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Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648

Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648

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  • Author：Mark Greengrass
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Summary

Mark Greengrass's gripping， major， original account of Europe in an era of tumultuous change

SUNDAY TIMES and FINANCIAL TIMES Books of the Year 2014

This 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。

'The Penguin History of Europe series 。。。 is one of contemporary publishing's great projects' New Statesman

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Reviews

Tobias ，

Most periods in history are formed by change， but the years between 1517 and 1648 are more like complete shifts in the tectonic plates of Europe; and further， yes， as we discovered that the universe doesn’t revolve around the earth， the first fatal blow to human presumption; in the name of one man who dared write on a blackboard that his blood was the blood of Christ; in the colonization of the Americas; in the shifting hierarchies between fools， kings and Gods; botanists， alchemists， collectors Most periods in history are formed by change， but the years between 1517 and 1648 are more like complete shifts in the tectonic plates of Europe; and further， yes， as we discovered that the universe doesn’t revolve around the earth， the first fatal blow to human presumption; in the name of one man who dared write on a blackboard that his blood was the blood of Christ; in the colonization of the Americas; in the shifting hierarchies between fools， kings and Gods; botanists， alchemists， collectors of curiosa， cabinets of wonder， Montaigne and Rabelais， maps drawn and redrawn in the name of power and cartographers; in the universal empire of Felipe II’s Spain whose globalizing mythology struck a coin with a kingly portrait on one side， and the inscription NON SUFFUCIT ORBIS on a terrestrial globe on the reverse – the world is not enough。 And so much more。Greengrass writes European history in the shadow of the global turn， that is， with Europe as his point of departure， but with lines of thought stretching all around the globe。 It is a， frankly， unbelievably impressive and impossibly elegant survey of a complete turnover in what we casually refer to as Europe as if the lines and borders between the rise and fall of states， dynasties， territories and empires had not been moved at all。 To read Greengrass’ masterful book near Chania where， on the harbor front， a lone mosque is found， a relic from the Ottoman Empire which held the power over Greece for nearly 400 years， was strangely fitting。 。。。more

Grof J。 Kešetović ，

In many ways an excellent book， the lack of a structuralized pattern put me off a bit。 Many of the topics were random and hard to cover as jumping from Habsburgs to Ottomans and from Lutherans to Jagellonians had me thinking to where is the structure of this book。 As a series of Penguin History of Europe， I believe this one is the weakest in the series I've read so far。 My personal disappointment with it shouldn't put off readers as it still is an excellent book full of details and interesting c In many ways an excellent book， the lack of a structuralized pattern put me off a bit。 Many of the topics were random and hard to cover as jumping from Habsburgs to Ottomans and from Lutherans to Jagellonians had me thinking to where is the structure of this book。 As a series of Penguin History of Europe， I believe this one is the weakest in the series I've read so far。 My personal disappointment with it shouldn't put off readers as it still is an excellent book full of details and interesting commentaries on how daily life changed and evolved in this period - further more if you read Tretmann's "Empire of Things" along with this book， you can get a complete idea of how people progressively improved their life standard at the time when Europe got ravaged in wars of religion。 。。。more

Zach ，

2。5

Sarah Wagner ，

This book is long and， to be fair， it needs to be in order to cover such an eventful period of history。 Starting at the outset of the Protestant Reformation and concluding at the end of the Thirty Years' War， this book is packed with information about daily life， economic history， complex politics， scientific advancements， and， of course， the overarching theme of religion。 In the introduction， the author put forward the idea that the medieval concept of Christendom was eventual replaced in this This book is long and， to be fair， it needs to be in order to cover such an eventful period of history。 Starting at the outset of the Protestant Reformation and concluding at the end of the Thirty Years' War， this book is packed with information about daily life， economic history， complex politics， scientific advancements， and， of course， the overarching theme of religion。 In the introduction， the author put forward the idea that the medieval concept of Christendom was eventual replaced in this era with that of Europe and much of this book ties back to that thesis。 It's a good argument， particularly for an era which saw so much religious change and conflict associated with that change， and overall I tended to concur。 I also appreciated the efforts to detail political structures and events in eastern Europe， which often are neglected in other histories of this period。 Overall， this book was definitely worth the effort and it's very much worthwhile for those interested in this period of European history。 。。。more

