Early modern Europe
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The '''early modern''' period is a term used by historians to refer to the period in [[Western Europe|Western '''Europe''']] and its first [[colony|colonies]] which spans the three centuries between the [[Middle Ages]] and the [[Industrial Revolution]]. The early modern period is characterized by the rise to importance of [[science]] and increasingly rapid [[History of technology|technological progress]], [[secular]]ized civic [[politics]] and the [[nation state]]. [[capitalist economy|Capitalist economies]] began their rise, beginning in northern [[Italy|Italian]] [[republic]]s such as [[Genoa]]. The early modern period also saw the rise and dominance of the economic theory of [[mercantilism]]. As such, the early modern period represents the decline and eventual disappearance, in much of the European sphere, of [[feudalism]], serfdom and the power of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]].
The period includes the [[Reformation]], the disastrous [[Thirty Years' War]], the [[European colonization of the Americas]] and the peak of the European [[witch-hunt]] phenomenon.
'''Early Modern''', historically speaking, refers to [[Western Europe]]an history from 1501 (after the widely accepted end of the [[Late Middle Ages]]; the transition period was the 15th century) to either 1750 or circa 1790—1800 by which ever [[Epoch]] is favored by a school of scholars defining the period—which in many cases of [[Periodization]], differs as well within a discipline such as Art, Philosophy, or History.
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== Periodization ==
{{cquote|[[Periodization]] is the attempt to categorize or divide time into [[epoch event|discrete named blocks]]. The result is a ''descriptive abstraction'' that provides a useful handle on periods of time with relatively stable characteristics. This'' 'classification' or 'categorization' ''is thereafter an aid to further comparative analysis and discussion about the era, its peoples, or historic forces and history.|source=[[Periodization]]}}
The beginning of Modern Period or Modern Era being defined by the epoch events chosen as the beginning of the [[modern era]] —by some as from mid-18th century with the epoch being the ''[[Industrial Revolution]]'' in England, or by others from the ''[[French Revolution]] and the following [[Napoleonic Wars]]'', which reshaped Europe and European thought).
Regardless of [[Epoch]]s selected, the Early Modern period includes the [[European Renaissance]], the [[Protestant Reformation]], and the [[Age of Enlightenment]]—the end of Early Modern and the end of Age of Enlightenment both correspond to the new European [[nationalism]] that arose around 1800 as the Napoleonic Wars waxed. In the broadest sense, this period is characterized by the rise of [[science]] and [[technological progress]], the [[secular]]ization of [[politics]], and the diminution of the absolute authority of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] as well as the lessening of the influence of all faiths upon national governments. Of most fundamental importance, people in the modern era began to think of themselves as part of an national polity, not just as a person living on some lord's estate in Greater Europe. Prior to this change in mindset, most people did not know or much care about politics—which was the province of the kings and [[noblemen|nobility]] and their mercenary armies—but the new era, after the huge citizen armies fielded during the early days of post-revolution France brought about French victories against the reactionary forces trying to restore the French monarchy resulted in national armies and subsequently national mindsets and the rise of [[nationalism]] itself. In the modern era, people just didn't live in a place, but thereafter ''now lived in a place that was part of a larger state with whom they now identified and with whom they had common cause and vested interests.'' The days of a town belonging to this heir or that in petty princedoms was over and the day of strong national governments was unavoidable in the decades of war.
The beginning of the early modern period is not clear-cut, but is generally accepted to be in the late 15th century or early 16th century. Significant dates in this transitional phase from medieval to early modern Europe can be noted:
* 1447: The invention of the first European [[movable type]] printing process by [[Johannes Gutenberg]], a device that fundamentally changed the circulation of information. Movable type, which allowed individual characters to be arranged to form words and which is an invention separate from the printing press, had also been invented in, but not known outside of, [[China]].
* 1453: [[Fall of Constantinople|The conquest of Constantinople]] by the [[Ottomans]] signalled the end of the [[Byzantine empire]]; the [[Battle of Castillon]] concluded the [[Hundred Years War]].
* 1485, [[England]]: The last [[Plantagenet]] king, [[Richard III of England|Richard III]], was killed at [[Battle of Bosworth Field|Bosworth]] and the [[medieval]] civil wars of aristocratic factions gave way to early modern [[Tudor dynasty|Tudor]] monarchy, in the person of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]].
* 1492, [[Spain]]: The first documented European voyage to [[the Americas]] by the [[Italy|Italian]] explorer [[Christopher Columbus]]; the end of the [[Reconquista]], with the final expulsion of the [[Moors]] from the [[Iberian Peninsula]]; the Spanish government [[Alhambra decree|expels the Jews]].
* 1494, [[France]], [[Italy]]: French king [[Charles VIII of France|Charles VIII]] invaded Italy, drastically altering the status quo and beginning a series of wars which would punctuate the [[Italian Renaissance]].
* 1513: First formulation of modern [[politics]] with the publication of [[Machiavelli]]'s ''[[The Prince]]''.
* 1517: The [[Reformation]] begins with [[Martin Luther]] nailing his [[95 theses|ninety-five theses]] to the door of the church in [[Wittenberg]], [[Germany]].
* 1545: The [[Council of Trent]] marks the end of the medieval [[Roman Catholic Church]].
The end date of the early modern period is variously associated with the [[Industrial Revolution]], which began in Britain in about 1750, or the beginning of the [[French Revolution]] in 1789, which drastically transformed the state of [[European politics]] and ushered in the [[Napoleonic Era]] and modern Europe.
