25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Survey of an Era, November 2, 2002
This review is from: The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (Second Edition) (The Norton History of Modern Europe) (Paperback)
When my son began the study of Modern European History in college I decided to reacquaint myself with the subject. "The Age of Religious Wars" is a good place to start. Covering the years, 1559-1715, this tome takes the reader from the End of the Reformation to the beginning of the era of the 18th century balance of power.
This book focuses on the big themes of history. It tells the stories of Kings and warriors, merchants and clerics, artists and philosophers, but very little about the common people of the era.
This book is very well organized. Beginning with the situation in Europe in 1559, the first chapter gives the religious lay of the land in the countries of Western Europe at the start of the era. Chapter 2 outlines the beginning political situation in Eastern Europe.
In Chapter 3 the author studies the economic theories and commercial forms which fueled the economies of the age.
Chapter 4 introduces the reader to the political ebb and flow between absolutism and rising constitutionalism. Although the dominant figure of the era was France's Sun King, Louis XIV, he was the architect of a system which would die in a sea of blood before the 18th Century was out. In his day, Louis XIV lead the superpower of the age, but, toward the end of his long reign, he overplayed his hand, losing much of the territorial gains which he had temporally enjoyed.
The political upheaval of the era which was a harbinger of things to come was England's Glorious Revolution of 1688. For perhaps the first time in history, a monarch's right to reign was made dependent on the support of his subjects. Protestants William of Orange and his wife, Queen Mary, daughter of the late King Charles II, were invited by the nobles to challenge Mary's brother, the Catholic King James II. The resulting overthrow of James, in clear contrast to Louis' absolutism, laid the groundwork for the concept of government by consent of the governed, which would receive expanding application during the succeeding centuries.
In Chapter 5 Prof. Dunn reflects on the Age of Genius which truly this era was. Emerging from the intellectually stagnant Middle Ages, Europe erupted into a creative age virtually unique in history. Science was advanced by the likes of Copernicas, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Newton. Renaissance art bust forth under the creative genius of da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Durer and El Greco, to be followed by Baroque masters such as Rubens, Van Dyck and Velazquez. Europe still glories in the architectural heritage of Bernini and Wren. Our philosophy and political science still draw inspiration from the writings of Montaigne, Pascal, Hobbes Sponoza and Locke. Theatres of the world still interpret the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe, Lope de Vega and Calderon, Corneile, Moliere and Racine.
The book concludes in its sixth chapter with an analysis of the new balance of power which would carry Europe into a new age. A series of wars, Sweden's moment in the international spotlight and giant personalities such as Peter the Great would all combine to make Europe the place it would be in the 18th century.
Overall, this book is a good survey of the Age of Religious Wars. I had not read a college text in a long time and I had more acclimated to learning history in biographies and books more focused on specific topics. I am glad that I read it and give it 4 stars.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise and Insightful, March 26, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (Second Edition) (The Norton History of Modern Europe) (Paperback)
Richard Dunn's "The Age of Religious Wars" is one of the best, if not the best, text available on European history, 1559-1715. Dunn, in a terse, concise style, covers all of the major events and trends in Europe (yes, all of Europe - Scandinavia, Russia and the Balkans are included) of the period. His greatest success, though, is his portrayal of the psychology and systems of thought of the era. But if you think you'll find this a bit dry (you won't), Dunn writes with an exceptional sense of irony and sprinkles humour throughout. This is probably the best piece on the era for any student or amateur historian who is only vaguely or moderately acquainted with this age.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well illustrated, well written, and balanced, January 14, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (Second Edition) (The Norton History of Modern Europe) (Paperback)
Dunn is an excellent writer. He is not flowery like the Durants, but his prose is elegant and to the point. He covers a great deal in a fair amount of detail. His book is very well organised and full of well chosen illustrations. The book is an easy size to carry around and very competitively priced (this kind of book is often very expensive, this one is not). If you want an introduction to this period, I do not think you could do better than this book. I could not put it down (Dunn knows how to be entertaining) and since completing it have referred to it often.
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