Zak ，

I very much appreciate how broad Greengrass tries to be in writing his history。 While the book does focus more on Western Europe， the amount of space he gives to Poland-Lithuania， Hungary， and Scandinavia is almost shocking。 Alas， it is often difficult to fully follow things。 There’s just so much information and so many different narratives。 But I feel like the greatest value of this type of book is that it prepares you to read other books on the period。 I feel more confident now that if I read I very much appreciate how broad Greengrass tries to be in writing his history。 While the book does focus more on Western Europe， the amount of space he gives to Poland-Lithuania， Hungary， and Scandinavia is almost shocking。 Alas， it is often difficult to fully follow things。 There’s just so much information and so many different narratives。 But I feel like the greatest value of this type of book is that it prepares you to read other books on the period。 I feel more confident now that if I read a book on almost any aspect of Europe in this century and a half， that I’ll nod my head at at least a few points and say “yeah， I knew that。” And for what this book is， it is well-written。 。。。more

Michael Mitchell ，

Almost as good as Wilson’s on the 30 year war， this one covers most of the reformation and some of the counter reformation from Europe。 The book slowed down a little with a lot of little details and personalities， but well worth it。

Maria ，

The 16th and 17th century was when Europe stopped seeing itself as Christendom， bound by religion and faith， and began to see itself as geographic identity。 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 t The 16th and 17th century was when Europe stopped seeing itself as Christendom， bound by religion and faith， and began to see itself as geographic identity。 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。 It was reflected in the mirror of America， and refracted by the eclipse of Crusade in ambiguous relationships with the Ottomans and Orthodox Christianity。 Why I started this book: I'm working my way thru Penguin's History of Europe series and this one， was an era that I knew little about。Why I finished it: I feel even more confused。 Greengrass jumped right in without giving an overview of the time period， and that left me as a beginning historian floundering。 His chapters followed subject matter and it felt like a lot of overlap。 （That may just be my confusion too。）。 I will have to find another book or try this in print format。 I did like that Greengrass stressed that everyone living thru this century of turmoil thought that it was the end of the world。。。 Having just lived thru a year of something similar， I had a lot of sympathy for them。 。。。more

Felix ，

这本书以神圣罗马帝国为轴心、基督教的分化为时间线讲述了十六世纪初到十七世纪中旬的欧洲史。不知道是作者的讲述太过详细还是译者的水平原因，他是我前四本里看的最累的一本。和第二本的累不一样，这一本读完之后有点摸不着头脑。所以这三颗星是非常主观的评价：除了叙事逻辑稍微有一些混乱以外（对于我这种完全对历史没有了解的人来说），内容是极其丰富而充盈的，非常适合进阶的读者来阅读。对于初级读者，虽然我没有记住很多细节，但是在高光的帮助下建立起了时空发展的模糊观念。还是推荐有毅力的读者读一读，受益匪浅。

Mark Patton ，

Greengrass spent way more energy， time， words， pages cataloging wars and battles for my taste while I prefer human characters and interactions。 The back cover， for example， points out that this is the era of Shakespeare， More， and Montaigne yet none of these individuals get more than a passing mention， and the arts and literature are given almost no attention。 Even Henry VIII's marital issues pass in a few sentences。 My preference is for history that brings the people alive; nevertheless Greengr Greengrass spent way more energy， time， words， pages cataloging wars and battles for my taste while I prefer human characters and interactions。 The back cover， for example， points out that this is the era of Shakespeare， More， and Montaigne yet none of these individuals get more than a passing mention， and the arts and literature are given almost no attention。 Even Henry VIII's marital issues pass in a few sentences。 My preference is for history that brings the people alive; nevertheless Greengrass covers the ground he set out to cover （no pun intended） and does it well in his style。 。。。more

Al Goehring ，

Man just had to give 5 stars that the guy could even keep track of all this information。 He does a good job of trying to synthesize it all into something that's not dum-dum causation but without just listing random events， and if he maybe goes into a lot of detail， I think it's in aid of respecting his reader's intelligence without expecting his reader to be a subject matter expert。 Also， a couple nice little flourishes of dry and permissible humor。 Man just had to give 5 stars that the guy could even keep track of all this information。 He does a good job of trying to synthesize it all into something that's not dum-dum causation but without just listing random events， and if he maybe goes into a lot of detail， I think it's in aid of respecting his reader's intelligence without expecting his reader to be a subject matter expert。 Also， a couple nice little flourishes of dry and permissible humor。 。。。more

Dong Zhang ，

so boring。。。

GWC ，

A long， fire hose of a narrative that never really hooked me。

Mike Wright ，

I didn't have much background on the subject。 The book's organization was confusing， and it was difficult to get the big picture。 I didn't have much background on the subject。 The book's organization was confusing， and it was difficult to get the big picture。 。。。more

Jack Thorlin ，

The details on social structure and daily life were fascinating and full of rich details。 The rest of the book is fine， but honestly not much of it stands out。 Worth it for the first third。

