The Golden Age of Europe - From Elizabeth I to the Sun King

Two themes dominate the period covered by this book. The first is the consolidation of the new nation-states: Pope and Emperor dwindle in stature; the monarchs of France, Spain and Austria control the map of Europe; the Netherlands create a new mercantile imperialist republic; while England goes through a peculiar transformation, ending - typically - in compromise. The second theme is religious persecution and the wars between Catholic and Protestant. Germany and the Netherlands split; France only just manages to stay intact; England swings between Anglicanism and Puritanism; Spain hardens into a Catholic police-state. It was an age of turmoil and hardship, but also in many senses a Golden Age - in art, in literature and in science - whose achievements shine all the brighter against the darkness...