The reigns of Charles I (1625-49) and Charles II (1660-85)

Aims of the course

This course aims to:
1. Examine the personalities and beliefs of Charles I and Charles II
2. Explore how their personalities and beliefs shaped their style of rule and their policies as monarchs
3. Consider the extent of their responsibility for the events that took place during each of their reigns

Content

In 2023, the year following the accession of King Charles III, this course will examine the two previous King Charles’s who have reigned in British history. The course begins by investigating the personality, beliefs and policies of Charles I, the only King in English history to have been put on trial and publicly executed. It explores the extent of his responsibility for the outbreak of the English Civil War, and considers how far he brought his own fate upon himself. In the second week, we will turn to examine the personality and policies of Charles II, exploring his turbulent early life, partly spent in exile, and considering how and why he came to be restored to the throne in 1660. The course will then look at his career as King, his beliefs and motives, the use that he made of his powers, and the nature of his achievements. Throughout, the classes will make use of an extensive selection of primary sources.

Presentation of the course

The course will be taught through a series of interactive classes in which extensive reference will be made to extracts from primary sources.

Class sessions

1. Politics and the constitution, 1625-38
This session will examine the political and constitutional developments of the first part of Charles I’s reign. It will look at his deteriorating relationship with Parliaments in the opening years of his reign, and then at his Personal Rule which began in 1629.

2. Religion and the Church, 1625-38
This session will look at the religious history of the first part of Charles’s reign, and thus forms the ecclesiastical counterpart to the first session. We will look in particular at the policies of Charles and his Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, and consider how far they destabilised the Church of England.

3. The coming of Civil War, 1638-1642
This session will look at how England descended into civil war in the years immediately before 1642. We will explore the issues that divided people and led to the emergence of two sides. Charles’s handling of the situation will be a central theme.

4. Charles I and the Royalists, 1642-1646
This session will examine Charles’s leadership of the Royalist cause during the first civil war. The course of the war and the reasons for the eventual Royalist defeat by 1646 will be explored, as will the strengths and weaknesses of the Royalist war effort.

5. The steps to the scaffold, 1646-1649
The final session on Charles I will consider why the search for a settlement after the civil war proved unsuccessful, and how and why he was ultimately brought to public trial and execution in January 1649. It will end with an assessment of why has remained such a controversial figure.

6. Charles II’s early life, 1630-58
This session will look at the future Charles II’s life from his birth down to the eve of the Restoration. We will examine his experiences during the Civil Wars of the 1640s, his attempt to regain the throne at the beginning of the 1650s, and his life in exile during the Interregnum.

7. The Restoration, 1658-67
This session will examine Charles’s Restoration in 1660, his return to England, and the setting up of the Restoration Settlement in 1660-2. We will look at the period down to the fall of Charles’s Lord Chancellor, Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, in 1667, including the Plague (1665) and the Great Fire of London (1666).

8. Charles II’s reign from 1667 to 1678
Here we will look at the period where politics was dominated by the so-called Cabal (1667- 73) and then by the Earl of Danby (1673-8). We will examine the issues that divided opinion in these years, especially over religion and foreign policy, and conclude with the revelation in 1678 of an alleged ‘popish plot’ to kill Charles.

9. Charles II’s reign from 1678 to 1685
This session will explore the attempts to exclude James, Duke of York, from the succession during the Exclusion Crisis (1678-81), and the defeat of those attempts, and then the reaction in favour of the monarchy in the Tory Reaction of 1681-5, down to Charles’s death in February 1685.

10. Charles II’s rule in Scotland and Ireland
This final session will look at Charles II’s rule in Scotland and Ireland, at the issues that dominated political and religious life in those two countries, and compare and contrast these with what happened in England. We will close with a final concluding assessment of Charles and his character and achievements.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Assess the nature of Charles I’s personality and beliefs and how these influenced his policies as King.
2. Assess the extent of Charles I’s responsibility for causing the English Civil War and Revolution.
3. Gain an awareness of Charles II’s personality, beliefs and motives.
4. Understand Charles II’s life and career in the context of his times.

Required reading

Daniels, Christopher W, and Morrill, John, Charles I (1988, Cambridge University Press; ISBN, 0 521 31728 2) paperback

Smith, David L, A History of the Modern British Isles, 1603-1707: The Double Crown (Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1998; ISBN, 0 631 19402 9) paperback

Tapsell, Grant, & Southcombe, George, Restoration Politics, Religion and Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2010; ISBN, 978 0 230 57445 8) paperback

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.