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History 498
The Reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I
WPH 202
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-1:50
Professor Harkness
SOS 161, office hours Tuesdays 2-3, Thursdays 11-12, and by appointment
deharkness@usc.edu
This course explores the reigns of two of England’s most important and fascinating rulers: Henry
VIII and Elizabeth I. Together, this father and daughter reigned for all but 19 years of the 16th
century. This is a period known for its enormous change as England went from a small island
kingdom to an imperial power. Quite literally, Henry and Elizabeth were the father and daughter
who made “Britain” great. The independent English church was established. The arts, literature,
and patronage flourished. How did two such different monarchical personalities achieve this?
How did they both use and repudiate gender norms to further their ambitions for power and
prestige? How did they use religion as a tool of state? How did a careful crafting of public image
through ceremony, architecture, and portraiture advance their goals? What can we learn from
Henry and Elizabeth about early modern power and its practice? How did English culture change
during the sixteenth century, and what role did these monarchs play in those changes?
Because historians have written so much about these two monarchs, we will be particularly
attentive to primary sources (social, political, economic, intellectual) written by Henry,
Elizabeth, and their contemporaries—not editions, not printed books, but manuscripts. To do so,
we will be studying paleography (the science of handwriting) and using USC’s superb collection
of online manuscript resources. This will put you in direct contact with some of the best-known
figures of the age—not only Henry and Elizabeth, but Mary I, Mary Queen of Scots, foreign
rulers like Francis I and Philip II, Thomas More, William Cecil. You will also gain perspective
on the period from the writings of wool merchants, wives, widows, secretaries, ambassadors,
students, and priests.
Your final project for this course will consist of a paper based on the transcription,
contextualization, and analysis of three manuscript sources clustered around a theme of your
choice. We will be making use of the excellent University of Cambridge online paleography
course resources, as well as online resources at the National Gallery (UK), the Folger
Shakespeare Library, Yale University, and other archives. We will be studying the scholarly
conventions of manuscript transcription as well.
The objectives for this course are as follows: 1) development of critical reasoning and analytical
skills based on the reading of primary documents and secondary historical works, and an
improved ability to communicate findings with colleagues; 2) development of intermediate
paleographic skills in 16th-century English hands; 3) development of writing skills, especially
historical argumentation, contextualization, and analysis.
Books For Purchase:
*please note: some of these books are available as e-books. If you use e-book formats, please
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bring your reader to class*
Michelle P. Brown, A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600
ISBN-10: 0802072062
ISBN-13: 978-0802072061
Mary Hill Cole, The Portable Queen: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Ceremony
ISBN-10: 1558498672
ISBN-13: 978-1558498679
Susan Doran, Elizabeth I and Her Circle (NB: the Kindle edition is half the cost of the
hardback)
Hardback: ISBN-10: 0199574952
Hardback: ISBN-13: 978-0199574957
Kindle: ASIN: B00S6T8Y0U
John Guy, The Children of Henry VIII (NB: this is available as a free e-book through USC
Library’s Search Portal, and it is also available as a Kindle e-book)
ISBN-10: 0198700873
ISBN-13: 978-0198700876
Kindle: ASIN: B00BNT7GO0
David Loades, Henry VIII: Court, Church, and Conflict
ISBN-13: 978-1905615421
ISBN-10: 1905615426
Kindle: DO NOT ORDER THE KINDLE EDITION. It is a different edition of the book,
with different content and layout—trust me, I tried it! What you want is the National
Archives publication, with primary sources throughout the text. It is available in used
copies for under $5.
NB: Please be careful if purchasing this book online or through used vendors. There are
two similar books, and Amazon at least is using them interchangeably when it comes to
Kindle. Be sure to use these ISBN numbers!
Andy Wood, The Memory of the People: Custom and Popular Senses of the Past in Early
Modern England
ISBN-10: 0521720672
ISBN-13: 978-0521720670
Kindle: ASIN: B00E99YTAU
Additional required readings will be available through USC’s online resources (e-books, online
primary source collections, and scholarly articles) and Blackboard.
Grades:
Your grades will be based on the following:
1. Attendance and Participation
100 points
Out of respect for your colleagues in class, please come to each meeting ready to engage
with the material. This means that you should do the reading or transcription exercises
before coming to class, bring marked texts and transcriptions with you, and be attentive
to discussion.
2. Weekly Transcription Exercises:
225 points
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Most weeks you will be required to do several transcription exercises. Occasionally,
additional transcriptions will be given out in class, to test your ability to sight read 16thcentury hands. You must do a transcript of each assigned manuscript and print two copies
of each transcript (one for me to evaluate, and one for you to use in class). Further
instructions will be discussed in the first week of class.