Ryan Lininger ，

Skimmed

Mark Lawry ，

A big picture look at all of Europe over a larger time than 1517-1648。 With this title I presumed things would start with the 95 Theses at Wittenberg。 Nope。 Greengrass starts talking about Luther at about page 300。 So there is clearly a lot more than the Reformation and the 30 Years War。 Then a few 100 pages later Westphelia is covered in 2 pages。 Same thing with the English Civil Wars and the violence of the Steppe that overlapped the period。 A couple pages each。 These are major subjects in the A big picture look at all of Europe over a larger time than 1517-1648。 With this title I presumed things would start with the 95 Theses at Wittenberg。 Nope。 Greengrass starts talking about Luther at about page 300。 So there is clearly a lot more than the Reformation and the 30 Years War。 Then a few 100 pages later Westphelia is covered in 2 pages。 Same thing with the English Civil Wars and the violence of the Steppe that overlapped the period。 A couple pages each。 These are major subjects in themselves。 The reality is the book is well researched but covers too much and doesn't do justice to any one topic。 。。。more

Mano Chil ，

A horrible book to read with a lost anchor。 I feel bad for the papers used for such a badly written book。

Mamluk Qayser ，

This mammoth covered all aspects you could imagine in 1517-1648 Europe。 It's a little bit heavy reading， especially if you aren't that keen to remember 100+ names of historical figures。 My advice is if you would like to have a brief understanding on an event， say， the Thirty Years' War， you better reading up others secondary sources。 As the title suggested， the main highlight of the book would be the Prostestant's Reformation and to my surprise， not so much on the Counter-Reformation。I would not This mammoth covered all aspects you could imagine in 1517-1648 Europe。 It's a little bit heavy reading， especially if you aren't that keen to remember 100+ names of historical figures。 My advice is if you would like to have a brief understanding on an event， say， the Thirty Years' War， you better reading up others secondary sources。 As the title suggested， the main highlight of the book would be the Prostestant's Reformation and to my surprise， not so much on the Counter-Reformation。I would not say this is an enjoyable read， but it is a fulfilling and interesting one。 For history's enthusiast， here's a book you're looking to know everything about Europe within that time period。 。。。more

Viktor Krap ，

If you are one day sitting at home and suddenly think to yourself: 'Gee， I sure would like to know more about the history of Europe during the 16th and part of the 17th century with a focus on The Reformation and the Thirty Years War'， then this is definitely the book for you。 If you are one day sitting at home and suddenly think to yourself: 'Gee， I sure would like to know more about the history of Europe during the 16th and part of the 17th century with a focus on The Reformation and the Thirty Years War'， then this is definitely the book for you。 。。。more

