History Student
Chronicle
Autumn Semester #03
Tyrants
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Letter From the Editor
Welcome to the third History Student Chronicle! I am
Emily, your new editor!
A big thank you to everyone who has written an article for me in this issue, and for Matthew for allowing
me to interview him. Also to Jayne Gifford, for giving
me continual advice and support whilst creating this,
and making sure it was as good as Emma Blackbourne’s! I apologise for this issue’s lateness, so many
deadlines suddenly crept up on me!
I hope you enjoy reading the articles as much as I did!
If you would like to write an article or feature in the
next History Student Chronicle next semester, please
get in touch.
Emily Savage
Academic Officer, UEA History Society
Contents
The Madness of King George III… 3.
Benjamin Annis argues why King George III shouldn’t be ridiculed
Revolts Against Tyrannical Leaders in the Early Modern World… 4.
James Dobson looks into why revolts happened in the Early Modern World
Careers Central Advise… 5.
Need some help? Read our short article on how Careers Central can help history students
An Interview with Matthew D’auria… 6/7.
One of the newest faculty members in the history department, and a lover of Kafka
Berlin information… 7.
Handy for if you want to know some details about the trip
History Society visits Blickling Hall… 8.
A short review on the day spent at Blickling Hall, despite the rain!
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The Madness of King
George III
By Benjamin Annis
Native British subjects ridiculed George III just as
much as American colonists during his reign. The
great English Romantic poet Shelley vividly described the king as “old, mad, blind, despised and
dying” (England in 1819), and Charlotte Bronte’s Mr
Yorke reduced him to an “unprincipled debauchee” (Shirley, 1849). The American Declaration of
Independence was much less crass, denouncing the
King’s “repeated injuries and usurpations” against
the colonies. Thus, George’s immediate legacy was
to be remembered as a tyrannical lunatic. This has
gradually been revised in the British historical tradition through analysis and hindsight, but much of the
American tradition continues to paint George as a
tyrant. Why is this so?
The colonists directed their twenty-seven grievances at George because they saw in him the potential
for a perfect scapegoat of British tyrannical rule.
The founding fathers crafted this monstrous figure
so skilfully that its legacy still lives on in the minds
of many contemporaries. It is high time that this
widely held assumption was reversed. Upon light
investigation it becomes clear that it was parliament, not its modest and principled monarch, who
was the tyrant.
As the will of popular opinion dictated, George recognised and accepted the principle of parliamentary
sovereignty in Britain. He decided to delegate authority on contentious issues such as representation
and tax to the legislature, given his unelected status. George was unwilling to interfere in the American crisis because he did not see the politicoeconomic discontent there in the 1760s and 1770s as
significant. In Britain, there were far more regular
acts of violence and protest against customs officers
and officials and it was almost as common for a
merchant to be opposed to government as in favour.
In short, he was too used to the regular ridicule,
satire, and protest of British democracy.
All of the polarizing injustices in the NorthAmerican colonies were the work of clumsy elected
ministers. The Stamp Act [1765] was a coarse attempt by George Grenville to raise funds for the
colonies’ administration and protection. The Townshend Duties [1767] followed in a similar vein, and
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finally it was Lord North’s fatal decision to
uphold duties in the Tea Act of 1773 which
lead directly to the Boston Tea Party a few
months later. These taxes were not exactly
economically unfair. Stamp duties were
much less expensive than in Britain, and the
net result of the Tea Act was actually
cheaper tea for American consumers.
Above this, all the money raised was actually destined to pay for the costly British Seven Years war (which had secured North
America from the French) and for future
security. However it was the principle that
was wrong. The American colonists wanted
their say within British ‘democracy.’ As
James Otis Jr. wrote in 1765, “taxation
without representation is a tyranny”. Parliament should have spent far less time on
feeble attempts at economic control, and
more time on solving the issue of political
representation.
In summary, George was merely a monarch
who took duty and purpose seriously. His
main commitment was to the 18th century
conception of democracy (understood as
parliamentary sovereignty) and therefore it
is highly ironic that he is remembered as a
tyrant and depriver of liberties. It appears
high time to shift the blame away from
George and on to those accountable parliamentary figures who formulated coecive
economic policies, ignored the issue of representation, and led the assault on the colonies in the 1770s.
Further Reading: G. M. Ditchfield, George III: An
Essay in Monarchy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002).
Revolts Against
Tyrannical
Leaders in the
Early Modern
World
By James Dobson
In an age when princes, nobles and kings alike
sought to centralise their realms and widen their
authority, they would often undertake actions
that, to put it lightly, would not amuse their
subjects. Arbitrary, severe or oppressive government, when combined with social or economic
triggers, often resulted in popular risings by the
“unwashed” masses that aimed to lessen their
suffering by forcing their ruler to soften – or
even repeal – laws they perceived as unjust.
where the central government proved to be
weak. One of the most important cases of this
occurred in Naples during the 1630s and 1640s.
