdoms ruled by the Stuarts: England, Scotland, and Ireland.
30.
Religion and Local Control—1628–37
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7.
Establishing the Tudor Dynasty—1485–97
This lecture examines the steps taken by Henry VII to secure the crown after his victory over Richard III, the failed Yorkist rebellions that follow, and Henry's subsequent efforts to secure alliances that will deprive future rebels of allies or secure bases.
7.
Establishing the Tudor Dynasty—1485–97
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31.
Crisis of the Three Kingdoms—1637–42
In 1637, Charles I attempts to impose an Anglican liturgy on Presbyterian Scotland, unleashing a chain of crises that ultimately leads to the complete breakdown of understanding between king and Parliament and a resulting declaration of civil war in England.
31.
Crisis of the Three Kingdoms—1637–42
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8.
Establishing the Tudor Dynasty—1497–1509
This lecture examines Henry's efforts to make England's government more efficient, less expensive, and more responsive to his wishes by following three old principles of medieval kingship: the king must be strong, he must govern with consent, and he must live "of his own" (within a budget).
8.
Establishing the Tudor Dynasty—1497–1509
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32.
The Civil Wars—1642–49
A look at how the wealth controlled by Parliament eventually wears away Charles I's advantage in experienced fighting men and leads to an event unprecedented in English history: the execution of a king on a charge of high treason against the people of England.
32.
The Civil Wars—1642–49
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9.
Young King Hal—1509–27
A look at the larger-than-life personality of Henry VIII and the early years of his reign, years dominated by Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, one of the most hated government officials in English history.
9.
Young King Hal—1509–27
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33.
The Search for a Settlement—1649–53
This lecture examines the first part of England's 11-year period without a king, including the flowering of a period of relative political, social, and religious freedom, and the conquests of Ireland and Scotland.
33.
The Search for a Settlement—1649–53
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10.
The King's Great Matter—1527–30
This lecture examines Henry VIII's attempts to secure from the Roman Catholic Church a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the complex implications that surround it.
10.
The King's Great Matter—1527–30
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34.
Cromwellian England—1653–60
Parliament and the army ask Cromwell to administer England as Lord Protector of the realm. But after five years of effective rule, Cromwell dies—unleashing a period of instability that leads to the negotiated restoration of the Stuart monarchy.
34.
Cromwellian England—1653–60
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11.
The Break from Rome—1529–36
With the Catholic Church weak and divided at the top, Henry and his new leading minister, Thomas Cromwell, are able to break England's allegiance to the Pope, secure the king's divorce, and initiate the Reformation in England.
11.
The Break from Rome—1529–36
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35.
The Restoration Settlement—1660–70
The restoration settlements in Church and State seem to turn the clock back, with the king dependent on Parliament, the Church of England reestablished and Puritans made outlaws, and defeat at the hands of the Dutch plunging the nation into crisis.
35.
The Restoration Settlement—1660–70
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12.
A Tudor Revolution—1536-47
An examination of what some historians have seen as a Tudor plan to increase the power and efficiency of the monarchy, not only in religion, but in all areas of English life.
12.
A Tudor Revolution—1536-47
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36.
The Failure of the Restoration—1670–78
Charles II and his new ministry—the Cabal—begin a bold attempt to solve all of his problems by signing the Treaty of Dover with France, England's ancestral enemy.
36.
The Failure of the Restoration—1670–78
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13.
The Last Years of Henry VIII—1540–47
An aging king attempts to avoid invasion by the Catholic powers, balancing the demands of Protestant reformers with his own desire for a traditional Church—under his command—that would retain many Catholic practices.
13.
The Last Years of Henry VIII—1540–47
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37.
The Popish Plot and Exclusion—1678–85
An alleged "Popish plot" to kill the king and establish his Catholic brother, James, Duke of York, on the throne leads to the rise of the Whig and Tory parties, a failed effort to bar James, and the pursuit by Charles of what comes to be known as the Tory Revenge. The Revenge culminates in a deathbed conversion to Catholicism and the peaceful succession of James.
37.
The Popish Plot and Exclusion—1678–85
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14.
