This bestselling, seminal book - a general survey of Europe in the era of Rennaisance and Reformation - was originally published in Denys Hay' s famous Series, "A General History of Europe."
It looks at sixteenth-century Europe as a complex but interconnected whole, rather than as a mosaic of separate states. The authors explore its different aspects through the various political structures of the age - empires, monarchies, city-republics - and how they functioned and related to one another.
A strength of the book remains the space it devotes to the growing importance of town-life in the sixteenth century, and to the economic background of political change.
Central to the book, as to the century itself, is the Reformation and the religious and intellectual movements that fuelled it. The authors also give full weight to the magnificent cultural acheivements of the age.
Front flap
The second edition of Europe in the Sixteenth Century, first published in 1989, saw the addition of a new co-author, Gerry Bowler, to the already distinguished team. They made the following improvements to the original book, first published in 1968:
- A new chapter on Social Life takes account of research on demographic history, attitudes to women and family, and on the impact of education, disease and war.
- Completely rewritten chapter on Literature to give more attention to its international dimension, popular culture and to the contribution of women.
- Greatly expanded material on popular religion, witchcraft and magic
- Extensive reworking of the discussion of ideas - particularly the history of political theory and the origins of the scientific revolution.

The authors
Until his retirement in 1984, H G Koenigsberger was Professor of History at King s College, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and has received an Economienda from the King of Spain in the Order of Isabel la Catholica. The late George L Mosse was Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. G Q Bowler teaches history at the University of Manitoba, Canada, and is a Fellow of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Contemporary Culture. He is author of The Encyclopedia of Christmas.
Back flap
(275 years of publishing history logo - from Louise Corless)
As part of Longman s 275th Anniversary - a landmark in publishing history - we are launching an exciting collection of classic books.
The Silver Library celebrates the very best in history writing published by Longman. This selection of seminal and best-selling works by world renowned authorities will become the essential collection.
Titles in the Silver Library are:
John Tosh
The Pursuit of History, Third Edition
Bernard W Anderson
The Living World of the Old Testament, Fourth Edition
R H C Davis
A History of Medieval Europe, Second Edition
H G Koenigsberger, George L Mosse, G Q Bowler
Europe in the Sixteenth Century, Second Edition
Barry Coward
The Stuart Age 1603 - 1714, Second Edition
H G Koenigsberger
Early Modern Europe 1500 - 1789
Asa Briggs
The Age of Improvement 1783 - 1867, Second Edition
M S Anderson
The Ascendancy of Europe 1815 - 1914, Second Edition
James Joll
The Origins of the First World War, Second Edition
J M Roberts
Europe 1880 - 1945, Second Edition
Martin Kitchen
Europe Between the Wars
Peter Calvocoressi
World Politics Since 1945, Seventh Edition