Andy ，

Apparently the prior book in the series covering the renaissance won’t be out until next year。。。。。 bad show Penguin！。。。。。 but I’m going to jump ahead to this book & continue with the series & come back to book 4 when its available。The title of the book is to be much loved by this Pagan！As always （with this series） Im going to break it down & give a flavour of the contents via each chapter/part & have the conclusions/marks/thoughts towards the back of the review。 So am saying skip to the end for Apparently the prior book in the series covering the renaissance won’t be out until next year。。。。。 bad show Penguin！。。。。。 but I’m going to jump ahead to this book & continue with the series & come back to book 4 when its available。The title of the book is to be much loved by this Pagan！As always （with this series） Im going to break it down & give a flavour of the contents via each chapter/part & have the conclusions/marks/thoughts towards the back of the review。 So am saying skip to the end for those that don’t want a long meandering read。。。。。。The book opens with maps （very detailed too）， list of Art illustrations， list of Genealogies & an introduction which refers to a travel account written by Dutchman David De Vries published in 1655 who travelled all over the world of his day。 The rest of the intro is about Christendom & where it has led Europe to in the millennium it has been present。Each Part is given a title – The fall of Western Christendom is first up & within this part are sub-sections showing clearly the part/role that various nations/personages/institutes/Ideals had to play in the subject/matter in question which are further broken down into sub-sections for each personage/idea/concept。 I like the author’s style & the layout which is concise & clearly illustrates the role of each player/idea in the narrative to the title posed/related for each chapter。 The subject covers the entire period of the book 1517-1648 so there’s no back n forth or waiting for further chapters to get the full story of the topic in question which is good in some ways but in others it relies on the reader having some priory knowledge of the personages involved – does that make sense？？ I feel i’m going to learn a lot already & make semblance of the grainy parts I already （think？） know。Moving on we come to Part 2 which is titled “From the Silver Age to the Iron Century” where we start with Human replenishment。 The chapter starts with a look at human social-economics & covers such base things as disease， diet， migrations & habitat which is interesting （and well presented in the narrative） in that it builds up an initial picture of mankind for the era， which is useful as we’ve jumped 200 years or so！ The next section moves onto the Urban & Rural worlds talking about how cities/towns rose & fell over the period whilst other regions continued to increase tripling in population over the period of the book。 The Rhineland corridor sees the biggest rise which includes Northern Italy in its sphere whilst cities like Rome virtually stagnate， ebb & flow is seen all around Europe as populations flock to urban centres & Europe finally surpasses the Chinese model come the end of the period of this book。 This section also covers peasant revolts of which there seems to be dozens during the period across the continent which results in 100’s of thousands killed either in battle or executed as prisoners or through trials， quite a grizzly period in our history & summit new for my learning。 On finance & fiscal matters which I had expected as the title infers， for this part we learn about debt， inflation & the impact of Spanish Gold & Silver on the European market which its fair to say flooded it via the looting of the Indies & Americas。 The impact of nobility & wealth is also discussed。The one thing that jumps out in this chapter is that its not necessarily chronologically presented & you dart around a lot both in terms of date & region/country in Europe， some of the topics are of more interest than others but all tend to treat the phenomena’s discussed as a whole in relation to Europe。 Part 3 is titled “Grasping the World” & starts with “Europe in the world” & as the title implies talks about colonial expansion by the European powers starting with the Spanish in the Americas & the Portuguese in the East Indies。 Its a basic introduction & if your familiar with the two aforementioned powers along with the Dutch & English powers of the time there’s not a lot knew to learn but it fits well with our story。 The part I did enjoy （thought I was？） was （finally） finding out what was going on in the East of Europe！ However I have to say the narrative of the Muscovy relied heavily on you already knowing their history as the narrative involved relayed itself within the context of the books title。。。。。 events were mentioned as well as certain people but jus brushed over & yer left with wanting to know more about them， their history etc。 This chapter relies heavily on you the reader already knowing the history of Europe overseas。 We move onto “Heavens & earth observed” which if you like astrology you’ll enjoy （Nostradamus gets a mention）。。。。。。。。moving on。。。。。。。 Alchemy too is featured & the chapter morphs into one of science/medicine （rediscovered from the age of antiquity） albeit in the context of some of it being “magic” to man of the period & at odds with Christianity （heresy）， some parts （Copernicus & Galileo） being more of interest than others 。。。。。。。 part 3 ends with “Being in touch” which covers literacy & languages giving insight into the import of each on the landscape of Europe。Christendom afflicted is the next part （part 4） Split into 3 sections with the first being entitled “Politics & Empire in the Age of Charles V” which is dedicated to the major conflicts around Europe of the period through the various dynasties/countries covering The 100 years war， The Italian wars & the Ottomans in the Balkans。 All covered in subsections giving an overview of the major events of each conflict。 To really know about them you would have to study further as this book only gives the reader a snapshot。 The chapters then move through the dynasties of the Habsburgs & the Valois who were the major players in Europe for the period， in fact you could go as far as say they shaped it through their politics， intermarrying & their strive for power。 