Each seminar runs only subject to sufficient student demand. How, in an age before universal suffrage, did ordinary subjects make their voices heard in society? In sixteenth and seventeenth century England, non-elites had a variety of channels to participate in politics, expressing their opinions and grievances to Parliament, the Privy Council, and even directly to the Crown. This tumultuous period witnessed a range of upheavals with profound impacts on subjects: the Reformation, socio-economic changes, and outbreak of the British Civil Wars disrupted previous patterns of life. This course investigates these changes and the means through which subjects participated in politics in early modern England. From rebels and rioters to ballad singers in taverns, we will encounter the men and women who strove to make their voices heard in a deeply hierarchical society.

This course will appeal to students with a variety of interests, touching as it does on political, economic, social, and religious history. The proposed seminar topics introduce students to key methods of participation through lively case studies, focused on themes which are often popular with students including riot and rebellion, print, sexual scandal, and the outbreak of the British Civil Wars. By including in seminar discussion some of the fascinating primary sources surviving from this period, such as murder pamphlets and scandalous ballads, the course will engage students who may be unfamiliar with the period. Its thematic focus means each seminar will also allow students to engage with key religious/political/socio-economic developments of the period.

Sample Syllabus:

1. Introduction to early modern English society 
2. Rebellious and Rioting subjects 
3. Politics of the Parish 
4. Court Scandal: The Politics of Libels and Ballads
5. Spreading News: Rumour, Speech, and Manuscripts 
6. Parliament
7. The Outbreak of Civil War 
8. Printing News: Censorship and Print
9. Petitioning Protest

10. Radical Ideas in the Civil Wars