Christendom Destroyed: Europe 1517-1648

Description

A gripping, original account of Europe in an era of tumultuous change From peasants to princes, no one was left untouched by the spiritual and intellectual upheaval of the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. 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. Christendom Destroyed tells the fascinating story of these seismic changes. The most recent addition to the landmark Penguin History of Europe series, the book is a rich tapestry that fosters a deeper understanding of Europe's identity today.

Mark Greengrass is Professor Emeritus at the University of Sheffield. His books include Governing Passions- Peace and Reform in the French Kingdoms, 1576-1585, France in the Age of Henri IV and The European Reformation, c.1500-1618.

Mark Greengrass succeeds brilliantly in bringing to life a vanished world that is consistently strange and surprising-and sometimes disturbing and repellent-even as he encourages us to recognise the ways in which it prefigures our own -- Peter Marshall * Literary Review * The Penguin History of Europe series ... is one of contemporary publishing's great projects * New Statesman *