1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,040 This video is brought to you by Captivating History. 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:09,919 Students of history are usually familiar with the historian's desire to neatly compartmentalize the 3 00:00:09,919 --> 00:00:15,839 human race's story. We like to break down the past into neat little chunks that make it easier 4 00:00:15,839 --> 00:00:21,920 to study, compare, and track progress, as in the chapters of a book. However, 5 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:28,160 novice historians may be a little confused by the label early modern Europe. Geographically, 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:34,000 Thankfully, we are clear. We are talking about continental Europe. But early and modern seem 7 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:39,359 to be strange qualifiers. It is somewhat dispiriting that the American historian 8 00:00:39,359 --> 00:00:45,519 Jack Goldstone actually calls it a wholly meaningless term. But it is widely used to 9 00:00:45,519 --> 00:00:50,960 denote a time between medieval and modernity, between the Middle Ages and the Industrial Age. 10 00:00:51,679 --> 00:00:57,039 Therefore, historians try to differentiate this time period as different from the medieval area 11 00:00:57,039 --> 00:01:02,320 that went before, but preceding the changes during the Industrial Revolution to come after. 12 00:01:03,119 --> 00:01:08,959 Hence, the messy term, early modern Europe. Roughly speaking, we are addressing the years 13 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:14,480 between the late 15th century and the late 18th century. Regardless of the persisting 14 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:19,599 problems of periodization, Europe underwent numerous transitions during this time. 15 00:01:20,239 --> 00:01:25,519 Whether we are talking about the Reformation, the Renaissance, or the rise of rationalism, 16 00:01:25,519 --> 00:01:31,519 Europe experienced fundamental changes in society, religion, ideas, and everyday life. 17 00:01:32,239 --> 00:01:37,439 Pinpointing a start date can be helpful. Many historians used the invention of the 18 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:43,599 first European movable type printing process in 1450 by Gutenberg as a beginning point for the 19 00:01:43,599 --> 00:01:49,599 early modern period in Europe. Movable type allowed individual characters to be arranged 20 00:01:49,599 --> 00:01:55,199 to form words, making the written word more accessible to vast swathes of European populations. 21 00:01:55,519 --> 00:02:00,879 This is a natural starting point for historians, as it helps to frame the importance of the 22 00:02:00,879 --> 00:02:04,640 spreading of ideas in shaping the following centuries. 23 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:09,699 Thanks to the printing press, new and influential works by the likes of Martin Luther, Thomas 24 00:02:09,699 --> 00:02:14,819 More, and Nicholas Machiavelli were broadly read, discussed, and dwelled upon in a way 25 00:02:14,819 --> 00:02:18,560 that wasn't possible before this invention. 26 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:23,280 Martin Luther himself often features early in any curriculum content for early modern 27 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:24,280 Europe. 28 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:30,120 because the Reformation narrative usually begins with the pinning of his 95 feces on the door of 29 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:36,479 the Wittenberg Church in Germany in 1570. Martin Luther and his followers were voicing their anger 30 00:02:36,479 --> 00:02:41,319 at perceived corruption within the Catholic Church, specifically criticizing the practice 31 00:02:41,319 --> 00:02:47,680 of indulgences. This initiated the Great Schism within Christendom, changing the religious 32 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:53,400 landscape of Europe for the coming centuries. Along with other Protestant reformers such as 33 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,620 John Calvin and Holdrick Zwingli, Martin Luther led movements that questioned the church's 34 00:02:58,620 --> 00:03:04,620 authority but progressed to address theological doctrinal issues. Ideas such as sola fide, 35 00:03:04,620 --> 00:03:10,980 by faith alone, and sola scriptura, by scripture alone, insisted that the Bible was the only 36 00:03:10,980 --> 00:03:17,080 authority for Christian practice and that salvation lies solely in belief. These ideas 37 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:22,540 were transformative and sowed division as several denominations of Protestant doctrine emerged, 38 00:03:22,539 --> 00:03:29,120 including Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicanism, and Anabaptists, all with different interpretations 39 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:34,879 in how to practice their faith. It is difficult to understand the significance the Reformation 40 00:03:34,879 --> 00:03:40,199 played in European people's lives, not least because of the warfare that resulted as countries 41 00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:45,819 became affiliated with either Protestantism or Catholicism, leading to religious conflicts. 