Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

This module introduces students to the study of pre-modern urban history. It is a field which has seen an upsurge in research in recent decades, and the purpose of the module is to engage students with this work and its implications in understanding the role of towns in a pre-modern society. Because of the module’s chronological span it should appeal to students of both the medieval and early modern periods, and encourage them to examine the continuities and differences between these two eras. Drawing on the work of archaeologists and geographers, as well as historians, it will also offer the opportunity to take an inter-disciplinary approach to study.

During the late medieval and early modern period towns and urban living were important features of life in Britain. Most settlements may have been small by the standards of European cities, but they contained a substantial and growing minority of the population, and played a crucial role in the operation of the wider economic, political and social systems. Research into the subject has flourished over the last few decades. Drawing on the findings of archaeologists and geographers, as well as that of historians, this module seeks to convey something of the discoveries— and excitement—of recent work on the subject. Fundamental issues such as how to define a town in a pre-industrial era, how many people lived in towns, how towns related to each other, and the variations in urban experience between the different parts of Britain will be explored. There will also be an opportunity to assess the impact on urban life of some of the major historical events of the period, including the Black Death, the Reformation, the Civil Wars, and the Great Plague and Fire of London. The module will examine the vigorous debate which has emerged between historians as to whether or not the period witnessed an urban crisis, and explore the extent to which a medieval world survived and a modern world emerged during the period.