Description
Book SynopsisThrough the exploration of nine common myths about the history and culture of early modern Europe, roughly 13501700, this book uses common assumptions to introduce newcomers to the period and its key figures, developments, and events.Many myths about early modern Europe originated in the 19th and 20th centuries and continue to appear today across popular media. In recent years, such popular documentaries and television shows as
Game of Thrones have tended to reinforce what we think we know about the world during the early modern period.Early modern Europe birthed the modern worldjust not in the way we think it did. This installment in the
Facts and Fictions series utilizes primary sources to interrogate popular beliefs about early modern Europe and reveal the true story behind such movements and events as the Scientific Revolution, the Crusades, and the European witch hunts. Focusing on how perceptions of these events have shifted and evolved through history
Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Italian Renaissance Ended the Dark Ages and Ushered in the Modern World 2. Christopher Columbus Proved that the Earth Was Round 3. Early Modern Women Were Uneducated and Uninfluential 4. Humanists Introduced Secularism to Early Modern Europe 5. The Pope Was an All-Powerful Ruler in Early Modern Europe 6. The Moral Failures of the Catholic Church Made the Reformation Inevitable 7. Torture and Superstition Drove the Witch Hunts 8. A Few Geniuses Sparked the Scientific Revolution 9. The Crusades Ended in the Middle Ages Bibliography Index