Edward VI—1547-53
Two successive advisors to the boy-king (only nine when he takes the throne) increasingly push the country toward Protestantism, including an attempt to alter the succession. But when Edward dies, the country still rallies to the Catholic heir, Mary Tudor.
14.
Edward VI—1547-53
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38.
A Catholic Restoration? 1685–88
A look at the short and unpopular reign of James II and his attempts to restore toleration for Catholics. Unpopular though he is, no one contemplates rebellion, until the surprise birth of a Catholic heir leads seven prominent noblemen to invite invasion by the Protestant William, Prince of Orange.
38.
A Catholic Restoration? 1685–88
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15.
Mary I—1553-58
Failing to realize that her people have rallied to her only because she is the rightful heir and not because she is Catholic, "Bloody Mary" attempts to ally with the Spanish Empire and undo the Reformation—at tremendous human cost.
15.
Mary I—1553-58
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39.
The Glorious Revolution—1688–89
James flees in the face of William's invasion, and a compromising Parliament declares his abdication, placing William on the throne and marking England's final break with the Great Chain and her entry into the modern world.
39.
The Glorious Revolution—1688–89
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16.
Young Elizabeth—1558
As Queen, Elizabeth uses her superb political skills to balance off both competing court factions and potential suitors. Rejecting marriage, she cultivates the image of "Gloriana," the Virgin Queen symbolically wed to the people of England.
16.
Young Elizabeth—1558
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40.
King William's War—1689–92
The necessities of the war with France bring about a fundamental shift in the respective roles of England's two political parties, and irrevocably extend the reach of Parliament's power and role in the constitution.
40.
King William's War—1689–92
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17.
The Elizabethan Settlement—1558–68
Bitter religious divisions are tearing at England as Elizabeth takes the throne. This lecture examines those divisions and how the Scottish Reformation, the rebellion against Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary's flight into Elizabeth's protection place in grave peril not only both women, but also the prospects for peace in the British Isles.
17.
The Elizabethan Settlement—1558–68
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41.
King William's War—1692–1702
An examination of the economic strategy that enabled victory over France; the Act of Settlement that solved England's succession question—at least on paper—and moved the nation closer to constitutional monarchy, and the two royal deaths that brought England to the brink of yet another war with France. It is a war that will have to be fought by a new ruler after a hunting accident claims William's life.
41.
King William's War—1692–1702
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18.
Set in a Dangerous World—1568–88
Increasing tensions between England and Spain over trade and the Protestant Revolt in the Netherlands mark a period of plots against Elizabeth, the assembling of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and the defeat of the Armada by a newly strengthened Royal Navy.
18.
Set in a Dangerous World—1568–88
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42.
Queen Anne and the Rage of Party—1702
A close look at a Queen greatly underestimated in both her own time and by historians, yet whose strong common sense and identification with her people's hopes and dreams would make her the most successful of the Stuarts.
42.
Queen Anne and the Rage of Party—1702
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19.
Heart and Stomach of a Queen—1588–1603
The beginning of a world war with Spain has a devastating effect on England's economy and makes for a stormy relationship with Parliament. In the end, it is the cult of "Gloriana" that keeps Parliament and the people loyal and allows the smooth succession of the Stuarts to the throne.
19.
Heart and Stomach of a Queen—1588–1603
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43.
Queen Anne's War—1702–10
The War of the Spanish Succession decides the thrones of Spain and Britain and settles the balance of power in Europe and North America for a generation. But even after a series of major victories, it is the queen's subtle political maneuvering that paves the way for peace.
43.
Queen Anne's War—1702–10
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20.
The Land and Its People in 1603
The start of an eight-lecture intermission from the political narrative to address the economic and social changes experienced by the English people since 1485—beginning with unprecedented stresses on the Great Chain of Being.
20.
The Land and Its People in 1603
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44.
Queen Anne's Peace—1710–14
Though the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 ends the war and lays the groundwork for the British Empire and England's commercial and military dominance of Europe for the rest of the century, issues of religion and succession are still in play when Queen Anne's lifelong fragile health finally fails, and the last of the Stuart monarchs dies.
