The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25821

Title

The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 11

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This comprehensive history emphasizes major world events from 1609 to 1660, presenting complete narratives by eminent historians. The volume covers the Thirty Years' War, the rise of national spirit in Europe, scientific revolutions, and the founding of American colonies, offering a non-sectarian, chronological account of political and religious shifts.

Summary up to 500 words

Volume XI of *The Great Events by Famous Historians* chronicles the transformative era between 1609 and 1660, a period defined by the decline of Habsburg hegemony and the rise of distinct national identities. The narrative opens with the weakening of Spanish and Austrian power, marked by the Inquisition's blight and the scientific revolution sparked by Galileo's telescopic discoveries, which challenged ancient geocentric theories. Despite the Church's persecution of Galileo, his work alongside Francis Bacon's *Novum Organum* and William Harvey's discovery of blood circulation laid the foundations for modern science and philosophy. The volume's central focus is the Thirty Years' War, ignited in 1618 when Bohemian deputies threw imperial councillors from a window in Prague. This conflict evolved from a religious struggle into a complex political contest involving key figures like Cardinal Richelieu, who secured French preponderance, and Sweden's King Gustavus Adolphus, who died heroically at the Battle of Lützen. The war concluded with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which curtailed Habsburg ambitions, recognized the independence of Holland, and established a European balance of power. Simultaneously, France emerged as the dominant continental power, while Germany remained internally divided. In the Americas, the era witnessed the establishment of religious tolerance in Maryland, the settlement of Plymouth by Pilgrims, and the tragic expansion of slavery in Virginia. In England, the period saw the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, and the rise of Oliver Cromwell, culminating in the Restoration of the Stuarts in 1660. The volume concludes with the Peace of the Pyrenees, illustrating a world transitioning from universal religious brotherhood to a landscape defined by national sovereignty and political allegiance.

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Categories

• History