Next section is called simply “Schism” & enters into the realms of the Protestant reformation， going straight to its origin & heart。 It’s quite detailed & goes through the major players & events bit by bit。。。。。。 have to say it’s this type of history narrative I don’t really enjoy especially when it revolves splits in theology， not a subject close to my heart。。。。。。 i’m glad when it’s done but if you want to know all about Lutheranism & the split from the Catholic church you wont be disappointed as its all laid out。 The final part “Reaction， repression， reform” shows how the reformation spread across Europe & the impact it has mostly in Eastern Europe & then lastly covers the story of Henry VIII。Part 5 is entitled “Christian Commonwealths in Contention” & this is where we see good ol religion causing suffering in its name with “Conflicts in the name of God” being the first chapter which is aptly named as we make a tour of Europe detailing all the religious conflicts of the era covering such topics as “The year of wonder” （Religious intolerance in the Netherlands）， Huguenots， Spanish expansion of Christianity throughout it’s Empire， The Catholic League in France。。。。 amongst others & it really is a continent in turmoil in the predominantly Catholic regions。 The next chapter is “Living with religious divisions” which is the flip-side to the opening chapter in that it relays some of the communities that did try to live side by side although they are lesser in number or successful as those in conflict。 We learn of the opening experiments which began in the Swiss/German region where those of differing religions tried two different ways， that of sharing space （living side by side） OR lived in separate towns/villages （kept apart）。 Poland-Lithuania was another region where they tried to co-exist having Catholic/Orthodox/Jewish & paganism all co-habiting but it has to be said that the Catholics were the worst dissenters causing riots， unrest & even murdering those with opposing religious views to their own。。。。。。。 “Churches & the world” sees us revisit the Americas & the impact of Christianity upon the indigenous population; inquisition rears its head as do the Jesuits & other orders， the council of Trent & finally the supernatural with a paragraph or two about witches where we learn that around 38，000 were executed between 1450 – 1715 （most before 1650）！ The final chapter in part 5 carries us to “The waning of crusades” & immerses us directly into the Ottoman Empire & its impact across Europe on Christianity， we learn also about outside threats to the Ottomans from other regions， namely Iran & Morocco。The Final part is called “Christian states in disarray” & by now i’m reading paragraphs which sound familiarly from prior chapters？ Or are they？ Or is it likely purely down to the layout of the book where we revisit overlapping subjects。。。。。 This part deals with the major states of the time & the impact they have on each other， mostly through conflict but first we start with “The business of states” which reveals the major players & the make-up of the nations of the period。 Next chapter is entitled “States in confrontation” where we learn mostly about the Habsburg’s （Spanish & Austrian） warring with all n sundry across Europe， revolutions are covered in this chapter as well as the open suppression of Protestantism be it through trial & execution or exile。 Denmark， Sweden & Bohemia are covered too although as usual in small comparison to the likes of France。 “War at large” runs along the same theme but it widens the conflicts across the whole continent of Europe。 We learn of states like Poland-Lithuania as they take on Sweden & I have to ask “Where did they evolve from？” “Did i miss summit from earlier？” “Aren’t they separate countries？” They are questions that I find myself asking a lot in the final few chapters as I will it all to a conclusion。。。。。。。。。Final rating – At the start I was quite enthused but come journeys end I’ve found that last part quite a grind & willing it all to end。。。。。。。。。 A final rating of three （rounded up from 2。75） I think， dead centre with equal measure of intrigue & real learning tempered by dreary endless names/dates with no real substance/ability to learn from leaving me bored stupid！ A complete mixed bag in reality but a book i’d recommend as I believe everyone will get summit new from it or at least find interest in certain sections – I DID struggle with the religious aspect of the book ie they’re was a LOT of it during this period of European history （The reformation） but it was included in such depth （for obvious reason I appreciate） & for anyone wanting to know more about the subject it’s certainly a good place to start as it covers a lot of the elements / factions。 Overall though， I think with the level of detail this book demonstrates， you will at first require background knowledge of the lie of the land before you start， so you can make semblance of it all。 For me certain texts/topics I could follow readily （prior knowledge） whereas others I felt I was thrown in the deep end and I struggled to follow or understand what was going on – I was like， hang on， you jus jumped to the end part， where’s the background to all this？ A timeline at the back of the book would have been very useful which the first in the series had but the rest have foregone。。。。。As to my quest: to learn about the formation of Europe & its peoples。。。。。 I’m not too sure this one hit the spot fully as when it did cover the subject we went backwards （akin to book 2） by being assaulted by names/dates of people we would already have had to know about or at least the history/context thereof。 I also found the format （jumping from one topic to another， always starting from the beginning） prevented learning about a developing Europe as a whole if talking in terms of countries/empires （i。e。 The Austrian Empire under the Habsburgs）。 I also felt that some topics （that overlapped） were repeated in later chapters giving at times a kinda disjointed feel to the overall read & that the last part was a real chore to read。 Onwards I go。。。。。。。 PS I Dont believe I’m going to get this series complete in a year as the next book weighs in at around 700 pages too。。。。。。。 。。。more