42 00:03:46,620 --> 00:03:53,340 The most significant of these was the Thirty Years' War, from 1618 to 1648, ending with the 43 00:03:53,340 --> 00:03:59,019 Peace of Westphalia. Centered around the Holy Roman Empire in states that make up modern-day 44 00:03:59,019 --> 00:04:04,459 Germany and Central Europe, the conflict was initiated with Ferdinand II's ascension to 45 00:04:04,459 --> 00:04:09,659 head of state of the Holy Roman Empire. A striding Catholic, Ferdinand attempted to 46 00:04:09,659 --> 00:04:14,620 impose his faith on his subjects, contradicting the Peace of Augsburg Treaty from the previous 47 00:04:14,620 --> 00:04:20,220 century, there was an early attempt to enshrine certain religious freedoms. Many German regions 48 00:04:20,220 --> 00:04:25,340 were governed by Protestant princes and rejected Ferdinand's authority to impose religious laws 49 00:04:25,340 --> 00:04:32,220 upon their domains, providing the spark for a prolonged conflict. Over the next thirty years, 50 00:04:32,220 --> 00:04:37,420 much of Central Europe became embroiled in the war, with Habsburg pro-Catholic states 51 00:04:37,420 --> 00:04:42,780 fighting in several arenas against the northern Protestant provinces and the Scandinavian states. 52 00:04:43,660 --> 00:04:49,260 The war was a complex struggle, and historians often point to the stunning lack of diplomacy 53 00:04:49,260 --> 00:04:54,780 as a factor for the brutal and continual nature of the destruction. As the war continued, 54 00:04:54,780 --> 00:04:59,580 its reasoning became less about the initial religious schism and more about how Europe 55 00:04:59,580 --> 00:05:04,460 would be governed in the aftermath. Whatever the reasons and ambitions of the leadership, 56 00:05:04,460 --> 00:05:10,220 the lasting impact on Central Europe's people was catastrophic. It is estimated that around 57 00:05:10,220 --> 00:05:16,780 30% of the entire German population died during the conflict. These deaths were not just direct 58 00:05:16,780 --> 00:05:22,060 victims of the battles. They were victims of the disease and famine that afflicted the region as 59 00:05:22,060 --> 00:05:27,500 armies decimated their way through the land. Ultimately, the conflict ended with the Peace 60 00:05:27,500 --> 00:05:33,020 of Westphalia, which reinstated the Peace of Augsburg. All states agreed to uphold the 61 00:05:33,020 --> 00:05:37,340 principle that the prince had the right to determine his domain's religion. But there 62 00:05:37,340 --> 00:05:41,380 But there would also be freedom of worship for all faiths during allotted times and at 63 00:05:41,380 --> 00:05:43,400 will in private. 64 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,100 The lasting impact of the peace is difficult to assess. 65 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:51,820 However, historians claim that in the wake of the Thirty Years' War, Catholic states 66 00:05:51,820 --> 00:05:56,460 essentially gave up on attempting to reclaim land for their true faith. 67 00:05:56,460 --> 00:06:01,740 This ideological quest became less important as a more modern sense of realpolitik took 68 00:06:01,740 --> 00:06:06,700 over as states vied for power, solely for the sake of power. 69 00:06:06,699 --> 00:06:11,039 For instance, the Counter-Reformation took on a different tone as Catholics looked to 70 00:06:11,039 --> 00:06:15,979 the international scale for converts with the work of Sassanids like the Jesuits. 71 00:06:15,979 --> 00:06:21,000 This marked a sharp change from the Inquisition policies that sought to root out and harshly 72 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,219 punish heresy throughout Europe. 73 00:06:23,219 --> 00:06:28,779 The religious makeup of Europe was a broad spectrum of faiths, and across the continent, 74 00:06:28,779 --> 00:06:34,459 different narratives surfaced involving conflicts, appeasements, uprisings, and persecution. 75 00:06:34,460 --> 00:06:39,600 Nevertheless, over this period, the story concerns a more accepting stance on freedom 76 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,520 of religion. 77 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:46,200 Another running theme through the early modern period of Europe is the pursuit of knowledge, 78 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,640 though this takes many forms. 79 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:53,440 One manifestation of this comes in another label – the Age of Discovery. 80 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:59,160 With Columbus' landing on Hispaniola in 1492, so began an Age of Discovery in which 81 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:04,040 the states of Europe raced to explore and claim new lands for their own. 82 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:09,080 Dutch and Portuguese traders establishing outposts in Southeast Asia to the Spanish 83 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:14,840 conquest of the Americas, Europeans began an ever-increasing engagement with the broader world. 84 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,560 Though the accumulation of wealth was, of course, the primary motivation, 85 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:24,040 a curiosity at the heart of expansionism is characteristic of the time. 86 00:07:24,759 --> 00:07:30,360 The establishment of new trade routes brought new materials and luxurious items to Europe, 87 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:35,800 and the often exploitative nature of European imperialism also brought colossal wealth to 88 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:41,240 those involved. However, this often came at the expense of colonized populations, 89 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:46,520 as indigenous people were often subject to overwork, massacres, and were vulnerable to 90 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:52,840 European diseases. Also, the popularity of new products like sugar and cotton led to the need 91 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:59,080 for massive plantations, contributing to the