The role of nobles in the [[feudalism|Feudal System]] had yielded to the notion of the [[Divine Right of Kings]] during the [[Middle Ages]] (in fact, this consolidation of power from the land-owning nobles to the titular monarchs was one of the most prominent themes of the Middle Ages). Among the most notable political changes included the abolition of [[serfdom]] and the crystallization of kingdoms into nation-states. Perhaps even more significantly, with the advent of the [[Reformation]], the notion of [[Christendom]] as a unified political entity was destroyed. Many kings and rulers used this radical shift in the understanding of the world to further consolidate their sovereignty over their territories. For instance, many of the Germanic states (as well as [[England|English Reformation]]) converted to [[Protestantism]] in an attempt to slip out of the grasp of the [[Pope]].
The intellectual developments of the period included the creation of the economic theory of [[mercantilism]] and the publication of enduringly influential works of political and social [[philosophy]], such as [[Machiavelli]]'s ''[[The Prince]]'' (1513) and [[Thomas More]]'s ''[[Utopia (novel)|Utopia]]'' (1515).
===Elizabethan period===
[[Image:Elizabeth succession allegory.jpg|thumb|right|250px|'''Elizabeth ushers in Peace and Plenty.''' Detail from ''The Family of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession'', c. 1572, attributed to [[Lucas de Heere]].]]
This period refers to England 1558–1603. The [[Elizabethan Era]] is the period associated with the reign of [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] (1558–1603) and is often considered to be a [[golden age]] in [[History of England|English history]]. It was the height of the [[English Renaissance]], and saw the flowering of [[English literature]] and [[English poetry|poetry]]. This was also the time during which [[Elizabethan theatre]] grew. [[William Shakespeare]], among others, composed plays that broke away from England's past style of plays. It was an age of expansion and exploration abroad. At home the [[Protestant Reformation]] was established and successfully defended against the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] powers of [[Continental Europe|the Continent]].
===Reformation===
This period refers to 16th century Europe. The [[Protestant Reformation]] was a movement in the 16th century to reform the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]] in [[Western Europe]]. The Reformation was started by [[Martin Luther]] with his [[95 Theses]] on the practice of indulgences. In late October of 1517 he posted these theses to the door of the Castle Church in [[Wittenberg]], commonly used to post notices to the University community. In November he mailed them to various religious authorities of the day. The reformation ended in division and the establishment of new institutions. The four most important traditions to emerge directly from the reformation were the [[Lutheran]] tradition, the [[Reformed]] ([[Calvinist]], [[Presbyterian]]) tradition, the [[Anabaptist]] tradition, and the [[Anglican]] tradition. Subsequent Protestant traditions generally trace their roots back to these initial four schools of the reformation. It also led to the [[Counter-Reformation|Catholic or Counter Reformation ]] within the Roman Catholic Church through a variety of new spiritual movements, reforms of religious communities, the founding of seminaries, the clarification of Catholic theology as well as structural changes in the institution of the Church.
===Age of Enlightenment===
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This period refers to 18th century Europe. The [[Age of Enlightenment]] refers to the 18th century in [[Europe|European philosophy]], and is often thought of as part of a period which includes the Age of Reason. The term also more specifically refers to a historical intellectual movement, ''The Enlightenment''. This movement advocated [[rationalism|rationality]] as a means to establish an authoritative system of [[aesthetics]], [[ethics]], and [[logic]]. The intellectual leaders of this movement regarded themselves as a courageous elite, and regarded their purpose as one of leading the world toward progress and out of a long period of doubtful [[tradition]], full of irrationality, superstition, and tyranny, which they believed began during a historical period they called the ''[[Dark Ages]]''. This movement also provided a framework for the [[American Revolution|American]] and [[French Revolution]]s, the Latin American independence movement, and the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish]] [[Constitution of May 3]], and also led to the rise of [[liberalism]] and the birth of [[socialism]] and [[communism]].{{Fact|date=May 2008}} It is matched by the high [[baroque]] and classical eras in music, and the [[Neoclassicism|neo-classical]] period in the arts, and receives contemporary application in the unity of science movement which includes [[logical positivism]].
==Difference between 'early modern' and the Renaissance==
The expression "early modern" is sometimes, and incorrectly, used as a substitute for the term [[Renaissance]]. However, "Renaissance" is properly used in relation to a diverse series of cultural developments; which occurred over several hundred years in many different parts of [[Europe]]—especially central and northern [[Italy]]—and span the transition from late [[Medieval]] civilization and the opening of the early modern period.
The term early modern is most often applied to Europe, and its overseas empire. However, in [[Japan]], the [[Edo period]] from 1590 to 1868 is also sometimes referred to as the early modern period.
==Political powers==
* [[Ottoman Empire]]
* [[Habsburg Spain]]
* [[Habsburg Monarchy]]
* [[Kingdom of Portugal]]
* [[Dutch Republic]]
* [[Early Modern Britain]]
* [[Early Modern France]]
* [[History of Italy (1559-1814)|Early Modern Italy]]
* [[Early Modern Romania]]
* [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]
* [[Kingdom of Hungary]]
==See also==
* [[Renaissance]]
* [[Early Modern English]]
* [[Early Modern warfare]]
* [[Periodization]]
* [[Tokugawa period]] - the period of Japanese history often called "early modern".
==External links==
* [http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/cmh/cmhint.html Discussion of the medieval/modern transition from the introduction to the pioneering ''Cambridge Modern History'' (1903)]
* [http://www.rensoc.org.uk/ Society for Renaissance Studies]
{{Periods of the History of Europe}}
[[Category:Early Modern period| ]]
[[Category:Modern history]]
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