Foreword

Introduction

European Nations Struggle for Political Power

The Thirty Years' War in Europe

Gerrit P. Judd

The Thirty Years' War, fought between 1618 and 1648, had four stages. During the Bohemian and Danish stages, religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants dominated the fighting. During the Swedish and French stages, new alliances formed in order to attain greater political power

Civil War in England

Robert Edwin Herzstein

King Charles I so antagonized Parliament and the people with his arrogant demand for absolute power and conformity to the Anglican Church that Puritan opposition under Oliver Cromwell led to war against the king in 1642. After a Puritan victory in 1646, Cromwell ruled England and the military for nearly a decade until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660

The Glorious Revolution

Will Durant

Ariel Durant

James II, in his actions to promote Catholicism and diminish the power of the Anglican Church, offended members of Parliament and the clergy and aroused fear among the public. Political leaders secretly invited William of Orange, who was married to James's daughter Mary, to invade from Holland and overthrow James. James fled, and the new government laid a foundation for democracy

The Ottoman Turks Are Defeated in Vienna

Frederick L. Nussbaum

At a time when European powers fought among themselves, the Ottoman Turks expanded their empire into Europe, much to the dismay of the pope and many national leaders. Finally, two Hapsburg armies organized to go against the Turks, and their combined forces defeated the Turks at Vienna in 1683

Peter the Great and Russia's Emerging Role

B.H. Sumner

Peter the Great was determined to bring Russia closer to European culture and to broaden its economic and political base. He sent expeditions into four fronts-Siberia, the Caspian Sea area, Persia, and the Baltic area-and founded the city of St. Petersburg. As a result of Peter's achievements, Russia became a major player in European history

Louis XIV at the Peak of Absolutism

T. Walter Wallbank

Alastair M. Taylor

Louis XIV fulfilled the role of absolute monarch with elegance, extravagance, and arrogance. He built the palace of Versailles at public expense and waged war against his neighbors to expand his state until his armies eventually lost

Economic Advancements and Natural Disasters in England

England's Transport Revolution

Phyllis Deane

Starting in the mid-seventeenth century, English investors financed a canal network that connected existing rivers throughout the country to transport heavy goods regularly and cheaply. Once factory owners had necessary materials available, the factory system developed. And it, in turn, formed the basis of the Industrial Revolution

The Development of Joint-Stock Companies

George Clark

The structure of companies traded today on Wall Street developed during the seventeenth century, when nations formed large commercial trading companies for global commerce. Joint-stock companies allowed individuals to by shares in large trading companies and receive dividends according to their investment

New Institutions Revolutionize Finances

Paul Kennedy

During the seventeenth century, success in war depended more on the availability of credit than on funds raised by local taxation. To expedite a system for borrowing, lending, repayment, and credit reliability, England created the Bank of England in 1694, streamlined the stock exchange, and regularized the repayment system

Structural Groundwork for the Industrial Revolution

Francois Crouzet

The factory system developed gradually during the century leading up to the Industrial Revolution as entrepreneurs learned to gather capital and centralize work. Innovations occurred first in the iron, brewing, metal, and textile industries until the large workshops could, indeed, be called factories

The Plague of 1665

Daniel Defoe

The plague brought terrible suffering and death to London, particularly affecting the city's poorer residents

The Great Fire of London

Samuel Pepys

Fire spread across central London in the fall of 1666. Residents tried to save their possessions by moving them to safe locations or by loading them on barges floating on the river. After five days the fire died out, leaving a devastating path of ruined churches, schools, and homes

The Age of Reason and the Arts

Modern Reason Supplants Medieval Philosophy

Francis Bacon

Rene Descartes

Medieval philosophers reasoned deductively from culturally accepted premises, which were seldom questioned. New methods for reaching conclusions were developed that replaced old ways of thinking

The Scientific Revolution

Fritjof Capra

Galileo overturned medieval philosophy when he insisted that nature be studied with experimentation and mathematics. Isac Newton followed Galileo's method by recognizing the significance of gravity and using mathematics to formulate laws of motion. Together, these men revolutionized the study of science

Bach and Handel: Two Baroque Masters

Kenneth Clark

Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel were both influenced by religion, and both musicians composed in the baroque style

Five Baroque Painters

Mary Ann Frese

Baroque artists painted their subjects naturally and realistically, but they used new techniques to give emotion to the everyday subjects they chose. All five painters created effects with light, color, brush strokes, and composition, but each used the techniques in an individual way

Literature in the Age of Reason

George K. Anderson

Robert Warnock

During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, French and British writers emphasized reason over imagination and adhered to the form and style first developed by Greek and Roman writers. In French drama and British prose, writers promoted behavior according to reason and control over individual emotion

Power Shifts in Asia and Australia

Japanese Rulers Oust Foreigners and Isolate the Country

G.B. Sansom

Early in the seventeenth century the Tokugawa family controlled Japan, but because it feared that Christians might incite uprisings in the north and the west, it persecuted them. After the Shimabara uprising occurred in 1637 in spite of intimidation, the ruling family drove all foreigners out of the country and forbade Japanese citizens from traveling abroad

The Rise of the Ch'ing Dynasty in China

Frederic Wakeman Jr.