trade of enslaved peoples. This contradiction 92 00:07:59,079 --> 00:08:03,479 is a reminder that the benefits stemming from the Age of Discovery came with a dark 93 00:08:03,479 --> 00:08:09,639 mark against European states. Progress in fields such as mapmaking, navigation, botany, 94 00:08:09,639 --> 00:08:14,599 and the more general spreading of ideas – via books and the more ease of travel – came at a 95 00:08:14,599 --> 00:08:20,759 considerable price for some. Coinciding with Europeans' great desire to explore and expand 96 00:08:20,759 --> 00:08:26,839 their horizons, there was a gradual questioning of the status quo. Philosophers and scientists 97 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:32,360 alike began to analyze society's norms and found that the facts of life did not always stand up to 98 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:38,680 rational examination. Collectively, these earned the label of Enlightenment thinkers, and they 99 00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:45,000 formed the foundation of study for another label, the Age of Reason. Covering a broad array of 100 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:50,600 scientific and philosophic innovations, the Enlightenment built upon Renaissance principles, 101 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:56,519 literally meaning a rebirth, and constitutes ambitious attempts to rethink the world's ways 102 00:08:56,519 --> 00:09:01,399 completely. Though individual Enlightenment thinkers had different approaches, they 103 00:09:01,399 --> 00:09:06,279 unanimously held the ambitious belief that humanity could be improved by instituting 104 00:09:06,279 --> 00:09:12,120 rational change. From Rousseau's insights in the social contract to John Locke's essay concerning 105 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:17,720 human understanding, thinkers engaged in dialogue across Europe that questioned the authority of 106 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:23,720 absolute monarchies. The scientific discoveries of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica and the 107 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:29,320 works of natural philosophers such as Galileo Galli helped usher in a wave of scientific 108 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:35,000 progress, a scientific revolution based on a new, advanced understanding of the scientific method. 109 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:41,399 Again, the widespread impact of Enlightenment thinking cannot be understated. Whereas history 110 00:09:41,399 --> 00:09:47,000 can be assessed in terms of causes and effects of events, the study of changes in mentality 111 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,120 needs to take a longer view. A straight line can be drawn from the Enlightenment's early 112 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,159 questioning texts to the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson 113 00:09:56,159 --> 00:10:02,200 and the texts surrounding the French Revolution. These two cataclysmic events shook the European 114 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:07,980 world of absolute monarchy and paved the way for the modern nation-state building Napoleonic era. 115 00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:13,519 It is around the time of these two revolutions that historians indicate the shift to modernity. 116 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:18,320 The monumental political change and the increasing mechanization of industry 117 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:24,160 are deemed significant enough to constitute a shift to a new era. Breezing through a period 118 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:30,460 of 300 years that warrants much further study is a challenge. It is essential to reflect on 119 00:10:30,460 --> 00:10:34,400 the lives of the ordinary people of Europe to understand the transformative changes. 120 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:40,300 It is easy to get lost in kings and queens' decisions, in heady philosophical texts, 121 00:10:40,620 --> 00:10:47,180 and in the intrigues of war and diplomacy. A European peasant in 1500 lived in a religiously 122 00:10:47,180 --> 00:10:53,100 uniform feudal society based on handicrafts. He lived in a decentralized kingdom entirely 123 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:57,180 controlled by a political elite and had little knowledge of the outside world. 124 00:10:57,980 --> 00:11:04,620 By 1800, he lived in a capitalist world fueled by mechanized industry. He had the freedom to worship 125 00:11:04,620 --> 00:11:09,420 whatever he chose and may have had notions of his natural rights and popular politics. 126 00:11:10,060 --> 00:11:15,580 He now knew a whole new continent of many scientific discoveries and probably considered 127 00:11:15,580 --> 00:11:21,180 himself a patriot of a burgeoning nation-state. To learn more about early modern Europe, 128 00:11:21,180 --> 00:11:26,379 then check out our book, Early Modern Europe – A Captivating Guide to the Period in European 129 00:11:26,379 --> 00:11:31,100 History with Events Such as the Thirty Years' War and the Salem Witch Hunts, and Political 130 00:11:31,100 --> 00:11:36,700 Powers Such as England and the Ottoman Empire. It's available as an e-book, paperback, and 131 00:11:36,700 --> 00:11:43,020 audiobook. Also, grab your free mythology bundle e-book for free while still available. All links 132 00:11:43,019 --> 00:11:48,460 are in the description. If you enjoyed the video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more 133 00:11:48,460 --> 00:11:49,379 videos like this.