In January 1649 the unthinkable happened: after a public trial the king of England was beheaded on a scaffold outside his palace of Whitehall. The world would never be quite the same again. Very shortly afterwards the monarchy along with the House of Lords and the Church of England were formally abolished. England was declared to be a 'free Commonwealth' and for the next eleven years various governments attempted to forge a new concept of England based upon the ideals of puritan republicanism and impose these ideals on Scotland, Wales and Ireland in an attempt to create not just an English but a 'British' republic. How had this extraordinary state of affairs come about? Why had the relationship between king and Parliament broken down to such an extent that by 1642 both sides were actively preparing for war? This is where we will begin this course as we examine the breakdown of trust between Charles I and the 'political nation' in the 1630s, discussing in the process such vexed questions as the role of religion and the Crown's right to levy taxes. From there we will look at the conduct of the first Civil War before moving onto discuss the complex period in the late 1640s which saw the emergence of the Leveller and Digger movements, the confrontations between Parliament and the New Model Army, the rise of Oliver Cromwell, the growth of religious radicalism and which culminated in renewed fighting in 1648. The final part of the course will examine the revolution of 1649, which witnessed the trial and execution of Charles I, the establishment of the republic and Cromwell's military successes in Scotland and Ireland. We will then consider the various expedients adopted to try to find a way to settle the country on a new republican foundation which resulted in Cromwell's installation as Lord Protector in 1653 - was he 'king in all but name?' Finally we will look at the fall of the republic after Cromwell's death and the restoration of Charles II and the 'old order' between 1658 and 1662. Throughout the course there will be an endeavour to supplement the narrative of events by considering contemporary document extracts and images. This will not only allow the seventeenth-century to speak in its own voice but will facilitate classroom discussion of the various issues and personalities we will encounter along the way. Date: 2nd - 13th
August 2010 - Two Week Course **
Stalin dominated the Soviet Union for nearly 25 years during which time he oversaw the transformation of the USSR into a modern, industrial state; saw off the Nazi invaders; extended the Soviet 'empire' deep into central Europe; developed a nuclear arsenal and challenged the USA for global dominance after 1945. He was also responsible for the deaths of millions of people and established a dictatorship of unparalleled brutality. After considering Stalin's early life, background and formation as a revolutionary socialist, this course will look at the nature of the Bolshevik regime which emerged form the chaos of revolution and civil war between 1917 and 1924. From there we will explore the rise of Stalin to power after the death of Lenin and his subsequent victory over Trotsky. We will then move on to examine the development of a distinctly Stalinist style of government in the 1930s based upon collectivisation, industrialisation and institutionalised state terror, whilst discussing the extent to which such a system was inherent in the Bolshevik concept of the state. From there we will look at the seminal experience of invasion and war between 1941 and 1945 and the subsequent apotheosis of Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe until his death in 1953. Along the way we will also consider the arts under Stalin as well as reflecting on Stalin's role in the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Date: 25th - 28th
August 2010 - Three Day Course **
For some it was a crusade to save 'Christian civilisation' from Bolshevism; for others it was a fight to the death against Fascism. In retrospect some have seen it as the opening round of the Second World War. Whatever ones view, the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 soon became much more than just an internal dispute between disaffected generals and the Madrid government, for in Spain was fought out many of the tensions and conflicts of inter-war Europe. This course will provide an introduction to the causes, conduct and implications of the war, focusing on the life and career of the Caudillo, Francisco Franco. Date: 17th - 19th
September 2010 - Weekend Course **