44.
Queen Anne's Peace—1710–14
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21.
Private Life—The Elite
An examination of how members of the landed aristocracy (i.e., nobles and gentry) lived their lives circa 1603.
21.
Private Life—The Elite
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45.
Hanoverian Epilogue—1714–30
A look at how the peaceful accession of George I, combined with Britain's victory in the War of the Spanish Succession, solves or pacifies most of the tensions that have wracked England under the Stuarts, and allows Great Britain to become the richest and most powerful country in Europe during the eighteenth century
45.
Hanoverian Epilogue—1714–30
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22.
Private Life—The Commoners
The same topics dealt with in the previous lecture—education, courtship, marriage and day-to-day living—are dealt with as they are experienced at the other end of the "Chain."
22.
Private Life—The Commoners
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46.
The Land and Its People in 1714—I
An examination of the social and economic state of the country as the reign of the Stuarts ends.
46.
The Land and Its People in 1714—I
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23.
The Ties that Bound
A look at the institutions, habits, and attitudes designed to promote meaning and community in England, including popular religion, paternalism, extended family ties, and the support of one's neighbors.
23.
The Ties that Bound
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47.
The Land and Its People in 1714—II
As England turns into the eighteenth century, the face of artistic and intellectual life is changing as primary patronage of the arts passes from the Church and court, replaced by noble and popular sponsorship of architecture, literature, music, and painting.
47.
The Land and Its People in 1714—II
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24.
Order and Disorder
Toward the end of the sixteenth century, English men and women are convinced that disorder, poverty, and crime are on the rise. This lecture examines whether they were right and how the system functioned to address these issues.
24.
Order and Disorder
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48.
The Meaning of English History—1485–1714
A summary of what twenty-first-century Americans should take from English history under the Tudors and Stuarts: a time when ideas and concepts that still lie at the heart of our notion of democratic civilization were pioneered.
48.
The Meaning of English History—1485–1714
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36
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
From Britannia to Britain
A discussion of how the geography of Britain has shaped political events over the centuries introduces you to the significance of English history between the 5th-century fall of the Roman Empire and the 1485 advent of the Tudor dynasty.
1.
From Britannia to Britain
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19.
Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade
View the reign of Richard the Lionheart primarily through the lens of his experience as a crusader, with implications focusing on the position of Jews in England, the development of royal administration in his absence, and the ambitions of his brother.
19.
Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade
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2.
Roman Britain and the Origins of King Arthur
The collapse of Roman rule, arrival of barbarian raiders and settlers, and resistance to Germanic immigration serve as a backdrop to a tantalizing mystery. Examine the evidence as to whether the unidentified champion who temporarily halted the advance of the barbarians could have been the King Arthur of later legend.
2.
Roman Britain and the Origins of King Arthur
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20.
King John and the Magna Carta
Experience the disastrous reign of King John. His technical violation of a feudal oath to the French king led to the loss of Normandy and several expensive efforts to regain his lost land—efforts that ultimately led to the signing of the Magna Carta.
20.
King John and the Magna Carta
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3.
The Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
See how the victories of the shadowy figure possibly identified with Arthur offered only temporary stability, with the initiative soon shifting to the Germanic immigrants. Examine what we know about the societies that produced them and how their laws and culture were transformed by contact with Britain's.
3.
The Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
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21.
Daily Life in the 13th Century
Another pause in the political narrative allows for a close look at life in a 13th-century English village—life that had changed materially for the better since the Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods.
21.
Daily Life in the 13th Century
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4.
The Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons
Follow the parallel stories of the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity and the emergence of England's seven preeminent regional kingdoms. Those kingdoms drew—depending on their location—upon two different sources of Christian influence and custom.
4.
The Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons
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22.
The Disastrous Reign of Henry III
A key theme of the course comes into sharp focus as you see how Henry's many ill-advised foreign ventures created a never-ending need for money to be provided by England's barons. Their frustration triggered a revolt and the nucleus of what would ultimately become Parliament.
22.