Jan-Maat ，

"This book has been written by an intellectual jackdaw， let loose in large libraries" （p。683）。 Despite that the text is more coherent than you might fear。 On the one hand the dates 1517 and 1648 themselves suggest a unifying theme - religious division leading to violent conflicts which seem unresolvable until the conclusion of the peace of Westphalia。At the same time there is the title 'Christendom destroyed'， here the argument is that the concept of Europe emerges through contrast with the Amer "This book has been written by an intellectual jackdaw， let loose in large libraries" （p。683）。 Despite that the text is more coherent than you might fear。 On the one hand the dates 1517 and 1648 themselves suggest a unifying theme - religious division leading to violent conflicts which seem unresolvable until the conclusion of the peace of Westphalia。At the same time there is the title 'Christendom destroyed'， here the argument is that the concept of Europe emerges through contrast with the Americas， far East and Russia in terms of lifestyles， beliefs and political forms， replacing the older notion of Christendom。 However， Christendom is a problematic concept， but assumed here to be non-controversial - we think: what about the Jews， Muslims and pagan Sami？ What about the Hussites and the decades while 'Christendom' was divided between the followers of different Popes （mostly two but once three）？ Even if we assume some more fundamental unity， what might that be？ A culture of Latin learning and an elite republic of letters was one of the few things not destroyed by religious strife， maybe because it is a Sunday morning as I type but I might be inclined to believe that a concept of Christendom was the product and not the casualty of Europe's religious divisions during that period。 But anyway in passing one of the things we learn I think from this book is with the increasing interconnections between Iberia and the New World， the Atlantic states and the far East， and even the Russian realm and Siberia， that a history of Europe as a distinct unit is itself a quixotic project。 As a point of comparison I have read a few of the old Fontana histories of Europe， this has a bigger scope， it is neither as chronologically strict nor as thematic - eg arts integrated into discussion， paintings and literature used to illuminate the points he is making， for example Greengrass points out that we can read the windmills that Don Quixote charges against as a specifically Dutch symbol and so a comment on the Quixotic nature of the seemingly endless war against the Dutch （Cervantes own brother served in Flanders even as the author himself fought the Turks） I'm not sure but that idea brings Rabelais back to mind and the injunction that we are all better off when we live in peace with our neighbours and limit to use of bladed weapons to doing damage to the sausages on our breakfast plates。 Certainly to us as modern readers the eighty years war between the Spanish and the Dutch was Quixotic and typical of the wars of this period covered by this book in that governments sought by force of arms to crush matters of conscience down to simple conformity， in France， Austria and Bavaria this proved possible， elsewhere particularly when the ultimate authority was physically remote this wasn't easily accomplished， the quixotic nature of the enterprise runs the risk of blinding us to the prodigious skill and effort involved （or I suppose wasted） in juggling finances and moving people and equipment about Europe and indeed during the Thirty Years war there was an eventual shift from very big armies， to much smaller ones， not because everyone was dead， but because it was what could be realistically financed from taxation。 Before that and outside of France， warfare was the business of entrepreneurs， men with the contacts and relationships in the financial communities to be able to finance armies， loan repayments were met by loot and expropriation - if they were on the winning side。 The most successful， for a while， of these men was Wallenstein， his supply network crossed confessional lines even though he moved armies across Germany in the service of a Catholic Emperor who pursued a policy of Catholicisation。 His chief finance man however could see no other exit than committing suicide when Wallenstein was requested to disband his armies。 Some， like Brecht's Mother courage and her children could not afford for the fighting to stop。The earlier chapters of this book are more of a kind of dense sociological survey of Europe in the period， and discussion of specific events is limited。 The later chapters have more of a political narrative， but because it is covering much of Europe it is quite jumpy and impressively concise。 It is pretty good as an opener to the period and one can see the general context to Descartes， Pascal， Cominus， and Cervantes， though I felt the arts suffered a little in not having their own space， the following volume in this series - The Pursuit of Glory I remember as more fun generally and having a more interesting discussion of court culture， but that book is about the age of Louis XIV and his imitators and secondly I read it some time ago and everything has a tendency to look rosier in hindsight。The major analytical work of the political chapters comes at the end of the book - on page 678 of 680， he states that: （1） the easy shift from regional to national problems indicates the changing ambitions of social movements and the potential of new media （2） that protest movements and armed resistance tended to be led by conservative figures claiming to preserve law， religion and tradition against the alien， unGodly， or untrustworthy （3） "profound anxiety created paralysis， but also dynamic creativity & change， hyperactivity as well as passivity" （p。678）， I have the sneaking suspicion that such analysis is so broad as to be almost universality applicable from the introduction of printing onwards （and maybe already before）。Occasionally the English is idiosyncratic - non matching tenses for instance， it is comprehensible but odd。 No footnotes or references， a short bibliography all of English language books points this as a book aiming at a broad Anglophone readership with access to well stocked libraries。 I had thought that Lyndal Roper's Martin Luther: renegade and prophet would lead naturally into this and that Holbien's The Dance of Death could be a good accompaniment， but they were not， this is （necessarily） a very high level overview of European social and political history， good for what it is， if not explosive with insight。 。。。more

Coleen Dailey ，

This was a thorough over view of the religious and geopolitical changes going on in Europe during one of the most controversial times in European history。 Reading this book made me wonder if Europe would look like it does today if not at least in part for the Reformation and would the Reformation have succeeded if not in great part for the continuous threat of the Ottoman Empire to invade Europe。 It is a long read but very interesting and well worth the time。

