The European World 1500–1800 An Introduction to Early Modern History

Part I: Starting Points

1　Introduction

Beat Kümin

2 Europe in 1500

3 Environments

4 Gender and Family

5 Rural Society

6 Urban Society

7 Marginals and Deviants

8 Sickness and Health

9 The Early Modern Economy

Part III: Religion

10 Church and People at the Close of the Middle Ages

Beat Kümin and Peter Marshall

Prelude: The Long Reformation

11 The Long Reformation: Lutheran

12 The Long Reformation: Reformed

13 The Long Reformation: Catholic

14 Religious Culture in Early Modern Europe

15 Jews and Muslims

16 Beyond Europe c. 1500

17 European Relations with the Ottoman World

James E. Baldwin

18 Expanding Horizons

Anne Gerritsen and Anthony McFarlane

19 Europe Overseas

20 The Global Exchange of Goods

21 Europe and the World, c. 1800

22 The Renaissance

23 Arts and Society

24 From Pen to Print – a Revolution in Communications?

Angela McShane and Mark Knights　

25 Food and Drink Cultures

26 Popular Culture(s)

27 Witchcraft and Magic

28 The Scientific Revolution

29 Enlightenment

A) Surveys

30 The Theory and Practice of Politics and Government, 1500–1800

31 Dynastic Politics, Religious Conflict and Reason of State c.1500–1650

Humfrey Butters and Henry J. Cohn

32 European Politics from the Peace of Westphalia to the French Revolution c.1650–1800

B) Themes

33 Courts and Centres

Stéphane van Damme and Janet Dickinson

34 Centre and Periphery

Steve Hindle and Beat Kümin

35 The Impact of War

36 Riot and Rebellion

37 Revolution: England and France

Bernard Capp and Colin Jones

Epilogue

38 Europe in 1800

Humfrey Butters

Biography

Beat Kümin is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Warwick, UK. His previous publications include Drinking Matters: Public Houses and Social Exchange in Early Modern Central Europe　(2007) and Imperial Villages: Cultures of Political Freedom in the German Lands​​ (2019). He has also - with C. Scott Dixon - co-edited the partnering volume Interpreting Early Modern Europe (2019), which supports students with surveys of key debates in early modern historiography.

'This is one of the only textbooks to portray the early modern period as a distinctive era in its own right and to fully explore its richness and diversity. The European World provides an authoritative survey of the period's characteristic developments, an overview of the latest scholarly perspectives and an original selection of easily accessible source fragments.'

Bart Lambert, University of York, UK

‘An informative, synthetic account of the major themes in early modern European history. The authors introduce readers to an array of "histories" (social, economic, religious, etc.) which they may not have encountered before and encourage further specialised reading . . . the illustrative examples are useful and pertinent.’
Stephen Bowd, University of Edinburgh

‘This impressive textbook provides a firm basis for any further student research. Easy to read, it delivers in-depth considerations of the most important developments of the European early modern period.’
Renate Dürr, University of Tübingen

‘Didactically, it is all brilliantly executed, especially compared to some German textbooks and it is easy to read, without being simplistic.’
Wolfgang Reinhard, Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung

‘One of the best introductions to this period I have seen.'
Retha Warnicke, Arizona State University

'A student-friendly text, well written by excellent scholars who make the reader want to turn the page. The European World, 1500-1800, contains analytical chapters on a variety of both traditional and recent historical topics while excelling in comparative descriptions of life throughout Europe, between different centuries, and between Europe and the wider world.'
Richard M. Golden, University of North Texas

This is a well-organized, thoughtful and thought-provoking survey of a seminal period in the history of Europe. It draws upon current scholarship to provide a useful overview the major themes of early modern European history. Its thematic approach is especially helpful in getting students to think about the past in new and fruitful ways.
Christine Kooi, Louisiana State University.