The Disastrous Reign of Henry III
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5.
Work and Faith in Anglo-Saxon England
Plunge into the substance of daily life for Anglo-Saxons of all social levels, including illness and mortality, the transition from paganism to Christianity, farming, trade, or even raiding. What is clear is that there is tremendous variation in the economic and religious experience of the population.
5.
Work and Faith in Anglo-Saxon England
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23.
The Conquests of Edward I
Explore the reign of Henry's far more talented son, Edward I, from the perspective of both his military career—as a crusader and in Scotland, Wales, and France—and his role as a lawgiver, including greatly expanding the role of Parliament in making statute law.
23.
The Conquests of Edward I
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6.
The Viking Invasions
Watch as the one- or two-boat raids of the late 8th century grew into vast armies of 50 ships or more by the middle of the 9th. Intent on settling permanently, the invaders' influence in eastern England would be profound, with patterns of landholding, legal institutions, and even language altered forever.
6.
The Viking Invasions
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24.
Edward II—Defeat and Deposition
Step into the life of a king whose reign was one of great controversy. Edward is beset by intimations of sexually based patronage given to a favored knight, growing baronial resentment, an infamous defeat by the Scots, deposition by his own wife, and ultimately his murder.
24.
Edward II—Defeat and Deposition
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7.
Alfred the Great
Explore the career of Alfred the Great, who led the heroic resistance that kept Wessex free of Viking control. Separate fact from legend in the life of the man who would create the Wessex dynasty that would eventually become the first ruling house of a united England.
7.
Alfred the Great
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25.
Edward III and the Hundred Years' War
See how repeated trade conflicts with the French drove Edward to claim the French throne. What would become the Hundred Years War produced both stunning victories and years of stalemate and plundering that left the French countryside impoverished but made the fortunes of many English knights and soldiers.
25.
Edward III and the Hundred Years' War
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8.
The Government of Anglo-Saxon England
Grasp the well-organized ways in which the Anglo-Saxon state became perhaps the most successful in Christian Europe, with sophisticated coinage and access to the court system by all levels. Although crude by modern standards, it functioned quite well compared to its contemporaries.
8.
The Government of Anglo-Saxon England
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26.
The Flowering of Chivalry
Learn the intricacies of the tournament and the practice of heraldry as you observe the evolution of the knight. What was once little more than a noble's hired thug evolved into a figure expected to participate in knightly culture and maintain new standards of proper, often heroic, behavior.
26.
The Flowering of Chivalry
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9.
The Golden Age of the Anglo-Saxons
Learn why the 10th century is often referred to as the Golden Age of the Anglo-Saxons. It produces not only vernacular literary masterpieces like Beowulf and The Battle of Maldon but inspiring sermons, monastic reform, and an artistic renaissance encompassing book production, metalwork, and needlework.
9.
The Golden Age of the Anglo-Saxons
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27.
The Black Death
England, already weakened by a series of famines, was devastated by the disastrous epidemic that swept across Europe and arrived on its shores in 1348. It left in its wake social, economic, and religious effects that would endure for many decades.
27.
The Black Death
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10.
The Second Viking Conquest
The Golden Age ended as the Wessex dynasty was overturned by a second wave of Viking invaders, with Denmark's King Cnut seizing the throne and marrying the Wessex queen. See how the well-organized Wessex state functioned until Edward the Confessor restored the "legitimate" dynasty in 1042.
10.
The Second Viking Conquest
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28.
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
Grasp how both religious frustrations and economic grievances stemming from the dislocations of the Black Death combined to bring about the most significant event in Richard II's early reign: the Middle Ages' most serious revolt against the English crown.
28.
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
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11.
The Norman Conquest
Learn the reasons behind the overturning of the Anglo-Saxon regime by external invasion. This tightly focused lecture examines both the battle to succeed Edward the Confessor, who died childless, and the defeat of his successor by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
11.
The Norman Conquest
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29.
Chaucer and the Rise of English
A journey through some selected works, including Piers Ploughman and The Canterbury Tales, highlights the rise of vernacular English poetry in the 14th century, with English also becoming a principal vehicle for religious writing.