The ruling Spanish government desperately
needed money to finance their expeditions during the Thirty Years War. Not only did the government impose higher taxes on their Neapolitan
subjects, it also took out loans from corrupt noble creditors in exchange for monopolies and
offices. These increasingly powerful creditors
then imposed additional taxes on the Neapolitans, who were understandably unimpressed by
this new state of affairs. A popular revolt began
in 1648 in response to the creditors’ oppressive
rule and their financial hold.
Land seizures were also a major trigger for revolts. Throughout Europe there were disputes
relating to lords’ encroachment onto common
lands and the manipulation of common rights in
those areas. Indeed, the removal of woodcutting
and fishing rights over the previous century was
one of the major grievances that sparked the
German Peasants’ War. It was in England, however, where the battles over land were the most
bitter. Enclosure, the act of dispossessing peasant communities of their communal land for nobles’ economic gain, was a target and cause of
rebellion itself.
For peasant communities, the common land had
economic significance: farming it was a source
of employment and people could also reside on
the land. Its seizure created a great deal of resentment amongst those who previously made
use of it. Revolts such as Kett’s Rebellion in
1549 unsuccessfully demanded the ending of enclosure practises, along with other grievances
such as ending serfdom and the end to rents that
the nobles had imposed.
Whilst revolts were not aimed exclusively at tyrannical nobility in the Early Modern world, they
One major trigger for popular uprisings was the
introduction of new taxes. The early modern
world witnessed two major changes that compelled rulers to impose new financial burdens on
their subjects – the rise of absolutism (when rulers started to make decisions without the consent of intermediate organisations such as the
parlements in France) and the increasing cost of
warfare (for the creation of standing armies and
expeditions). This already high burden was further increased in areas where serfdom was the
societal norm, such as Germany. There, local
lords imposed new payments such as labour and
death duties, whilst demanding higher rents and
taxation. Such blatant money-grubbing was
viewed by peasants as a breach of their traditional customs, laws and interests, and as a result revolts against their lords began to spring
up. For example, in Germany during the fifteenth and sixteenth century, a series of revolts
loosely linked by the Bundschuh peasant movement flared up, protesting harsh taxation and
high debts. The peasants, perhaps optimistically,
called for the abolition of all taxation! This
spate of small revolts culminated in the great
German Peasants’ War of 1525, the largest popular uprising until the French Revolution, yet all
of the rebellions were suppressed.
Revolts could also be triggered in circumstances
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were among the most frequent targets due to their increasing power and often oppressive government. The economic “tyranny” of the upper classes was highly resented by their subjects, who sought
to restore what they saw as their ancient customs or undo severe laws. Revolts against such lords, who
were sometimes scapegoats for the kings from whom these policies often originated, were a violent
yet common part of early modern society.
Further Reading: A. Wood, Riot, Rebellion and Popular Politics in Early Modern England (Basingstoke, 2002).
P. Zagorin, Rebels and Rulers 1500-1660 Volume 1: Society, States and Early Modern Revolution: Agrarian and
Urban Rebellions (Cambridge, 1982).
UEA Careers Central
CareerCentral: A Good Resource for History Students?
Definitively!
CareerCentral is the body within UEA whose sole purpose is to ensure you’re set up in life. (Strictly careerwise – I can’t promise anything with your social/academic/love-life.) We have two, (yes, two!) careers advisors just for us – Wendy and Adrienne – who will sit with you in a one-to-one setting to discuss your queries,
aspirations and long-term calling.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – and it’s a problem which plaques many of our undergraduates – the
issue of not having a clue. But, you have to remember that university is the time to experiment, and CareerCentral facilitates this. They offer a wide range of events and opportunities that allow you to meet with professionals who will bluntly tell you the pros and cons of any – and I mean any – career path. These events
can be found on mycareercentral.uea.ac.uk
CareerCentral offers a variety of ‘how to’ workshops
that will help you to apply for, interview and land the
perfect role for you.
I hope this helps: but please, if you have any queries
please feel free to get in touch with me (Harriet, Roden, your History Careers Ambassador) through my
Facebook page ‘CareerCentral: History Opportunities’
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Interview with
Matthew D’auria
By Emily Savage
From nationalism to a love for Kakfa, Emily Savage talks to one of the newest members of the history faculty.
As a slightly inquisitive second year, I took the Modern Italy module on a whim – if I found Modern Russia interesting, then why not Italy? I was pleasantly
surprised not just by the content of the module, but
by its organiser, Dr. Matthew D’Auria. He solved my
problems with footnoting (I mean, where do the
commas go?), taught me who Mussolini actually was,
and became of the most engaging lecturers I’d had
at UEA.