This course will explore the causes, conduct and implications of the civil wars which raged across the British Isles in the 1640s and 1650s. We will begin by exploring why the civil wars happened in the breakdown of trust between Charles I and his leading subjects assembled in Parliament, before looking at the battles and sieges of the first 'hot' period of war between 1642 and 1646. From there we will examine the complex process of negotiation and realignment which occurred between the fall of Oxford in 1646, the second 'hot' period of war in 1648, and the trial and execution of the king in January 1649. We will also be looking at the rise of such groups as the Levellers and Diggers and religious radicalism. We will then consider England's only experience of republican government in the 1650s and the position of Oliver Cromwell, who rose to become Lord Protector in 1653: was he 'king in all but name'? Finally we will look at the fall of the republic after Cromwell's death and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. Date: 1st - 3rd
October 2010 - Weekend Course **
This day school will explore the lives, thought and influence of the 17th century group of theologians and philosophers, collectively known as the Cambridge Platonist, in the context of a century of war and revolution. We will discuss the ways in which their thought grew out of the need to find answers to the religious and social problems which were tearing society apart: issues of faith and reason, authority and freedom - issues which are still very much with us. Date: 24th
October 2010 - Day School **
One of the most enduring images of the Second World War is of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral rising above the fire and smoke of the London Blitz in 1940. Winston Churchill called the Cathedral 'the parish church of the British Empire' and for many contemporaries the survival of Wren's dome became a symbol for the survival of Great Britain. Wren's architecture has come to symbolize stability, order and survival; yet it was created against a backdrop of war, revolution and rapid intellectual and cultural change. This course will examine the life and achievements of Sir Christopher Wren in the context of contemporary ideas on education, religion, politics and philosophy. Using a combination of illustrated lectures and seminars, we will explore such topics as the impact of the civil wars on such a staunchly Royalist family as the Wrens, the development of young Christopher's scientific interests at Oxford in the 1650s, and his adoption of architecture in the 1660s. Detailed examination of his buildings will focus on the ways in which he mastered and adapted the classical language of architecture. The course will conclude by examining Wren's contribution to the English baroque and his subsequent reputation. Date: 3rd - 5th
December 2010 - Weekend Course **
East Anglia played a major role in the Civil Wars which swept over the British Isles in the 1640s. Not only was Parliament's leading soldier, Oliver Cromwell, MP for Cambridge, but the bedrock of Parliament's support was to be found in this region, support which was organised into the Eastern Association. East Anglia was also the nursery of the New Model Army. Yet by 1646 East Anglia's role in the Parliamentary war effort was becoming increasingly ambiguous and by 1648 the region witnessed a series of Royalist riots and rebellions, culminating in the epic siege of Colchester between June and August 1648. This course will concentrate on the experience of war in East Anglia and will seek to explain how such a bastion of puritanism and Roundhead loyalty in the first civil war should have become so unstable and rebellious by the second. Amongst other topics, attention will be given to the organisation of the Eastern Association and the resentments created by the military occupation of East Anglia in 1646-7. The reaction to puritan attacks on 'merrie England', such as pro-Christmas riots and maypole demonstrations in Bury St. Edmunds, will be examined together with the activities of Matthew Hopkins, 'Witchfinder General'. From there we will look at the 'Great Blow' in Norwich in April 1648 together with the 'battle of Linton' and the events surrounding the Kent and Essex rebellions which culminated in the siege of Colchester. Throughout the course regional events will be placed in a national context. Date: 18th - 20th
March 2011 - Weekend Course **
In January 1649 the unthinkable happened: after a public trial the king of England was beheaded on a scaffold outside his palace of Whitehall. The world would never be quite the same again. Very shortly afterwards the monarchy, the House of Lords and the Church of England were formally abolished. England was declared to be a 'free Commonwealth' and for the next eleven years various governments attempted to forge a new concept of England based upon the ideals of puritan republicanism and impose these ideals on Scotland, Wales and Ireland in an attempt to create not just an English but a 'British' republic. Few of those who promoted the trial and execution of the king had originally gone to war to destroy monarchy and amongst the people in general the republic was neither desired nor understood. How had this extraordinary