ME3314 Times of Trouble: Civil Conflicts in the Later Fifteenth-Century

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 9

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

TBC

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof M H Brown

Prof M H Brown
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Prof M Brown

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

Between the 1450s and 1480s many European realms were beset by periods of internal conflict which developed into open civil war. The best-known of these are the so-called Wars of the Roses in the lands of the English crown, but similar periods of domestic unrest occurred in Scotland, France, the Low Countries and the Spanish realms. This module examines the causes of political dissent and conflict: dynastic, social, political and economic and their effects on the developing authority of royal governments. The roles and rights of great noble houses in relation to the crown and to their own regional hegemonies are also examined as is the use of political language, of royal sovereignty and of resistance to misrule, in an era of contested legitimacy. This is a study of political crises and civil warfare which focuses primarily on the lands of the English and Scottish crowns but also examines common and distinct themes from other fifteenth-century realms.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS AT LEAST 60 CREDITS FROM {ME1003, ME1006, ME2003, HI2001, MH2002}

Assessment pattern

2-hour Written Examination = 40%, Coursework = 60%

Re-assessment

4,000-word essay = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2-hour seminar, plus 1 office hour.

Scheduled learning hours

20

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

280

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.