"The Reformation Era: 1500-1650 is designed for understanding history courses in "The Reformation" of The Renaissance and Reformation." It is conceded to be the fullest and most dependable account of those sixteenth and seventeenth-century movements termed the "Reformation" and the "Counter-Reformation." This text is a dispassionate and scholarly treatment of the Catholic Reformations as a Counter reformation. The author's point of view is an ecumenical one. The first edition published in 1954 became the leading text in its field, a position it has held for nearly a generation. This new edition incorporates the major advances in Reformation scholarship since the publication of the first edition, plus illustrations and a list of Popes and sovereigns of the period. The first section is devoted to the changing social structure and the cultural life of Europe on the eve of the Reformation. The second section, on the reformation in Germany, covers the rise, spread, and institutionalization of Lutheranism. The third section covers the spread of Protestantism in its various forms, evangelical radicalism, and the rise of Catholic Reformation. The final section deals with the conflicts between militant Catholicism and Protestantism and their consequences. The Reformation Era has the fullest and most usefully detailed bibliographical essay of any historical work of its type on the Reformation. Not only does this book include the maps of the first edition; but it presents a gallery of portraits of the leading figures of the Reformation." -Publisher

A comparative history of Chinese and Western Civilization from the dawn of agriculture to the dawn of modernity in Europe, China and the West to 1600 explores the factors that led to the divergent evolution of two major cultures of the ancient world, and considers how the subsequent developments saw one culture cling to tradition even as the other failed to do so, inadvertently setting the stage for the birth of the Modern Era. An accessible and inventive comparative history, suitable for all students at the college level as well as general readers Compares the history of Chinese civilization with Western civilization from the rise of agriculture to the dawn of the modern period Explores the ways in which Western failures in the Middle Ages after the Roman Empire’s collapse, and China’s successes in the same period, laid the groundwork for each culture’s divergent path in the modern period Makes meaningful connections between cultures and over time, through the use of themes such as agriculture, philosophy, religion, and warfare and invasion Bridges the gap between antiquity and modernity, looking at many factors of the global Middle Ages that influenced the development of the modern world Features a timeline, maps, endnotes, and complete index

The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century has traditionally been viewed as marking the onset of modernity in Europe. It finally broke up the federal Christendom of the middle ages, under the leadership of the papacy and substituted for it a continent of autonomous and national states, independent of Rome. The Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation provides a comprehensive account of two chains of events_the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation_that have left an enduring imprint on Europe, America, and the world at large. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries on persons, places, countries, institutions, doctrines, ideas, and events.

Combining seamless synthesis of original material with updated scholarship, The European Reformations 2nd edition, provides the most comprehensive and engaging textbook available on the origins and impacts of Europe's Reformations - and the consequences that continue to resonate today. A fully revised and comprehensive edition of this popular introduction to the Reformations of the sixteenth century Includes new sections on the Catholic Reformation, the Counter Reformation, the role of women, and the Reformation in Britain Sets the origins of the movements in the context of late medieval social, economic and religious crises, carefully tracing its trajectories through the different religious groups Succeeds in weaving together religion, politics, social forces, and the influential personalities of the time, in to one compelling story Provides a variety of supplementary materials, including end-of-chapter suggestions for further reading, along with maps, illustrations, a glossary, and chronologies