HIST 242: Early Modern Europe

Spring 2004

Period Guide Instructions

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As we discussed in class, we will not meet next week (February 4).  You are to take this time to familiarize yourself with the Early Modern Period, by reading one of the recommended textbooks.  You are then to prepare a period guide, that is, a summary of the most important facts about each of the major sub-divisions of what we term the early modern.  Your period guide will serve as a quick reference to have by your side while reading the books which we will be discussing in class.

1. Your period guide should include, at the very least, the following subdivisions:
   1. Renaissance (Italian and Northern)
   2. Reformation (including the Counter-Reformation and the Wars of Religion)
   3. Rise of Absolutism
   4. Scientific Revolution
   5. Enlightenment
   6. French Revolution

2.  Each subdivision should then include the following items:
   1. a timeline of the most significant dates
   2. a “Who’s who?” of the most important people
   3. a list of the sub-division’s major characteristics (in other words, what defines it?)
   4. a list of causes
   5. a list of consequences

3.  A few comments on format:
   1. Each subdivision should have its separate pages, but you might want to add a section on important aspects of ‘contact’ between the sub-periods.  For example, comment on how the intellectual trends of the Renaissance set the stage for the dogmatic challenges of the Reformation, or on how the reaction of the Catholic Church to the reformers delays the Scientific Revolution, etc.
   2. Organize the guide into bulleted lists, in order to facilitate consultation at a glance. 
   3. Be thorough.