state of affairs come about? This is where we will begin this course as we examine the background to the creation of the republic in the civil wars of the 1640s between Cavalier and Roundhead, the rise to prominence of Oliver Cromwell, the New Model Army, and the growth of religious and political radicalism. From there we will explore the events of January 1649 and Cromwell's subsequent campaigns in Scotland and Ireland as the new English regime sought to neutralize its enemies and establish its rule. Throughout the 1650s various different forms of government were tried in an attempt to settle the nation on a new republican foundation, and the remainder of the course will examine these expedients. Thus, we will consider the Commonwealth of 1649 - 1653, based upon the 'rump' of the House of Commons and it's eventual overthrow by Cromwell. We will examine the 'high tide of millenarianism' in the so-called 'Nominated Assembly' of April-December 1653. Finally we will look at the installation of Cromwell as Lord Protector in December 1653 - was he 'king in all but name'? Throughout all this we will be considering the role of religion, the experience of those in opposition to the various government, and the role of royalist conspiracy. Cromwell died in September 1658 and over the next 18 months the republic lurched from crisis to crisis as the various civil, military and religious factions which constituted the republican establishment found it impossible to agree a fundamental basis for a lasting republican settlement. We will consider the processes which led to the eventual collapse of the republic, the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in May 1660 and the return of the 'old order' (and the vengeance meted out to its enemies) in church and state by 1662. Date:
24th - 26th April 2011 - Weekend course **
Louis XIV - Le Roi Soleil - was one of Europe's longest reigning (1643 - 1715) and most glorious monarchs. During his reign France was transformed into a world power with expanding colonial possessions in North America and the Far East. Louis made France strong and united at home, respected and feared in Europe for its military strength and in the Palace of Versailles he created an enduring symbol of power which has few rivals. This course will examine the life and achievements of 'Louis Le Grand': his domestic policies, his wars and his patronage of the arts and architecture. Date: 11th - 13th
November 2011 - Weekend course. ** There are no Evening Classes scheduled at the present time. Please check back, or join the free Andrew Lacey online newsletter group for immediate updates. For full details please click here.
For King or Parliament? : Britain's Civil Wars 1625-1660. Oxford University Summer School, Department of Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JA. 10th - 17th July 2010 For King or Parliament? : Britain's Civil Wars 1625 - 1660. Marlborough College, Marlborough, Wilts. SN8 1PA. 27th - 31st July 2009. To Kill a King: Civil War and Regicide in 17th Century England. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. 30th January - 1st February 2009 Liberty & Authority: Political ideas of the British Civil Wars, 1625 - 1660. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. August 18th - 22nd 2008 The Cavaliers in Exile 1640-1660. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. August 27th - 29th 2007 Saffron Walden: Cradle of the English Revolution, 1647-1648. Day School, Saffron Walden Town Hall, Saffron Walden. 16th May, 2007. For King or Parliament: Britain Civil Wars 1625 - 1660. ACE Centre, Homerton. Michaelmas Term 2005 The Anglican martyr?: Charles I and the vision of the 'via media'. Edward King House. Lincoln Cathedral. 26th November 1993. Sir Robert Shirley and the English Revolution in Leicestershire. East Midlands Studies Unit. Loughborough University. 16th March 1985. Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. Farncombe Estate Adult Learning Centre, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7LJ. 23rd - 25th April 2010 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. Marlborough College, Marlborough, Wilts. SN8 1PA. 20th - 24th July 2009 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. September 19th - 21st 2008 Architecture in Context: Sir Christopher Wren and the Seventeenth Century Mind. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Public Programmes, ACE Centre, Mary Allen Building, Homerton College, Cambridge. 17th April - 12th June, 2008. Sir Christopher Wren and the English Baroque. Various locations in the Netherlands. January 15th - 18th 2008 Architecture in Context: Sir Christopher Wren and the Seventeenth Century Mind. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Public Programmes, The Primary School, Church Street, Great Shelford, Cambridge. 