Emre Sevinç ，

This is a whirlwind tour of a very tumultuous period of Europe。 A period spanning 130 years that started with one of the most famous schisms in Christianity， a period of radical changes in climate， effecting lives of kings and peasants alike。 It's not easy to describe so many important events with so many far reaching geographical and temporal effects， while keeping the narrative running smoothly。 I have to admit that I found many parts of the book very 'jumpy': jumping from one subject to anoth This is a whirlwind tour of a very tumultuous period of Europe。 A period spanning 130 years that started with one of the most famous schisms in Christianity， a period of radical changes in climate， effecting lives of kings and peasants alike。 It's not easy to describe so many important events with so many far reaching geographical and temporal effects， while keeping the narrative running smoothly。 I have to admit that I found many parts of the book very 'jumpy': jumping from one subject to another， quickly changing themes， sometimes drowning the reader in so many details， names and places only in a few paragraphs。 As if this was not enough， in some parts the author hints at the importance of some changes in climate， and then suddenly jumping to another topic without elaborating what he meant regarding climate and geography。During some sections， I felt like drinking from a firehose， feeling all the weight of so much history pouring on my mind。 Not having a very solid foundation in that part of European history， I found myself taking detours， chasing many historical figures and more details about the events in other resources。 What made my inquiries more difficult than necessary was the lack of references and footnotes: you read something that really draws your attention， only to realize that its sources is not references。 The author， a professional historian， apologizes for that at the end of the book， saying that he had to omit references because this book was series was intended as popular introductions， and not academical texts。 I can understand the concerns of its editor and publisher， but still， I'd be happier if there were detailed references to the sources。 Another missing aspect was the economical background: even though the author describes how war efforts were directly affected by the financial situations of kingdoms and dynasties， I couldn't find how the economy of other facets of life in that period affected the shaping of societies。Nevertheless， I can recommend this book to readers curious about the 16th and 17th centuries of European history。 Starting with how the roots of current Europe were shaped by the great differences between Protestantism and Catholicism， it describes many aspects of wars， revolutions and tensions between dynasties， kingdoms and the empire。 It will not be an easy read， and you'll have to expand your research to many more different sources， but you'll have a general overview of life in 1500s and the first half of 1600s。 This， in turn， will help you better understand some of the political discussions taking place in 2010s。 。。。more

Robert ，

Don't get in a hurry with this book。 It will lead you to explore many facets of the life and history around the Reformation。 This covers a time period much larger so do not be dismayed if you wander a bit。 Don't get in a hurry with this book。 It will lead you to explore many facets of the life and history around the Reformation。 This covers a time period much larger so do not be dismayed if you wander a bit。 。。。more

N ，

Imponerende og bred detaljrikdom， men særlig i bokens 9 første kapitler gjør en manglende evne til syntetisering at fremstillingen blir preget av for mange detaljer og for lite oversikt。 Når forfatteren forlater kultur- og sosialhistorien， og konsentrerer seg mer om ideologi og den politiske historien， blir fremstillingen langt mer engasjerende og analytisk。

Xander ，

A very long， detailed and， at times， long winding book。 Greengrass starts with describing common life during the 16th and 17th centuries （living conditions， science/philosophy， discoveries in the New World， colonialism， communication and printing）。 After this he zooms in on the politico-religious developments of the 16th and 17th century。 This choice is rather backward， since you need to know the broad story of the time described in order to be able to place individual experiences in perspective A very long， detailed and， at times， long winding book。 Greengrass starts with describing common life during the 16th and 17th centuries （living conditions， science/philosophy， discoveries in the New World， colonialism， communication and printing）。 After this he zooms in on the politico-religious developments of the 16th and 17th century。 This choice is rather backward， since you need to know the broad story of the time described in order to be able to place individual experiences in perspective。 Greengrass should have chosen to outline the political developments first and then zoom in on details （for example the importance of printing and the influence of colonies on the war campaigns）。Besides this rather clumsy choice， the book suffers from long summaries of facts。 A general reader （which is the audience he aims at） is not capable of remembering thousands and thousands of names， situations and developments。 （Part 3 in this series， on the High Middle Ages， is a much better attempt to offer the general reader a comprehensible overview of the times）。 After closing the book I remember the main themes and the broad outlines of the developments of the Thirty Years War （1618-1648）， which is basically a collection of different local conflicts: the Dutch recapture of Brabant and Limburg， the succesful Swedish war in Germany， the English Civil Wars， the Polish crisis， the rise of the French Bourbon kingdom and the fall of the Spanish Habsburg kingdom。 The view Greengrass offers is one of royal opportunism: the royal sponsorships of perpetual war。 In the last chapter （a conclusion） Greengrass writes that a diversity of factors （the Reformation， political ambitions， economic collapse， disastrous climatic conditions and hunger and famine， technological advancements in war） contributed to the so-called European 'paroxysm'。 Besides the multiplicity of causes， Greengrass claims that the Thirty Years War is a concept that was made up afterwards， in order to make sense of what happened。 In reality it was a concoction of different local/national conflicts， each with its own dynamics。 I can follow him in both claims and it is this point that makes the message of the book worthwile。To conclude: this book is definitely worth reading if one wants a complete and detailed insight in the period （Reformation to Peace of Westhphalia）。 One gets detailed insights into the economic workings of the time， the developments of political structures， the dynamics of royal opportunism and the sufferings of the 'normal peasant'。 It is a big investment though。 。。。more