Little by little the Manchu leaders Nurhaci, Abahai, and Dorgon increased the size and skills of their armies, making them able to extend their territory by conquering one tribe after another. Finally, with the help of defecting Chinese soldiers, they entered Beijing and declared an end to the Ming dynasty

The Decline of the Mogul Empire in India

Woodbridge Bingham

Hilary Conroy

Frank W. Ikle

By the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Mogul ruler had made India a prosperous, united country. His descendants, however, were religious fanatics who spent lavishly on buildings and military exploits until the citizens were taxed into poverty. Their poor administration led to revolt and ruin

The English East India Company Prevails in India

J.H. Parry

Typical of European trading companies, the English East India Company established a trading depot in India and made a profit in Indian goods. When competing companies tried to overtake the East India Company, English sea power intervened. Eventually, the company acquired political dominance when the Indian dynasty declined

The Evolving French Interest in Southeast Asia

Richard Allen

During the mid-seventeenth century, France established missions in Southeast Asia to spread the Catholic faith in Indochina and Thailand. Although Thailand turned to the British for help, the French remained in Indochina, where missionary efforts evolved into military and administrative help, eventually the French colonized Indochina

Cook Discovers Eastern Australia

Roderick Cameron

While on a scientific mission, James Cook sailed around the islands in the South Seas and explored the east coast of what is now Australia, which had never before been seen by Europeans. Cook and his crew described plants, animals, and the activities of the Aboriginal people and claimed the territory for England

European Nations Dominate the Americas

The English Establish the American Colonies

Allan Nevins

Henry Steele Commager

Jeffrey Morris

The English colonized the eastern seaboard of the United States throughout the 1600s as trading companies and grants of property made the venture financially feasible. Men and women from the English middle class left their homeland and immigrated to America when political events endangered their freedom and security at home

The Colonial Governor Addresses the Problem of Witchcraft

William Phips

As the British-appointed governor of New England, William Phips was uncertain how to cope with the witchcraft trials that had begun while he was on a mission. In these letters to British officials, he describes witchraft activities, explains what procedures he has thus far taken, and pleads for further direction

The Witchcraft Trial of Susanna Martin

Cotton Mather

During court-held witchcraft trials, exemplified by the trial of Susanna Martin, some victims were displayed falling to the ground when the accused witch cast her eye on them. Other victims testified about troubles caused by the witch, such as bewitching animals and attacking people

Americans Rise Against Oppression

Howard Zinn

After the Seven Years' War, the British looked to the American colonies to provide needed revenue. The lower classes, many of whom were unemployed and near poverty, asserted their concerns at town meetings. Fueled by the rhetoric of leaders, they turned their protestations to violence and attacks on the rich Americans

Two Perspectives on the Boston Massacre

James Bowdoin

Quartering British soldiers in Boston antagonized the colonists and led to protests and violence. According to the colonial report, the soldiers inflicted verbal abuse and violence on innocent colonists

The French Found New France in Canada

Alfred Leroy Burt

The colony of New France in Canada developed with the dedicated work of its leaders: Samuel de Champlain brought the new colonists, Jean Talon served as an effective administrator, Bishop Laval founded a church, and Count Frontenac protected the colony from Indian raids

The Fall of Quebec Ends the French Empire in Canada

Guy Fregault

Before the American Revolution, when Britain and France dominated North America, war broke out between the two countries, concurrently with the Seven Years' War, fought in Europe from 1756 to 1763. The English victory over the French at Quebec marked the end of the French Empire

Social Complexity in Colonial Mexico

J.I. Israel

Seventeenth-century Mexico had developed a complex social and economic structure, but race, class, and ethnic conflicts lurked just below the surface. During the 1640s Jews, who had functioned by disguising their identity, became the target of the Inquisition, and as a result, suffered torture and deportation

Decline and Unrest in the Middle East and Africa

The Slave Trade

Paul Bohannan

Philip Curtin

Throughout the eighteenth century, plantations and ranches in the Americas needed and increasing supply of slaves. Because Africans had better resistance to diseases and were more efficient workers than slaves from the Americas, the slave trade mushroomed along the western coast of Africa and inland for some miles

Early Petitions for Freedom

Anthony Pieterson

Phillip Corven

Peter Vantrump

Before the Revolutionary War, slaves in America could petition for their freedom. Three petitions citing reasons for seeking freedom are cited in the original form. One slave was granted freedom, one was denied, and the third outcome is unknown

The Dutch Settle South Africa

Harm J. de Blij

Cape Town was first settled by a Dutch group under the leadership of Jan van Riebeeck to establish a food-supply station for ships rounding the cape. Rich farmland and green slopes lured these farmers and cattlemen to form a permanent, independent colony

The Decline of the Ottoman Empire

Andrew Mango

By the late 1600s, the Turkish military had experienced two defeats on the European front. Roving bands and unemployed soldiers destroyed towns and cities in Turkey and left them in disorder. In this weakened state, the Ottoman Empire was vulnerable, and European countries moved in with trade and culture and brought changes the old order could not withstand

Chronology

For Further Research

Index

About the Editor