MAGICAL GOVERNMENTS AND LEADERS
NEWT Option Three
The Wizarding World, much like the Muggle World, has a variety of magical governments, with each country generally having a unique system. In this lesson, we will be discussing magical governments and leaders in Britain, as they are most relevant to your study of Hogwarts; however, if you find this subject interesting and would like to learn more, I highly recommend you check out Magical Law, taught by Las13Rosas!
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The British Ministry of Magic was founded in 1707 and governs the magical regions of Great Britain, which includes England, Scotland, and Wales. However, before the Ministry of Magic, there was the Wizarding Council. The Wizarding Council lasted for centuries and signed one of the most notable pieces of wizarding legislature: the International Statute of Secrecy. Fifteen years after the signing of the statute, the Wizarding Council was disbanded and Ulick Gamp became the first Minister of Magic.
Ulick Gamp is an important magical leader to know about, as not only did he hold the first position of Minister of Magic from 1707-1718, but he also served as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. During his term as Minister of Magic, Gamp was responsible for making the Cruciatus, Imperius, and Killing curses "unforgivable." He also was responsible for making the Leaky Cauldron an entry point to Diagon Alley and for the founding of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
A few of the following Ministers of Magic are important to know, as they carried reputations of being prejudiced toward Muggles. These Ministers passed or attempted to pass anti-Muggle legislation during their time in office: Damocles Rowle, Perseus Parkinson, Josephina Flint, and Pius Thicknesse.
Image of Ulick Gamp
Image of Artemisia Lufkin
The last Minister of Magic I will mention today is the one and only Artemisia Lufkin, the first female to serve in the position from 1798 to 1811. She was sorted into Hufflepuff during her time at Hogwarts, and her time as Minister of Magic was defined by her establishment of the Department of International Magical Co-operation and her unyielding desire to host the Quidditch World Cup in Britain during her term (which proved to be successful).
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Overall, it is important as magical historians that we look to past leaders as examples of both successes and failures. The Ministers of Magic over the years have had particularly unique leadership roles, defined by their great abilities to influence the Wizarding World in Great Britain.
HOMEWORK:
Please select ONE of the following to complete as your assignment:
Option 1 - Historical Analysis:
Pick two Ministers of Magic not mentioned above to do some research on; one should be an example of a successful leader, and one should be an example of an unsuccessful leader. Compare and contrast their time in office, including details on their public perception and the legislature they passed. Why do you think one was more successful than the other? What can we learn from them?
Then, pick one other area of the Wizarding World -- it can be a different government, or something entirely unrelated -- and choose a leader related to this organization. What can we learn from them?
Lastly, I want you to think about why I have decided to include a lesson on Magical Governments and Leaders in History of Magic -- after all, I could easily leave this subject in the hands of Magical Law. Write a few sentences reflecting on this.
Option 2 - Filling in the Gaps (biography):
Often times history doesn't tell us everything about someone, and this seems to be especially true of magical history. As such, historians often have to do a lot of digging, and occasionally speculating on what they believe the someone's life was like. For this assignment, choose one Minister for Magic that we don't know a lot of personal details about and write a biography for them. Please make sure to include all of the things we DO know about them in the biography in the appropriate places, but fill in the gaps with what you believe makes sense for them in a way that fits the time period, culture, and what we do know about them.
This should include things such as:
- Early life, including family and the home they grew up in.
- School life, including achievements and subjects they did well in and perhaps poorly in (you can choose a wand for them in this portion, and a pet etc, if that is unknown).
- Career and personal life after school.
- How they became Minister for Magic and everything they did while in the position.
- Life after being Minister.
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*Note: if you completed the lesson "What Makes a Great Leader?" you may not select Fudge or Scrimgeour for this assignment.