CLHUMHI121 - The Origins and Role of the British Monarchy
Britain has maintained an (almost) unbroken series of monarchs for the past 1,500 years. With the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, there is great interest in the institution of the British monarchy. Why has it lasted for so long? Even as parliamentary political influence increased and monarchical power declined, there has been widespread public reverence for the monarchy. With the advent of political democracy, political parties, and the rise and fall of individual political favorites, there has always been above the political fray “the impartial Crown”— existing solely to represent the country as a whole. Monarchs of varying abilities and personalities have come and gone. Nevertheless, all have functioned as representatives of that elevated crown. This course will chronologically examine an exclusive group of monarchs from King Arthur through Queen Anne and King Edward VII, each representative of the esteemed position of the British Crown.
Course Details
Newell Boyd, Ph.D., is a semiretired professor of history whose primary teaching field is Victorian Britain and the British Empire. He is also an instructor in the Graduate Liberal Studies program at Rice University and has been published in a variety of books and scholarly journals in the field of British history. He has published two historical novels on the lives of Joseph Chamberlain and John Ruskin. Dr. Boyd holds a doctorate in history from Texas Tech University and has done postdoctoral research at the University of London, University of Birmingham, the London School of Economics, University of Oxford, The University of Manchester and The University of Edinburgh. He has been a fellow at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London and is a member of England’s Society of Authors and the Royal Historical Society.
On Campus
This course will be delivered on campus / in person. Parking and room information will be sent prior to the class start date.
- Arthur
- Alfred the Great
- Henry II
- Henry VII
- James I
- Anne
- William IV
- Edward VII