Ebook: Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648

The fall of Western Christendom -- FROM THE "SILVER AGE" TO THE "IRON CENTURY". Human replenishment -- Urban and rural worlds -- Treasure and transaction -- Noble pursuits -- GRASPING THE WORLD. Europe in the world -- Earth and heavens observed -- Being in touch -- CHRISTENDOM AFFLICTED -- Politics and empire in the age of Charles V -- Schism -- Reaction, repression, reform -- CHRISTIAN COMMONWEALTHS IN CONTENTION. Conflicts in the name of God -- Living with religious divisions -- Churches and the world -- The waning of crusade -- CHRISTIAN STATES IN DISARRAY. The business of states -- States in confrontation -- War at large -- Times of troubles to the east and west -- Conclusion : Europe's paroxysm.;"This latest addition to the landmark Penguin History of Europe series is a fascinating study of 16th and 17th century Europe and the fundamental changes which led to the collapse of Christendom and established the geographical and political frameworks of Western Europe as we know it. From peasants to princes, no one was untouched by the spiritual and intellectual upheaval of this era. Martin Luther's challenge to church authority forced Christians to examine their beliefs in ways that shook the foundations of their religion. The subsequent divisions, fed by dynastic rivalries and military changes, fundamentally altered the relations between ruler and ruled. Geographical and scientific discoveries challenged the unity of Christendom as a belief-community. Europe, with all its divisions, emerged instead as a geographical projection. It was reflected in the mirror of America, and refracted by the eclipse of Crusade in ambiguous relationships with the Ottomans and Orthodox Christianity. Chronicling these dramatic changes, Thomas More, Shakespeare, Montaigne and Cervantes created works which continue to resonate with us. Christendom Destroyed is a rich tapestry that fosters a deeper understanding of Europe's identity today"--