This course will examine the history of Britain in one of the most significant centuries in its history. It will show how religious and political grievances came together to create tensions that erupted into civil war. During the war new religious movements sprang up and revolutionary ideas about the rights of the people were debated as never before. The execution of Charles I was followed by the setting up of a republic. The British republic was a failed political experiment, but even though the monarchy was restored in 1660, some of the changes brought about by the Civil War proved irreversible. No previous knowledge is required and relevant books will be recommended throughout the course.