After conducting research at UCL, the University of
Salerno and at Sciences Po Paris, the concrete hallway of Arts 2 may seem like a completely different
world. Nevertheless, he reassured me that UEA’s
History Department were extremely friendly, and
came with a relaxed atmosphere. Both lecturers and
students are not afraid to contribute, with students
actually being engaged in the topics they are
taught, and I for one found this in his module last
year.
ES: So what is your specialism?
MD: The history of ideas or Intellectual history. Basically I look at how intellectuals interpret the world
in the context they lived in and how they made
sense of it. More specifically I look at the discourse
about the nation and Europe, especially modern
France and Italy.
ES: So did you find this passion at a young age, or
did you want to be something else?
MD: I majored in Politics and International Relations
at university but it included a lot of history which I
enjoyed. When it came to doing my final dissertation there was a Professor on the History of Philosophy who was also a member of the European Parliament. He taught this wonderful course on the history of Europe and that’s how I got into the topics of
nationalism and Europeanism. So basically it is his
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fault I like the subject so much!
ES: Most people find this though, we all
have a lecturer who makes a subject sounds
fascinating! But was there anything when
you was really young?
MD: I wanted to be a novelist, I loved writing. There’s an element of this in what I do
now, there are actually some books and articles that compare the job of an academic
or researcher of that of a novelist – I know it
sounds strange…
ES: No it doesn’t, I knew someone who
wanted to be a bin man when he was younger! It’s really horrible hours and you constantly smell, but the pay is quite good
MD: Oh… well that sounds like a great job…
I’ll make sure I look into it when I graduate
next year
ES: So imagine you’re going to a dinner party, and you can invite five different people,
dead or alive – who would you pick?
MD: Well one of them would have to be Carlo Rosselli, he was an anti-fascist liberalsocialist who died at the end of French Fascism. An interesting character, he was way
ahead of his time! I’d also include Michel
Foucault, one of the greatest intellectual
historians and Garibaldi…who was such a
charismatic figure… Agatha Christie, I really
liked her novels when I was younger
ES: I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by her…
MD: What! You’ve never read any Agatha Christie!
Apologies, I’m more of a J. K. Rowling fan
MD: Oh! And Kafka, I love Kafka! He is a genius!
ES: So last question, is there any tips you’d like to give to aspiring
historians?
MD: Whilst you’re here, you should learn to critically analyse not
just the past world but the world we live in today. You would
have gained the capacity to grasp the complexity of things in your
everyday life and definitely use this in your future careers. If you
want to pursue a career in academia as historians, it is a very difficult field to get into with lots of competition. But if you really
love learning and writing about history it is definitely worth doing.
Matthew’s next publication which he is currently working on is
‘The Shaping of French National Identity: Narrating the Nations
Past 1715-1830’. It isn’t out until 2017, but I recommend that
you keep an eye out.
Berlin!
If you’re coming to Berlin, here are a few things to remember:
Outbound flight: Monday 4th January at 1:35pm, from London Southend airport
Inbound flight: Friday 8th January at 4:50pm, from Berlin Schonefeld
We will be staying in Plus Berlin Hostel, Warschauer Pl. 6, 10245 Berlin, Germany
On Tuesday 5th we are going on a walking tour and visiting the Reichstag. On Wednesday 6th we are
going to Stasi Prison and on Thursday 7th we are going to Spandau Zitadelle, a medieval fortress. If
you have already said you are coming on these trips then please do! For the rest of your time in
Berlin you are free to do what you want, be it visiting other museums, art galleries or sampling the
nightlife.
Remember, it will be cold and the trip will consist of quite a bit of walking, so bring enough clothes
to wrap up warmly and comfortable footwear!
And don’t forget to take pictures! Some will be featured in next semesters magazine!
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History Society visits
Blickling Hall!
On 7 November the History Society went to Blickling Hall
near Aylsham, a National Trust property. Despite the rain,
those who went (hopefully!) had a brilliant day roaming
around the historic buildings and both the Victorian and
Edwardian gardens.
Did you know Blickling was the birthplace of Anne Boleyn,
along with her other surviving siblings, Mary and George?
The house today is built on the old ruins of the Boleyn
house. On the death of the last owner of Blickling, Philip
Kerr, the 11th Marquis of Lothian in December 1940, he left
the house to the National Trust in his will. During the Second World War, Blickling became an RAF base and housed
Officers inside Blickling itself. As the tour guides will tell
you, bored of waiting to fight, they coloured in one portraits left eye completely black, leaving their mark there
forever.
Blickling’s RAF history means there is also a small RAF museum dedicated to the men and women who lived there
during the war. There’s also a maze of servants passages,
1930’s kitchens, a moat that was designed purely to impress Blickling’s visitors and stables that caught fire three
times in Blickling’s history, despite the architect Robert
Lyminge giving the building significantly less chimneys.
You’ll find pineapples in the ceiling, and, as our guide told
us, they were originally a symbol of welcoming. And that is
exactly how we
felt on this trip.
We also made a
tonne of crafts,
sorry not sorry.
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