26th September - 5th December, 2007. Sir Christopher Wren and the English Baroque. Various locations in the Netherlands. November 11th - 15th 2007 Wren, Architecture and Society in Britain, 1600-1700. International Summer School, International Division. 9th July - 3rd August 2007 The 'Meanness' of Wren's City Churches: Theology into Architecture. Cambridge Art Fund. Maccrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College. 29th November 2006 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context (with Peter Rickaby) Madingley Hall. 22nd - 24th September 2006 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. International Summer School. 7th - 18th August 2006 Architect in Context: Sir Christopher Wren and the Seventeenth Century Mind. ACE Centre, Homerton. Lent Term 2006 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context (with Peter Rickaby). Madingley Hall. 9th - 11th September 2005 Was Christopher Wren a Stoic? Cambridge Art Fund. Maccrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College. 28th October 2004 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. Madingley Hall. 12th - 14th September 2003 Sir Christopher Wren: Architect in Context. Madingley Hall. 6th - 8th December 2002 Twentieth Century European History Mussolini and Italian Fascism. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. 12th - 14th March 2010 Building Utopias: Architecture and the 20th Century European Dictators. The McCrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. November 12th 2008 Hitler and Nazi Germany. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. August 22nd - 24th 2008. Hitler and Nazi Germany. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. May 9th - 11th 2008. Leader, Teacher, Friend: Socialist Realism and the Cult of Stalin. The McCrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. November 21st 2007 Hitler and Nazi Germany. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. September 21st - 23rd 2007 Hitler and Nazi Germany. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. June 15th - 17th 2007. Fascist Modernism: The Art and Architecture of Mussolini's Italy. Cambridge Art Fund. Maccrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College. 31st October 2006 Art and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. International Summer School. 7th - 18th August 2006 Art and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Madingley Hall. 9th - 11th December 2005 Art and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Cambridge Art Fund. Maccrum Theatre, Corpus Christi College. 17th November 2005 Was There Such a Thing as Nazi Architecture? Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. 2nd November 2005 Stalin and the Soviet Union. Madingley Hall. 22nd - 24th July 2005 Mussolini and Italian Fascism. Madingley Hall. 19th - 21st December 2003 Fascism: History and Interpretation. Madingley Hall. 30th November - 2nd December 2001 Art and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Madingley Hall. 14th - 16th September 2001 Art and Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Madingley Hall. 27th - 29th October 2000 Apart from weekend courses and day-schools, I have given academic papers to conferences in London, Cambridge and Leicester. Apply Thyself Unto Instruction: Cambridge Colleges through Eight Centuries. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Public Programmes, ACE Centre, Mary Allen Building, Homerton College, Cambridge. 23rd April - 25th June 2009 Cambridge Colleges Through Eight Centuries. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. 19th April 2009. Apply Thyself Unto Instruction: Cambridge Colleges Through Seven Centuries. University of Cambridge. Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge ACE Centre, Homerton College. April 18th, 2007 for 8 sessions. Politics, Society and Architecture in Seventeenth-Century Britain. University of Cambridge. Institute of Continuing Education. International Summer School. 6th - 29th July 2010. The Cambridge Platonists. University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education, Madingley Hall. August 29th - 31st 2007. Monarchy and Popery: Plots, Kings and Revolution in Britain 1678-1688 (with John Sutton). Madingley Hall. 3rd - 5th November 2006 The Seventeenth Century Mind. Madingley Hall. 21st - 23rd May 2004 Images of Royalty. Madingley Hall. 20th - 22nd August 1999 Images of Royalty. Madingley Hall. 12th - 14th December 1997 JOIN THE ONLINE / EMAIL MAILING LIST If you would like to apply to join Andrew Lacey's email list for immediate updates on courses and workshops, please submit your name and email address to Liz at: Online Newsletter There is no fee to join the email list and the email address and details you provide will not be passed on to a third party. * andrewlacey.co.uk is not responsible for the content and reliability of external websites This page was updated on Thursday, July 29, 2010 |
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