Module HIST58630: The English Nobility in the Thirteenth and Early Fourteenth Centuries

Department: History

HIST58630: The English Nobility in the Thirteenth and Early Fourteenth Centuries

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• Understanding of the secular elite of English society.
• Examination of the careers of some of the earls in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.
• Grasp of the way in which family histories affected national politics.

Content

• The module will look at the role of the upper nobility in England in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. It will examine the way in which patterns of inheritance affected the comital structure, paying attention to the failures of the Marshal and Clare families in the male line. Crown policy towards the earldoms, particularly under Edward I, will be assessed. The economic basis of magnate authority will also be examined. The role of the earls in war, both as commanders and as providers of troops, will form another theme. It will be possible to concentrate attention on the careers of a number of individuals, such as Roger Bigod Earl of Norfolk, or Henry de Lacy Earl of Lincoln. A range of sources will be used, notably chronicles and official government records.

Learning Outcomes

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

There is no seperate formative assessment, but at least one initial draft of the summative essay will be handed in for comment. The tutor will provide regular oral feedback on work in progress.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University