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2015/16 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3688 The French Wars of Religion

40 creditsClass Size: 16

Module manager: Dr Sara Barker
Email: s.k.barker@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2015/16

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The French Wars of Religion (1562-1558) crippled the most advanced state in Europe for four decades at a crucial point in its development. Every part of the country was touched in some way, few communities escaped unscathed, and the legacy of the conflict would last for centuries. Although these were 'civil wars', they did not happen in a vacuum - the leaders of Western Europe could not ignore events in France, and were one by one dragged into the melée, more or less willingly. By the end of the wars, the ruling dynasty had changed, and Protestantism was established as a legal religion, albeit one under severe restrictions. Ever since, commentators and scholars have argued over what caused the wars, why they lasted so long, and if they were satisfactorily resolved. Students will be expected to consider the wars as a local, national and international problem, and to discuss the enduring controversies and historical debates that this period continues to inspire.They will be expected to consider how historians have tried to explain the conflict and its effects on French life, and the strengths and weaknesses of their approaches and arguments, as well as considering the variety of surviving source materials.

Objectives

The objectives of this module are:
- To identify the causes of the political and religious fragmentation of France c. 1560-1600, its continuation and eventual resolution
- To demonstrate knowledge of the main episodes and personalities of the Wars of Religion
- To analyse the immediate and continuing effects of the Wars on the conduct of French society and culture, as well as their place in international affairs
- To examine and discuss the historiographical debates provoked by the wars
- To critically analyse a range of primary sources, both written and visual, relating to these issues.
- To formulate sophisticated and nuanced arguments in relation to these issues, in written and verbal form
- To further develop generic, transferrable and subject specific skills.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate critical understanding of the major approaches used by historians to study early modern French history
2. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the social, political and cultural effects of religious fragmentation in sixteenth century France
3. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the impact of the wars on French society and politics
4. Evaluate carefully and critically the approaches that historians and scholars working in other disciplines have taken when exploring early modern French history
5. Show proficiency in the use of primary sources to study early modern French history
6. Show analytical and critical skills in oral presentations
7. Show analytical skills in written work, using citations and footnotes correctly.

Skills outcomes
- in-depth study and interpretation of primary sources
- thorough understanding of historiographical debate
- development and substantiation of own arguments
- independent research
- communication skills

Syllabus

1. Introduction - France in the Sixteenth Century/ Admin
2. The conduct of the wars - Chronology: People, Battles and Places
3. The concept of monarchy - a crisis of authority?
4. Reformation theology - Calvin and the French Reformed Church
5. French Protestantism - social and economic factors
6. Gallicanism - Catholicism in sixteenth century France
7. The Nobility - a class in crisis?
8. Towns - religious flashpoints, cultural arbitrators
9. Violence in the wars - rites and rituals
10. The legal tradition - helping or hindering royal authority?
11. Toleration - the monarchy and the politiques
12. Pacification - legislating peace throughout the wars
13. Military Campaigns - Sieges vs Battles
14. Resistance theory - a new type of protestant warfare
15. Catholic Militancy - the Guise and the rise of the League
16. The problem of Henri III - a good king at a bad time?
17. Alternative Perspectives
1. Women
2. International Perspectives
18. Cultural impact of the wars
19. 'Le bon roi Henri' - Henri de Bourbon from Navarre to la Rue de la Ferronnerie
20. The Edict of Nantes and its legacy
21. Presentation Conference
22. Presentation Conference

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Practical	4	1.00	4.00
Seminar	22	2.00	44.00
Private study hours			352.00
Total Contact hours			48.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			400.00

Private study

Students will prepare for each seminar by reading texts and primary sources specified by the Module Leader, as well as undertaking brief presentations and various discussion formats in class. They will also be expected to undertake further, self-directed reading for each class. Students will also research and prepare an individual oral presentation based on research into primary sources (10% of module assessment), research and write an assessed essay (40%), and prepare for the final examination (50%).

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Contributions to class discussions
- Feedback on written work and class presentations, including planning work
- Tutorials with the module leader

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 4,000-word essay due by 12 noon on Monday of exam week 2, semester 1	40.00
Presentation	Format to be determined by tutor	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	3 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/02/2016

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