England in the Time of King Richard III (FutureLearn)

Go beyond the headlines with this online course. You’ll learn from scholars at the University of Leicester not only about the discovery of Richard III, but about England during his life time. Each week you’ll examine a different aspect of the 15th century period, including medieval warfare, food and culture, death and commemoration and more. Now’s your chance to travel back in time.

What topics will you cover?

• Medieval battles and the Wars of the Roses
• Peasants and farmers
• Medieval towns, villages and houses
• Books, literacy and printing
• Death and commemoration
• Food and cooking in the 15th century
• The discovery and reburial of King Richard III

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

• Describe the sequence of events and the key players in the Wars of the Roses, and explain the ways in which reputations are created
• Explain the nature of armed combat in the middle ages
• Describe the way English farming was organised before the Black Death
• Identify 15th century changes in the landscape and the benefits to ordinary people of the new developments
• Explore the evidence for the scale of literacy in England before printed books
• Describe how typefaces were first created and how rapidly printed books spread, and to whom
• Summarise medieval beliefs about the afterlife
• Identify the types of late medieval burial, burial customs, commemoration and memorial monuments
• Identify what foods were, and were not, available in the 15th century and the differences in the diet of rich and poor
• Describe the ways in which people cooked and ate at the table
• Reflect on some of the reasons why the discovery of Richard III has aroused such international interest
• Interpret the range of evidence that makes the identification of Richard III's body convincing