AS History₇₀₄₁

This option allows students to study in breadth issues of change, continuity, cause and consequence in this period through the following key questions:

• How far did the monarchy change?
• To what extent and why was power more widely shared during this period?
• Why and with what results were there disputes over religion?
• How effective was opposition?
• How important were ideas and ideology?
• How important was the role of key individuals and groups and how were they affected by developments?

Absolutism Challenged: Britain, 1603–1649

Monarchs and Parliaments, 1603–1629

• The Political Nation and the social basis of power: the importance of land ownership; rival forms of wealth including merchants
• James I: character and views on monarchy; court and favourites; Charles I: character and views on monarchy; court and favourites
• The financial weakness of the Crown and attempts to reform and strengthen royal finance
• Religion and religious divisions: challenges to the Church of England from Catholics and Puritans and the development of Arminianism
• Relations and disputes with parliaments: parliamentary privileges; finance; religion; foreign affairs
• The state of relations between Crown and Parliament by 1629 and the reaction of the Political Nation; the extent of breakdown between Crown and Parliament and the Political Nation

Revolution, 1629–1649

• Divisions over religion: Arminianism and Laudianism; Puritanism and the emergence of Millenarianism
• Political divisions: the Personal Rule and the extent of opposition to it in England, Scotland and Ireland; the Short and Long Parliaments and the leadership of Pym; divisions and the outbreak of Civil War
• The First and Second Civil Wars: England, Scotland, Ireland and the reasons for royalist defeat
• Social divisions: the emergence of political and religious radicalism in the 1640s; the Levellers and Millenarian groups
• Post-war divisions between Army and Parliament and the failure to secure a post-war settlement
• Regicide: the basis for regicide and the King’s response