29.
Chaucer and the Rise of English
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12.
The Reign of William the Conqueror
Witness an extraordinary consolidation of power as William used the military to overcome early resistance to his rule, systematically expropriated the nobility to install his own followers, and used both legal and administrative measures to fortify his position.
12.
The Reign of William the Conqueror
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30.
The Deposition of Richard II
Appreciate the extraordinary turns history can often take. Richard II's reign, which once seemed so promising, disintegrates in factional fighting and disputes so bitter they ultimately led not only to his deposition but to judicially sanctioned murder.
30.
The Deposition of Richard II
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13.
Conflict and Assimilation
Open a window on what life was like in post-conquest England through a variety of sources, including the famous Domesday Book compiled at William's order. This extraordinary compilation offered the king an unprecedented survey of English landholding and thus very exact information about wealth and the ability to pay taxes.
13.
Conflict and Assimilation
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31.
Daily Life in the 15th Century
Examine how the population losses of the plague years finally produced the low rents and high wages that were once the goal of the Peasants' Revolt. The position of the gentry could also be precarious, with landowners often forced to defend their holdings in court or at sword point.
31.
Daily Life in the 15th Century
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14.
Henry I—The Lion of Justice
Examine the reign of Henry I in a lecture ranging from his many administrative innovations—including the development of royal accounting at the Exchequer—to the legendary temper that led to the castration of all the royal moneyers discovered to be cheating the treasury.
14.
Henry I—The Lion of Justice
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32.
Henry V and the Victory at Agincourt
Resume the chronology of England's evolution as war with France is renewed and Henry V wins a historic victory at Agincourt in 1415. But gains of this great triumph of the Hundred Years War would ultimately prove only temporary.
32.
Henry V and the Victory at Agincourt
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15.
The Anarchy of Stephen's Reign
Experience the 14 years of civil war that erupted 4 years after Henry's death in 1135, with his daughter and nephew battling over Stephen's throne—largely because England's barons had no wish to be ruled by a queen.
15.
The Anarchy of Stephen's Reign
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33.
Henry VI—Defeat and Division
The tensions over dynastic succession were made even more problematic by a multitude of ambitious royal cousins and were forced to the surface by growing discontent over the failing campaign in France. They ultimately led to the Wars of the Roses between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
33.
Henry VI—Defeat and Division
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16.
Henry II—Law and Order
See how England returned to order as Henry II razed castles built without the crown's permission, consolidated justice in royal hands, and standardized its operations. But he also raced toward a fateful and ultimately deadly confrontation with his former chancellor and best friend, Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury.
16.
Henry II—Law and Order
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34.
The Wars of the Roses
Take a look at the reign of the Yorkist Edward IV and the last effort of the Lancastrians to unseat this popular but notoriously lazy king, whose unexpected marriage to a socially inconsequential widow alienated many of his most important followers.
34.
The Wars of the Roses
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17.
Henry II—The Expansion of Empire
With Becket dead and martyred, Henry faced the difficult task of keeping a secure hold on his many continental dominions and managing his children's futures. Learn how the many royal titles created by his family's politically intertwined bloodlines created just as many possible conflicts.
17.
Henry II—The Expansion of Empire
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35.
Richard III—Betrayal and Defeat
Let yourself be riveted by one of history's most dramatic chapters, highlighted by the imprisonment of Richard III's two nephews in the Tower of London and their probable murder, and a battlefield demise immortalized—though with considerable license—by Shakespeare himself.
35.
Richard III—Betrayal and Defeat
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18.
Courtly Love
Take a pause from political intrigue to look at the culture that flavored the royal and princely courts, with a focus on the rise of courtly love, the music and poetry that were its backdrop, and the creation of a rich tradition of vernacular Arthurian romances.
18.
Courtly Love
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36.
England in 1485
Process everything you have learned in a final lecture that explains what England had become at the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. A thorough integration of the course's major themes leaves you with a clear understanding of what has taken place and a solid foundation for understanding the future of what would become the world's most powerful and influential nation.
36.
England in 1485
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