3. Final Project Intermediary Assignments
75 points
On October 6, a one-paragraph description of your final project theme is due that outlines
what questions/problems you hope to address (e.g. the education of women, court life,
monasticism, music, patronage, etc.) On November 3, a list of manuscripts you will be
consulting for your project is due.
4. Final Project
200 points
On December 7 your final project is due. This project will consist of two parts: a
transcription of three manuscripts (ONE may be a class assignment), and a discussion of
the manuscripts in the context of your chosen theme. There is no magic number of pages
for these documents—it will depend on difficulty and the theme you are pursuing—but in
general, aim for about 6 pages of manuscript. Your discussion of the manuscripts and
their context should be 10-15 pages long.
Schedule of Classes:
Please do any assigned reading and anything labeled “Online Transcription Exercise” BEFORE
the class indicated. Bring your books, Xeroxes, and/or e-readers with you. I highly recommend
PRINTING OUT the Blackboard readings.
For more information on the Paleography assignments, follow the guidelines in the
“Paleography 101” document handed out in class and available on Blackboard.
August 25:
Introduction to the Course
August 27:
Introduction to Paleography: From Miniscule to Gothic
Reading: Brown, 1-71
In Class Exercises:
Harleian MS 283, f. 75
Whitgift School Charters, Gonville and Caius MS 694/354, f. 7r
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson3/index.html
I. Family, Court, Country: Understanding Dynastic Power
September 1: Politics, Family Style
Reading: Guy, 1-123; Harris, “Structures of Patriarchy” (BB); Harris,
“Daughters” (BB); Elton, “The Tudor Dynasty” (BB)
September 3: Visit to Rare Book Room: Understanding Manuscripts
Reading: Brown, 72-136; Ledham-Greene, “Early Modern Handwriting: An
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Introduction” at https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/intro.html
September 8: The Education of a Prince(ss)
Reading: Loades, 10-34; Doran, Chapters 1-3; Castiglione, Excerpt from
The Courtier, Book Four (BB); Vives, 44-109 (BB)
September 10: Overview of Sixteenth-Century Hands and Discussion of Manuscripts Related
to Education
Reading: “Transcription Conventions” (BB); “Dating and Describing Hands”
(BB)
Transcription Assignments:
The discovery and recovery of Ireland, with The Author's Apology
Gonville and Caius College MS 150/200, p. 81
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson4/index.html
A note on Royston (extract from Rastell's Abridgement)
Gonville and Caius College MS 170/91, p. 157
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson5/index.html
Apocalypse in English, Trinity College Library MS B. 2. 7, f. 49v
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson8/index.html
Optional Transcription:
School Packing List, 1585 (BB)
Note: the following website includes helpful information for
understanding units of measurement, coinage, etc.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/quick_reference.htm
September 15: Courtly Life: The Game of Kings
Reading: Loades, 35-60; Starkey, “Intimacy and Innovation” (BB); Warnicke,
“The Court” (BB); Elton, “The Nature of Kingship” (BB)
September 17 Discussion of Manuscripts Related to Courtly Life
Transcription Assignments:
Mermelate of Quinces, Gonville and Caius College MS 206/112, p. 177
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson9/index.html
‘The Earle of Essex his instructions to his sonne,’Gonville and Caius College MS
150/200, p. 21
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson10/index.html
Bouche of Court (excerpt), Yale University Beinecke MS 610 (BB)
Mildred Cecil, Dedication to the Duchess of Somerset (BB)
September 22: The Body Politic
Reading: Wood, pp. 1-187; Elton, “The Powers of the Crown” (BB); “Enforcing
Statutes and Orders for Apparel (30 Elizabeth) (BB)
September 24 Introduction to On-Line Early Modern Manuscript Resources at USC (State
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Papers, Perdita Project, Hatfield Manuscripts)—class meets in the Library
Transcription Exercises:
The words of Ptolemæus, Gonville and Caius College MS 197/103, p. 402
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson14/index.html
An answeare of the Queen of Scotts to Mr Babington's letter, Gonville and Caius
College MS 197/103, p. 518
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson16/index.html
II. Henry VIII: Marriage, Image, Religion, and Gender
September 29: The Problem of Marriage
