Europe in the Sixteenth Century

General History of Europe

by H.G. Koenigsberger

This bestselling, seminal book - a general survey of Europe in the era of 'Renaissance and Reformation' - was originally published in Denys Hay's famous Series, A General History of Europe. It looks at sixteenth-century Europe as a complex but interconnected whole, rather than as a mosaic of separate states. The authors explore its different aspects through the various political structures of the age - empires, monarchies, city-republics - and how they functioned and related to one another. A strength of the book remains the space it devotes to the growing importance of town-life in the sixteenth century, and to the economic background of political change.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Helmut Koenigsberger, born in Berlin, educated in Britain, sent as an enemy alien to Canada he served briefly in the Royal navy during the Second World War.

He had a long career teaching history at Queen's University Belfast, Manchester University, Nottingham University, Cornell and King's College London.

Reviews

[WarpDrive · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about all major European political, social, cultural and religious trends and events marking the 16th century as one of the most revolutionary, seminal, disruptive, highly fascinating periods of European history.

Scholarly excellent, fluent, always interesting and well-researched, this book provides constant reading pleasure and it is highly informative and nuanced.

The complexity and multi-faceted nature of the Reformation movement, and the intermingling of religious, political and social factors in the religious conflicts and heightened sensibilities of the period are presented with a very good level of detail, and taking into account the specific realities and unique developments of the various parts of the European continent.

Some parts of the book are a bit too succinct, the maps are too few and not overly detailed, there are a few minor typos, and the bibliographic references are a bit outdated (which is unavoidable, considering the book publication date); but these are minor issues, more than compensated by the overall excellent academic quality of this book.

Very handy genealogical trees of the major European dynasties, and a detailed timeline, are very handy and are provided at the end of the book.

This is a really nice, high-quality book of excellent scholarly value, recommended to anybody interested in a very good overview of major developments of European history during this critical and fascinating period. Great book to read and to keep for future reference. 4 stars.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps best characterized as an informative exercise in tedium, this single volume history of a maddeningly complicated century in greater European history does the job, but makes it a slog.
For one thing, themes are treated in parallel to one another and then get reincorporated into later themes. So the Reformation is, naturally, a running theme and gets a nice little section of its own, but it is treated initially piecemeal and is returned to in later sections on European humanism, the notion of Empire and stupid political machinations.
That said, I'm probably being unfair. There is no easy way to write a succinct, simple history of the 16th century and make it easy to follow and entertaining. Let's focus on the positives: great sections on culture and the arts and some well-intentioned if slightly off-kilter sections on the Ottomans in Europe and the rise of Muscovy--it's nice to see them included as much as they are. The sections on wacky Christian sectarianism are good, too, since they often get passed over (especially the non-orgasming Adamites).

[Walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent reference source covering a wide array of topics related to Europe in the 16th Century. It is easily organized and includes many references/ suggested readings.

It is a little dated and in some areas frustratingly cursory; but everything is simple and easy to read / digest.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2846481.html

I've been digging into the detail of sixteenth-century Irish history so much that I thought it was time to take a step back and think about the wider European context. This is an Open University textbook (probably written to accompany a course) which does what it says on the tin, looking mainly at Western Europe. There is half a chapter on the Ottomans, Russia and the Americas; if Ireland is mentioned, I did not spot it. There are a lot of good set-pieces - Charles V, Henry VIII, the Dutch Revolt, Florence, Luther, Calvin; it was an exciting time in Europe.

I took three main things from it. The first is that the religious situation in the rest of Europe was confused and unsettled for much of the century, so the English flip-flopping between religious regimes in the 1550s and the uncertainty of the Elizabethan settlement has a wider context of which all policy-makers and most international merchants would have been aware. The second is just how marginal Ireland was; the authors go a great deal into the developed economics of the cities, the surrounding countryside and the wider realms, but I suspect that Ireland had never really recovered from the Black Death two centuries before and was only loosely connected to the wider European economy. And the third is that this was an amazing period in the arts and sciences - the authors make the claim that in the sixteenth century, "more of the finest paintings and fresoes of Europe were painted, and in a greater and more contrasting variety of styles, than in any other similar period." I just had a quick look at Wikipedia; it lists over a thousand Italian painters from the sixteenth century. Europe would never look at itself the same way again.

[Edmund Bloxam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a mess. The only thing I can think of is that it served a very specific syllabus. If I was being taught that syllabus, I can only think of being disappointed.

This is definitely not a read-from-cover-to-cover book. Each chapter is about as far from the previous chapter as it could be, whilst still technically being about 'the 16th century', which could be anything and this book tries to be almost everything and does not do any of it adequately.

The author seemed to favour theology and its ins and outs in the Prostestant/Catholic dispute. I found this profoundly dull. I don't care. None of that mattered to the people being burned alive or otherwise abused. I am only interested in the political ramifications of this theology. It is clear that most powerful nobles who became Protestants did it for political gain. I begrudgingly accept, an argument made in the book, that Philip II probably believed in the Christian god. The fact that there are multiple chapters of this painfully dreary shit makes this book thoroughly irritating.

The other chapters are all over the place. Are you interested in X aspect of continental history in the 16th century? Then this book is definitely not for you. Read a book actually about that. There is no thread to this book. The author knew this and didn't even write a conclusion. When it wasn't theology, it was cursory. I can't really fault any of the scholarship as such. Imagine a series of pamphlets stapled together. That is this book.

Really, not useful to a scholar - too perfunctory and superficial, and not coherent or readable enough for the simple buff.

[Martin Ridgway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, and very densely-written, guide to Europe between about 1450 and 1600. The chapters are thematic rather than chronological, and hence interrelate in a fairly complicated way - go slowly.

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

basic, nuts and bolts overview consistent with the title. nothing objectionable from a lay perspective, but nothing too flashy, neither.