Short course
Women of the British Civil Wars
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
18/01/2027 - 15/02/2027
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£190.00
Studies of warfare so often focus on men – the military generals and the politicians making decisions behind the scenes, and the cavalry and soldiers in hand to hand combat on the battlefield. However, warfare involved more than men. Women and children were caught up in conflicts too, either directly during sieges and invasions, or indirectly through the absence of male family members in the army. This course will explore the women of the British Civil Wars from different layers of society. We will explore their contributions, experiences, and sacrifices, and place them back into the narrative of one of the most turbulent periods of British history.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.
Course aims
Course aim: Students will understand how the British Civil Wars impacted women from all levels of society.
Course objectives:
Students will:
- Learn about key female figures in the British Civil Wars, but also everyday women whose contributions have been largely forgotten.
- Analyse letters, petitions, and printed texts from the 1640s to explore the different ways women engaged with the conflict.
- Discuss their own views in class with their fellow students.
Programme details
Course starts Monday 18 January 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 4.30-6.30pm.
Week 1: The House of Stuart
The course will begin by investigating the women closest to King Charles I in the House of Stuart. His wife, Queen Henritetta Maria, was far from a passive figure during this period, and was deeply invested in her husband’s progress and success. We will explore the coded letters passing between the spouses, study the political and military instructions she was giving him, and assess whether her actions in Europe – including selling some of the crown jewels to fund Charles’ army – were helpful for the royalist cause. We will also explore Elizabeth Stuart, sister of Charles I and Queen of Bohemia, who sent her sons Rupert and Maurice to lead parts of Charles’ army. The women of the House of Stuart were united behind Charles I, but was this just blind loyalty to a loved one, or did they genuinely believe that all of his actions were right?
Week 2: The Wives of Parliament
The second session will explore the wives of key military and political figures from the Parliamentarian cause, including Lady Anne Fairfax, Elizabeth Cromwell, and Elizabeth Devereux, the Countess of Essex. Did their views remain consistent throughout the conflict, or was there a change of heart? Did they support their husbands, or hinder them?
Week 3: Castellans and Defenders
This session will investigate the lives and careers of women who did find themselves on the front line of the conflict, whether by choice or by necessity. We will learn about Lady Brilliana Harley, who defended her home of Brampton Bryan from a royalist siege when her Parliamentarian MP husband was absent. On the other side of the divide the royalist Lady Mary Bankes defended Corfe Castle during a three-year Parliamentarian siege. What can their actions reveal about female courage, military leadership, and tactical ability during the early modern era?
Week 4: Surviving Plunder and Depravation
In our fourth session we will explore the realities of everyday life for the women left at home whilst their husbands, fathers, and sons were in the army. There was no guarantee of safety because this conflict was truly national. Armies were constantly on the move, demanding quarter, provisions, and spoil wherever they went. We will investigate how women navigated property loss and lack of supplies without male support, and the ways in which they interacted with legal and political networks to ensure the survival of their families.
Week 5: Widowhood and Grief
Our final session will explore the experiences of widows whose husbands were killed in action, and grieving mothers who had lost their sons. How did they interact with the authorities to express their grief, and what financial support was available to them to ensure that they were compensated for their losses?
Teaching methods
The teaching methods for this course will be a combination of lecture and seminar, with students expected to engage with both primary and secondary material provided to them either in class or in advance.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course students will have a greater understanding of the impact of the British Civil Wars, and how warfare was not an exclusively male domain. They will also be familiar and confident about using primary sources for research.
Assessment methods
This course is not accredited, so there are no assessments or coursework.
Dr Charlotte Parsonson-Young
Dr Charlotte Young has a PhD in English Civil War sequestration from Royal Holloway, University of London. She has worked as a genealogist and social historian at Sticks Research Agency for over a decade, where she has worked on programmes such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and ‘Tracing Your Roots’. She is an Honorary Visiting Fellow in English Local History at the University of Leicester, an Adjunct Professor for the University of California’s London Study Abroad programme, and was a research assistant attached to the AHRC-funded Civil War Petitions project.
Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £190.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.
Preparatory reading
- Women All on Fire: The Women of the English Civil War / Alison Plowden
- The English Civil Wars 1640-1660 / Blair Worden
Module code: O26P412HIW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.
