Submitted by Meera Roy
on
POLITICAL SCIENCE LONDON
Summer A-term, 2026 (22 June-22 July)
6 credits, POL S 395 (no prerequisites)
The Traitor King: Rebellions, Plots and Dangerous Ideas in 17th Century Britain
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31
Here’s how to find out more, and a description of the program:
INFORMATION SESSIONS:
Visit our table at the UW Study Abroad Fair: Thursday, January 15th, 10am-2pm
PROGRAM BROCHURE and APPLICATION: https://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=12409
Join us as we track the political history of Britain from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605; through the Civil Wars and the beheading of King Charles I; to the first Republic on British soil, the Restoration of the Monarchy, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The British seventeenth century was a time of conspiracy, intrigue, public executions, civil discord, and struggles for religious and political freedom. Tens of thousands of people fought over whether Britain would be a tyranny, a republic, or a constitutional monarchy. They also fought over whether it was possible for Catholics and Protestants to live together peaceably. Over the course of these struggles new ideas appeared that still resonate today: the rule of the people, religious toleration, executive power bound by the rule of law, and representative government. Our program will also take multi-day excursions to Edinburgh to learn about the Scottish origins of the Stuart dynasty and the Civil War, and also to Oxford which was a Royalist stronghold during the Civil War and the location of the royal court. Discover the mortal dramas of the English seventeenth-century and the history of dangerous and important ideas that people killed and died for. The ideas and events of this explosive century influenced the struggle for American independence and resonate to this day.
We will do tours of important sites such as Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and the Houses of Parliament, take guided walking tours, and discover the cities that helped shape the turmoil of 1600s Britain: London, Edinburgh and Oxford.