Politics and Culture in Europe, 1650-1750
About the Book Series
Focusing on the years between the end of the Thirty Years' War and the end of the War of the Austrian Succession, this series seeks to broaden scholarly knowledge of this crucial period that witnessed the solidification of Europe into centralized nation states and created a recognizably modern political map. Bridging the gap between the early modern period of the Reformation and the eighteenth century of colonial expansion and industrial revolution, these years provide a fascinating era of study in which nationalism, political dogma, economic advantage, scientific development, cultural and artistic interests and strategic concerns began to compete with religion as the driving force of European relations and national foreign policies. The period under investigation corresponds with the decline of Spanish power and the rise of French hegemony that was only to be finally broken following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. This shifting political power base presented opportunities and dangers for many countries, resulting in numerous alliances between formerly hostile nations attempting to consolidate or increase their international influence, or restrain that of a rival. These contests of power were closely bound up with political, cultural and economic issues: particularly the strains of state building, trade competition, religious tension and toleration, accommodating flows of migrants and refugees, the birth pangs of rival absolutist and representative systems of government, radical structures of credit, and new ways in which wider publics interacted with authority. Despite this being a formative period in the formation of the European landscape, there has been relatively little research on it compared to the earlier Reformation, and the later revolutionary eras. By providing a forum that encourages scholars to engage with the forces that were shaping the continent - either in a particular country, or taking a trans-national or comparative approach - it is hoped a greater understanding of this pivotal era will be forthcoming.
To enquire about contributing to the series please contact [email protected]
Endangered Neutrality: Tuscany, England and the Plowman Case (1696–1704)
1st Edition
By Ubaldo Morozzi
December 26, 2025
Analysing a struggle for neutrality amid a rapidly changing European scene, this book illustrates how the small state of Tuscany cunningly managed to preserve its sovereignty and independence during a dangerous diplomatic dispute with England. Endangered Neutrality follows the actions of William ...
Dynastic Identity in Early Modern Europe: Rulers, Aristocrats and the Formation of Identities
1st Edition
Edited
By Liesbeth Geevers, Mirella Marini
October 14, 2024
Aristocratic dynasties have long been regarded as fundamental to the development of early modern society and government. Yet recent work by political historians has increasingly questioned the dominant role of ruling families in state formation, underlining instead the continued importance and ...
Experiencing Exile: Huguenot Refugees in the Dutch Republic, 1680�1700
1st Edition
By David van der Linden
October 14, 2024
The persecution of the Huguenots in France, followed by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, unleashed one of the largest migration waves of early modern Europe. Focusing on the fate of French Protestants who fled to the Dutch Republic, Experiencing Exile examines how Huguenot refugees ...
Louis XIV Outside In: Images of the Sun King Beyond France, 1661-1715
1st Edition
By Tony Claydon, Charles-Édouard Levillain
October 14, 2024
Louis XIV - the ’Sun King’ - casts a long shadow over the history of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. Yet while he has been the subject of numerous works, much of the scholarship remains firmly rooted within national frameworks and traditions. Thus in France Louis is still chiefly ...
Rebellion and Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe
1st Edition
Edited
By Monika Barget, David de Boer, Malte Griesse
October 07, 2024
In the seventeenth century, riots, rebellions, and revolts flared around Europe. Concerned about their internal stability, many states responded by closely observing the violent upheavals that plagued their neighbors. Rebellion and Diplomacy in Early Modern Europe investigates how in this struggle ...
Louis XIV and the Peace of Europe: French Diplomacy in Northern Italy, 1659 – 1701
1st Edition
By John Condren
July 31, 2024
In recent generations, the study of dynastic politics and diplomatic history has undergone a revival. This field provides invaluable context for understanding international relations and focuses on aspects of cultural exchange and intellectual currents far more than previously. The “age of Louis ...
Henry Bennet, Earl of Arlington, and his World: Restoration Court, Politics and Diplomacy
1st Edition
Edited
By Robin Eagles, Coleman A. Dennehy
May 06, 2022
This book offers the first major reassessment of the life and work of Sir Henry Bennet, earl of Arlington, for over a century. Arlington was one of Charles II’s chief ministers and the book charts his early years through to the careers of his descendants, examining his political development as a ...
Ideologies of Western Naval Power, c. 1500-1815
1st Edition
Edited
By J.D. Davies, Alan James, Gijs Rommelse
June 30, 2021
This ground-breaking book provides the first study of naval ideology, defined as the mass of cultural ideas and shared perspectives that, for early modern states and belief systems, justified the creation and use of naval forces. Sixteen scholars examine a wide range of themes over a wide time ...
Serving France, Ireland and England: Ruvigny, Earl of Galway, 1648–1720
1st Edition
By Marie M. Léoutre
August 14, 2020
This book assesses the service of Henri de Ruvigny, later earl of Galway, in France until the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, his central role in transforming Ireland in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and his service of the British monarchy as administrator, military commander...
New Worlds?: Transformations in the Culture of International Relations Around the Peace of Utrecht
1st Edition
Edited
By Inken Schmidt-Voges, Ana Crespo Solana
December 12, 2019
The Peace of Utrecht (1713) was perhaps the first political treaty that had a global impact. It not only ended a European-wide conflict, but also led to a cessation of hostilities on the American continent and Indian subcontinent, as well as naval warfare worldwide. More than this, however - as the...
Huguenot Networks, 1560�1780: The Interactions and Impact of a Protestant Minority in Europe
1st Edition
Edited
By Vivienne Larminie
December 10, 2019
These chapters explore how a religious minority not only gained a toehold in countries of exile, but also wove itself into their political, social, and religious fabric. The way for the refugees’ departure from France was prepared through correspondence and the cultivation of commercial, ...
The Third Reign of Louis XIV, c.1682-1715
1st Edition
Edited
By Julia Prest, Guy Rowlands
May 17, 2019
The personal rule of Louis XIV, following on from a long period of royal minority and apprenticeship, lasted 54 years from 1661 to 1715. But the second half of this personal rule has, until recently, received significantly less scholarly attention than the 1660s and 1670s. This has obscured some of...