Reading: Loades, 61-132
October 1
Discussion of Manuscripts Related to Marriage
Transcription Exercise:
Henry VIII to Cardinal Wolsey (1518), Cotton Ms. Vespasian F iii, f.73 (BB)
Additional transcription exercises will be done in class
October 6:
One Paragraph on the Theme of Your Final Project Is Due
The Problem of Image
Reading: Loades, 133-201; Sharpe, “Images of Royal Supremacy” (BB); King,
“Henry VIII as David” (BB)
October 8
Discussion of Manuscripts Related to Image and Self-Fashioning
Transcription Exercise:
'My Muse not I', Gonville and Caius College MS 197/103, p. 384
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson21/index.html
The King’s Privy Chamber, Yale University Beinecke MS 610 (BB)
Order of the King’s Household, Yale University, Beinecke MS 610 (BB)
October 13:
The Problem of Religion
Reading: Loades, 202-249; Wood, pp. 188-246; Walsham, “Idols in the
Landscape” (BB)
October 15
Discussion of Manuscripts Related to Religion
Transcription Exercises:
John Rastell, Dialogues, Trinity College Library MS O. 3. 26, f. 31v
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson20/index.html
Coronation Oath of Henry VIII, British Library Cotton Ms. Tiberius D viii, f.89S
(BB)
Sale of the Manor of Bulmershe (1544), National Archives MS E 318/11/507
(BB)
October 20:
The Problem with Princesses: The Shifting Balance of Power 1547-1558
Reading: Guy, 124-198; Knox, “First Blast of the Trumpet” (BB); Hoak, “The
Legacy of Henry VIII” (BB)
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October 22
Discussion of Manuscripts Related to the Shifting Balance of Power
Transcription Exercises:
Inventory of Henry VIII, British Library MS Harleain 1419 A, f.206 (BB)
Diary of Edward VI, British Library MS Cotton Ms. Nero C x, f.12 (BB)
Confession of Princess Elizabeth, Hatfield MS CP 150/89 (BB)
Death of Edward VI, Hatfield MS CP 1/138 (BB)
Princess Elizabeth to her sister Queen Mary I. (National Archives Catalogue
reference: EXT 11/25) (BB)
October 27:
Professor Harkness at Harvard—no class meeting—work on locating
manuscripts
Reminder: List of Manuscripts for Final Project Due November 3!
October 29:
Professor Harkness at the Morbid Anatomy Museum-no class meeting—work
on locating manuscripts
Reminder: List of Manuscripts for Final Project Due November 3!
III. Elizabeth I: Marriage, Image, Religion, and Gender
November 3: List of Manuscripts to Be Used in Your Final Project Is Due
The Problem of Marriage
Reading: Doran, chapters 5-11; Harris, “The Arrangement of Marriage” (BB)
November 5
Discussion of Manuscripts Related to the Problem of Marriage
Transcription Exercises:
'To preserve quinses,’ Gonville and Caius College MS 197/103, p. 356
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson25/index.html
Additional transcription exercises will be done in class.
November 10: The Problem of Image
Reading: Cole, The Portable Queen (all)
November 12 Discussion of Manuscripts Related to the Problem of Image
Transcription Exercises:
Lodgings at Theobalds (1572), Hatfield MS CP 140/19
Lodgings at Theobalds (1577), Hatfield MS CP 140/24 (BB)
Fleshe and Fishe at Theobalds (1583), Hatfield MS CP 143/62 (BB)
Lodgings at Theobalds (1591), Hatfield MS CP 140/33 (BB)
Henry Gouldinge, Dedication to Elizabeth, British Library MS Harleian 6902
(BB)
Dedication to Elizabeth, MS Harleian 573.71.g (BB)
November 17: The Problem of Religion
Reading: Walsham, “Fraternal Correction and Holy Violence” (BB);
“Announcing Injunctions for Religion (1 Elizabeth)” (BB); “Appointing Homilies
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to Be Read in Churches (1 Elizabeth) (BB)
November 19 Discussion of Manuscripts Related to the Problem of Religion
Transcription Exercises:
Privy Council letter, concerning church attendance, Gonville and Caius College
MS 53/30, f. 24r (i)
https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson22/index.html
The Oath of the Gentlemen of Gray's Inn, Gonville and Caius MS 53/30, f. 51r
(ii), https://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/lessons/lesson27/index.html
A Plea for Clemency (1584) (BB)
November 24: The Monstrous Regiment of Women
Reading: Doran, chapter 3-4; Howey, “Fashioning Monarchy” (BB); Wood, pp.
287-340
Transcription Exercise:
Lady Lumley, Translation of Euripedes Iphigenia (Excerpt) BB
November 26: Thanksgiving Holiday—No Class
December 1: One-on-one Tutorials with Professor
December 3: Final Class Wrap-Up and Project Reports
Final Project Due Monday December 7 at 11:59 PM via a word document attachment to an
email—NO PDFs!
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