Kings, Nobles and Commoners: States and societies in early modern Europe, a revisionist history

Description

This study tackles the leading questions in the history of early modern Europe – questions which are vital for an understanding of the period and are now at the top of the history agenda for academics, students and general readers. Was religion the badge of identity and inspiration for the state? What was the nature of the state? Did Protestantism lead to political and economic progress and Catholicism to absolutism, decadence and extinction? Jeremy Black's revisionist history shows that both thrusting “bourgeois” Protestant states like the Netherlands and Britain prospered and, in Britain’s case, became a global power. The “reactionary” Catholic states like Austria and France at various times remained stable until the deluge of the French Revolution. “Absolutism” was no myth, but “absolutist” states still had to rule with consent. Black weaves these themes into a rich and coherent tapestry to give a clear and authoritative picture of the complexities of the early modern period.