Welcome to all our interviews and book recommendations on ‘early modern history,’ a period defined, at Five Books, as starting with the Renaissance and ending with the French Revolution. This was a transformative period in history—an era that saw the bloodshed of the Reformation and the religious wars but also the huge advances of the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment.
The best books on Henri IV of France, recommended by Vincent Pitts
At a time of bitter division, Henri IV succeeded to the French throne and managed to bring the country together after decades of civil war. He converted to Catholicism but brought in toleration for Protestants with the Edict of Nantes. In 1610 he was assassinated by a religious fanatic with a carving knife. Historian Vincent Pitts, author of a great introduction to Henri IV, talks us through the life and times of one of France’s most impressive monarchs.
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Suleymanname: The Illustrated History of Suleyman the Magnificent
by Esin Atil (editor) -
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The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire
by Gülru Necipoglu -
3
Bureaucrat and Intellectual in the Ottoman Empire: The Historian Mustafa Ali
by Cornell Fleischer -
4
Empress of the East: How a Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire
by Leslie Peirce -
5
Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the Magnificent and the Obsessions that Forged Modern Europe
by John Julius Norwich
The best books on Sultan Süleyman, recommended by Kaya Şahin
The best books on Sultan Süleyman, recommended by Kaya Şahin
The Ottoman ruler Süleyman was one of the most powerful men in early modern Europe and highly adept at building his reputation for posterity. In European languages, he is still often graced with the epithet ‘the Magnificent.’ The reality was much more mixed, as a new biography of Süleyman shows. Historian Kaya Şahin talks us through books to better understand Sultan Süleyman and the world he lived in.
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The Dutch Revolt
by Geoffrey Parker -
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The First Modern Economy: Success, Failure, and Perseverance of the Dutch Economy, 1500–1815
by Ad van der Woude & Jan de Vries -
3
The Dutch Moment: War, Trade and Settlement in the Seventeenth Century Atlantic World
by Wim Klooster -
4
Calvinists and Libertines: Confession and Community in Utrecht, 1578-1620
by Benjamin J. Kaplan -
5
Rembrandt's Universe: His Art, His Life, His World
by Gary Schwartz
The best books on The Dutch Golden Age, recommended by Maarten Prak
The best books on The Dutch Golden Age, recommended by Maarten Prak
The Netherlands witnessed a flourishing in the late 16th and first half of the 17th century, leading the world in technology, commerce and the arts, particularly painting. Historian Maarten Prak recommends five books to help you understand why the Dutch Golden Age saw the invention of stock exchanges and why it produced Rembrandt, too.
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Venice: A Documentary History 1450-1630
by Brian Pullan & David Chambers -
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The Military Organization of a Renaissance State: Venice 1400-1617
by John Rigby Hale & Michael E. Mallett -
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Venice: A Maritime Republic
by Frederic Chapin Lane -
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Venice: the Hinge of Europe
by William McNeill -
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The Venetian Empire: A Sea Voyage
by Jan Morris
The best books on The Venetian Empire, recommended by Georg Christ
The best books on The Venetian Empire, recommended by Georg Christ
The Venetian Republic was one of the mightiest empires of early modern Europe, with its Terraferma dominions on land and a maritime empire, the Stato da Màr, that stretched across the Mediterranean. Its unique strength lay in long-distance trade and, as historian Georg Christ explains, in some ways, it resembled a company more than a state. Here, he recommends books to better understand the Venetian empire, what it was and how it grew.
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The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia
by E L Jones -
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The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
by Kenneth Pomeranz -
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The Lever of Riches: Technological Creativity and Economic Progress
by Joel Mokyr -
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Guns, Germs and Steel
by Jared Diamond -
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How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
by Jared Rubin & Mark Koyama
The best books on The Great Divergence, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
The best books on The Great Divergence, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
After a slow start, why did northwest Europe move ahead of the rest of the world in the early modern period and establish an economic dominance whose effects are felt to this day? Davis Kedrosky, a student at Berkeley and publisher of the economic history newsletter, Great Transformations, introduces ‘the Great Divergence’ and suggests some books that get to the heart of the question.
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Negotiating Mughal Law: A Family of Landlords across Three Indian Empires
by Nandini Chatterjee -
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The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719
by Munis Faruqui -
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Millennial Sovereign: Sacred Kingship & Sainthood in Islam
by A. Azfar Moin -
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Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court
by Audrey Truschke -
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Writing Self, Writing Empire: Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary
by Rajeev Kinra
The best books on The Mughal Empire, recommended by Richard M. Eaton
The best books on The Mughal Empire, recommended by Richard M. Eaton
The Mughals ruled the Indian subcontinent for three centuries, a multicultural empire that brought together an extraordinary mix of Mongol, Islamic, Persian and Indian practices, religious beliefs and philosophies. Here, historian Richard M. Eaton, a professor at the University of Arizona, chooses some of the best scholarly works on the Mughals that shed new light on how the empire functioned.
