To establish this claim it is necessary to look not only at what happened between 1572 and 1704 but also to look backwards, at the world before 1572, and forwards, at the world after 1704; it is also necessary to address some methodological debates. Chapters 6 to 12, which deal with the core period 1572 to 1704, constitute the main body of this book; Chapters 3, 4 and 5 look primarily at the world before 1572, and Chapters 13 and 14 at the world both somewhat before and somewhat after 1704. Chapters 2, 15, 16 and 17 deal with historiography, methodology and philosophy.
