The origins of the wars of the three kingdoms

Introduction

This course, The origins of the wars of the three kingdoms, focuses on the seventeenth-century crises in the British Isles that led, in the 1640s, to the Civil Wars between parliamentarians and royalists in England. In the so-called Whig interpretation of British history, the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 is the fountainhead of orderly progress. But this is a very English view. Scotland experienced both wars against England and a protracted religious civil war. Ireland saw a Catholic rebellion in 1641 turn into a concerted campaign to render Catholics economically and politically impotent. To complete this course fully you will need to buy Exploring History 1400–1900: An Anthology of Primary Sources edited by Rachel C. Gibbons, ISBN 978-0719075889. However, the activities relating to this book are optional. This course provides a sample of level 2 study in History.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• Describe developments in the British Isles that led to the outbreak of war
• Assess the debates between historians about the cause of the wars
• Understand how to use evidence from church records to learn about changes in religion and society.