Olga ，

On the whole I think this book was quit helpful for understanding the big trends in European history around 16th and first half of 17th century。 I would say that the vast focus is on （1） Protestant Reformation and （2） the Hapsburg hegemony。 Everything else （e。g。， age of exploration， Renaissance， English Civil War） is a bit of an "add on。" Which for me was fine as those two things really are the defining themes of the period。 I thought the book started out strong （particularly Chapter 1） - focusi On the whole I think this book was quit helpful for understanding the big trends in European history around 16th and first half of 17th century。 I would say that the vast focus is on （1） Protestant Reformation and （2） the Hapsburg hegemony。 Everything else （e。g。， age of exploration， Renaissance， English Civil War） is a bit of an "add on。" Which for me was fine as those two things really are the defining themes of the period。 I thought the book started out strong （particularly Chapter 1） - focusing on getting the reader submerged into the period with description of the big themes and creating an understanding and a context for the period。 I also learned quite a bit about the Hapsburgs lineage， which I was confused about before。 However， as the book delved deeper into specific events， I found it to be much more confused - or at least much more difficult to follow。 Although it is organized roughly around chronology， each chapter focuses more on themes。 As a result there are chapters or sub-sections with overlapping periods and for an uninitiated reader， it could be tough to follow。 The other challenge was that the sub-sections are not always linked and reading the latter half of the book can feel as though the author is jumping around from event to event （e。g。， last chapter is a compilation of turmoil in Russia， Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth， and the civil war in the British Isles）。 As a result some events feel orphaned， included almost for the sake of completeness。 On the whole， I would question whether this is required reading to understand the period。 However， there were some notable bright spots that history buffs could latch on to。 。。。more

Diane ，

This book looks at the Reformation and Wars of Religion period in 16th and 17th century Europe。 It is well-written， well-researched， and full of information。 However， I thought it was a little hard to follow in some ways for the general， non-expert， reader。 The author seems to jump from one region of Europe to another too quickly。 It might have been better if the author had focused on creating case studies of various country or regions in Europe， and how they changed during this period。 However， This book looks at the Reformation and Wars of Religion period in 16th and 17th century Europe。 It is well-written， well-researched， and full of information。 However， I thought it was a little hard to follow in some ways for the general， non-expert， reader。 The author seems to jump from one region of Europe to another too quickly。 It might have been better if the author had focused on creating case studies of various country or regions in Europe， and how they changed during this period。 However， the author does a good job of putting the Reformation in its historical context， and particularly explaining how Catholic Christendom in the Middle Ages was not nearly as united as many believe。 。。。more

Zach ，

A solid general history of the time period。 With the notable exception of literature， it does a pretty good job with non-political/international history in the first half， and then moves on to a more traditional political historical narrative in the second half。 Some areas （the Empire， France， Spain） get a lot more attention than others （Poland， Italy， the Balkans） but that's to be expected。 A good read that should lead you wanting more information on the topics that interest you most。 A solid general history of the time period。 With the notable exception of literature， it does a pretty good job with non-political/international history in the first half， and then moves on to a more traditional political historical narrative in the second half。 Some areas （the Empire， France， Spain） get a lot more attention than others （Poland， Italy， the Balkans） but that's to be expected。 A good read that should lead you wanting more information on the topics that interest you most。 。。。more

Ballyroan Reads ，

This is a substantial history of Europe from the sixteenth century to the middle of the seventeenth， i。e。 from the start of the Lutheran revolt against the Roman Catholic church until the end of the thirty-years’ war。It covers the major changes in society and the economy as a result of many factors such as the exploitation of the newly conquered territories in South and North America， the greater availability of printed materials， reformation of religious practices and developments in Science an This is a substantial history of Europe from the sixteenth century to the middle of the seventeenth， i。e。 from the start of the Lutheran revolt against the Roman Catholic church until the end of the thirty-years’ war。It covers the major changes in society and the economy as a result of many factors such as the exploitation of the newly conquered territories in South and North America， the greater availability of printed materials， reformation of religious practices and developments in Science and Philosophy。It’s a substantial book， about 750 pages but I found it quite readable， not academic and covers a very interesting period in Europe’s and the Worlds’ history from the unified pietistic society of Christendom to the emergence of the modern era and a more complex and diverse continent。----More book reviews from library staff on our blog， BALLYROAN READS: http://librarystaffpicks。wordpress。com 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0