220110 English Reformations: Religion and Society under the Tudors (S) (WiSe 2011/2012)

The Reformation is traditionally seen as the watershed between the medieval and early modern period. In spite of an emphasis on long-term continuities in recent research, the new religious doctrines transformed societies right across Europe. This Blockveranstaltung examines the reigns of the Tudor monarchs (1485-1603), characterized by a remarkable series of reformations and restorations whose motives, popularity and long-term consequences continue to be debated. Was the Henrician break with Rome solely caused by the king’s marital problems? Should the Elizabethan settlement be seen as a ‘via media’ between Catholicism and Protestantism? Did the sixteenth century pave the way for religious toleration? Were parishes torn apart by iconoclasm, confessional strife and local government burdens? The focus lies on socio-cultural transformations in English local communities. Short lectures, discussions of primary sources, student presentations and debates (all in English) will address themes like: late medieval piety; the state of the Church c. 1500; parish politics; Renaissance, reform and resistance; cultural change; radical religious policy under Edward VI; re-Catholicization under Mary; the Elizabethan Age; confessional identities; religious minorities – all in the light of the lively historiography of the last decades and developments in other regions.

The module is structured in four parts:

1. Introduction (1 2-hour session): Themes, presentation topics and general organization: Friday 11 November 2011 (afternoon; mandatory)
2. Block 1 (6 sessions): ‘Late Middle Ages and Henrician Reformation’ (Friday afternoon 9 December and Saturday 10 December 2011)
3. Block 2 (6 sessions): ‘The Church of England c. 1547-1603’ (Friday afternoon 16 December and Saturday 17 December 2011)
4. Individual feedback tutorials (Monday and Tuesday 19-20 December 2011)

Further information and registration by e-mail: b.kumin@warwick.ac.uk.

This Blockveranstaltung will be assessed through a presentation and Thesenpapier. In assessing the latter, the main emphasis will be on content and argumentation rather than language skills.

Beat Kümin is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Warwick in England. He works on social centres (parish churches, public houses) in England and the Holy Roman Empire. Publications include The Shaping of a Community: The Rise & Reformation of the English Parish (1996); Landgemeinde und Kirche im Zeitalter der Konfessionen (2004); Drinking Matters: Public Houses and Social Exchange in Early Modern Central Europe (2007); and The European World 1500-1800: An Introduction to Early Modern History (2009).

Bibliography

Peter Marshall, Reformation England 1480-1642, London 2003.