Early Modern Europe: An Oxford History

by Euan Cameron (editor)

This extensively illustrated book offers a new kind of introduction to Europe between 1500 and 1800. It considers the evolving economy and society - the basic facts of life for the majority of Europe's people. It shows how the religious and intellectual unity of western culture fragmented and dissolved under the impact of new ideas. It also examines politics to consider the emergence of modern attitudes and techniques in governing.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, European History, Reference

440 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 1999

About the author

Euan Cameron was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he graduated BA in History in the First Class in 1979 and received the D.Phil. in 1982. From 1979 to 1985 he was a junior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. In 1985 he moved to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he worked in the Department of History for 17 years, receiving promotions to Reader (1992) and full Professor (1997) and serving as Head of Department. He was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship in 1996/7. In 2002 he was appointed as the first Henry Luce III Professor of Reformation Church History at Union Theological Seminary in New York, with a concurrent appointment in the Department of Religion in Columbia University. From 2004 to 2010 he also served as Academic Vice-President in the seminary. During 2010/11, while on sabbatical leave, he held a fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Shane Goodyear · Rating 3 out of 5]

* A book about the social, political, economic and religious structures in early modern Europe
* Generally 3 classes of people. Peasant/ laboauer, rising middle class
* Nobility
* Peasants worker/ farms and industries
* Middle class/ traders more skilled labourers investors, some business owners
* Nobility men of war/ office and social rank
* Average for most people between 35-40
* Average calories even for the poor was 3000 calories however food was not varied
* Early in the centuries many wars and rebellions to do with taxes, food shortages and so forth
* Confessional age and the disruption that caused.
* For wealthier families the beginning of the private and the the public
* Law and order big theme. Community justice vs state justice
* The state trying to gain a monopoly on violence
* Small local villiage spolices themselves with social norms and sexuality and theft
* The rise of the absolute state and it mediating between competing social forces- the protection of property by the rising middle class and the nobility
* Worked less and had mor leaguer time in one degree depending on the seasons especially for argricultural workers
* Court, community celebrations where role inversion was common nobles becoming peasants etc women men.
* Overall a fascinating book for context on this era however a bit of a hard and slow read

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early Modern Europe is a part of the Oxford History series and is a compilation of articles by various top European historians who try to place Europe in the context of the Early modern age. This book cover the start of the Renaissance and the Reformation and trace it through the fall of Napoleon that started the modern state system in Europe. This book does an excellent job of looking at the free flow of ideas, cutting through the faith vs science conflict and looking at how events like the German Peasants Revolt coincided with the Reformation. The ebbing of power from the Catholic Church and the Muslim Ottoman threat is covered in great detail. The European Wars of Religion that culminated in the Thirty Years War which ended with the Peace of Westphalia are explored. From the Peace Of Westphalia we see the early rise of a state system and the wars of religion continue but do under the guise of the state. The major power systems begin to develop alliances and threats from Russia’s Peter the Great to the last vestiges of the Ottomans continue. As Europeans began to colonize the wars take on a global aspect in the 7 years war and the American revolution. Very well written and a great entry into the oxford history series that continues to churn out great scholarship that is thoughtful, detailed and examining the evolution of humanity.

[Ali Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The period of Renaissance and Reformation in between the centuries of fourteenth to sixteenth is remembered as modern period in the history of Europe. It is worthy of reading because of a variety of reasons. That was the period when the Western people began to challenge the ecclesiastical system. That system prevailed and sustained there for centuries. A great philosopher and artist of Italy Petrarch called that period (450 AD to 1400 AD) the dark ages. And then that system challenged in the late fifteenth century and in the sixteenth century by Martin Luther King, Calvin and Petrarch. A new group was called Protestant emerged there and stood against the undue authority of the church. And then finally in the seventeenth century that movement turned into the Rationale Movement historically remembered as the Enlightenment movement.
This book explains all those events and the people of those ages and their culture. This may be helpful to those who are already familiar to Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment periods. Because it doesn't delve so deep in those periods. That's why a naive reader may find it a bit hard to comprehend all that happenings and developments of those periods.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it was a well organized read about this period of time. Obviously, there is so much to cover within this wide timeframe with multiple cultures and differences so it makes sense you can't really get into the nitty gritty details.

I'm fairly familiar with this time period so this almost felt like a SparkNotes history of early modern Europe. I do wish there was more acknowledgement of colonialism's impact on the rest of the world and Europe, along with the darker societal justification for those atrocities. But that perspective was entirely absent.

I wish there was a new edition with some modern historians since this edition is old now. However, it's a useful intro if someone wants to get into history and has no prior knowledge.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this collection is little more than a vague synopsis of Early Modern Europe that, while separating the discussion between individual sections on society, ideas, and politics, in actuality tosses so many concepts, events, and persons together that not much is gained by the newcomer to the subject (and it IS deigned for the neophyte). The result is a wilted salad without much zest. Chronological development is almost entirely absent. Events have neither cause nor effect, the just get mentioned. A confusing mess that I expect might not be of much help to the student attempting to get a handle such things as the Renaissance and Reformation.

[Alex York · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oxford Histories always provide a solid platform to learn from. It's a survey but a good one.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summary of of the European history of 150 years starting in the 1640s. A critical period for the formulation of western values we see today.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first half of this book, which is all I needed for my project, so I'm counting it as "read." This book includes essays by different authors covering various topics about the Early Modern Era such as economics, law, social hierarchies, etc. Not a bad read for the curious, but one should really pick a different book if one wishes to explore a particular subject from this period more in-depth,

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough survey of the early modern period. Each chapter is written by a different historian, which means the tone varies. Some chapters are more compelling than others, and in some bias is more noticeable than others. Overall it is detailed and professional. I'm taking a class on the subject next semester and I feel this was a good prep for it.

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collection of Essays. Very Useful. A little bit of everything (but does not go into too much details) so good for a big picture.

[James Webster · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit patchy, as collections of essays can be. At its best, very good indeed; at its worst, I really struggled to get through.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good read.