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Smell in Eighteenth-Century England: A Social Sense
by William Tullett -
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Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography
by Clifton Crais and Pamela Scully -
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The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution
by Faramerz Dabhoiwala -
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Sleep in Early Modern England
by Sasha Handley -
5
The Smile Revolution in Eighteenth Century Paris
by Colin Jones
The best books on The Body, recommended by Karen Harvey
The best books on The Body, recommended by Karen Harvey
We assume that many of our bodily functions—sleeping and smiling, for example—are ‘natural’ and culturally invariant. But their characteristics and expression are heavily influenced by their cultural milieu. Professor Karen Harvey explains how attitudes to the body in the 18th century were radically rethought in the light of changing scientific and cultural views of its nature and function.
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Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy
by Michael Baxandall -
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Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare
by Stephen Greenblatt -
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Worldly Goods: A New History of the Renaissance
by Lisa Jardine -
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The Printing Press as an Agent of Change
by Elizabeth L Eisenstein -
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The Reformation
by Diarmaid MacCulloch
The best books on The Renaissance, recommended by Jerry Brotton
The best books on The Renaissance, recommended by Jerry Brotton
A century-and-a-half ago the Swiss art historian, Jacob Burckhardt, popularized the idea of a ‘Renaissance’ in 14th century Italy. For most people, the term still conjures up works of art by the likes of Michelangelo or Leonardo. But there is much, much more to it than that. Professor of Renaissance studies, Jerry Brotton, picks the best books to read for a more complete understanding of the Renaissance.
The best books on Life in the Tudor Era, recommended by Ian Mortimer
History is not about understanding the past for the sake of it, it’s about understanding human nature, says the historian and novelist Ian Mortimer.
The best books on Henry VII, recommended by Thomas Penn
He was the Machiavelli of English kings – a chancer and usurper with a highly dubious claim to the throne. But Henry VII ruled for 25 years and founded a dynasty. His biographer tells us how he did it
The Best Thomas Cromwell Books, recommended by Benedict King
The Mirror and the Light—the final instalment of Hilary Mantel’s epic trilogy covering the life of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister and architect of the English Reformation—was published to great acclaim this month. Here, Five Books contributing editor Benedict King chooses five of the best books to help you get to grips with the real Thomas Cromwell and the political and religious environment in which he operated. You can watch Benedict talking about his Thomas Cromwell book choices here.
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At Home in Renaissance Italy
by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim and Flora Dennis (editors) -
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Galateo
by Giovanni della Casa -
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Global Interests
by Lisa Jardine and Jerry Brotton -
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Empire of Great Brightness
by Craig Clunas -
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Dutch New York, Between East and West
by Deborah L Krohn, Marybeth De Filippis and Peter Miller
The best books on Renaissance Worlds, recommended by Mary Laven
The best books on Renaissance Worlds, recommended by Mary Laven
New scholarship is opening up different ways of looking at the Renaissance. The historian explains what we should read to gain a wider appreciation of this key period in European history
The Best Italian Renaissance Books, recommended by Kenneth Bartlett
If you’re going to look at the past, you have to understand the people who were living there and see the world through their eyes, says historian and Renaissance specialist Kenneth Bartlett. He picks the best books written during the Italian Renaissance.
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Christianity In The West 1400-1700
by John Bossy -
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Salvation at Stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe
by Brad Gregory -
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Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet
by Lyndal Roper -
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The Voices of Morebath: Reformation and Rebellion in an English Village
by Eamon Duffy -
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For The Sake Of Simple Folk: Popular Propaganda for the German Reformation
by R W Scribner
The best books on The Reformation, recommended by Peter Marshall
The best books on The Reformation, recommended by Peter Marshall
On October 31st 1517, Martin Luther, an unknown friar in an obscure town in eastern Germany may or may not have posted a list of complaints to the door of his local church. His actions would lead to what was later called ‘the Reformation’ — a grisly period in European history that nonetheless paved the way for a more tolerant and pluralistic society. Peter Marshall, one of the period’s leading scholars, talks us through the best books on the Reformation.
The best books on Oliver Cromwell, recommended by John Morrill
The professor of history at Cambridge asks why Oliver Cromwell remains Britain's most controversial ruler, and what the morbid story of Cromwell's head after his death has to say about British history.
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Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy
by Mark Doty -
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The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age
by Simon Schama -
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Vermeer
by Lawrence Gowing -
4
Rembrandt's Enterprise: The Studio and the Market
by Svetlana Alpers -
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Art of the Everyday: Dutch Painting and the Realist Novel
by Ruth Bernard Yeazell
The best books on The Dutch Masters, recommended by Adam Eaker
The best books on The Dutch Masters, recommended by Adam Eaker
The past may be a foreign country, but the world portrayed in the art of the Dutch Masters is not so very far from our own, says Adam Eaker of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. For a society that struggles with materialism and consumption, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the 17th century Golden Age.
The best books on Chaos in the 17th-Century Mediterranean, recommended by Molly Greene
Princeton professor of Hellenic studies says the 17th-century Mediterranean is fascinating because it was a time when nobody was in charge. And yet, it was possible to have “order without law”
The best books on The Glorious Revolution, recommended by Steven Pincus
When William of Orange came from Holland to take the English throne in 1688, was it a foreign invasion, or a revolution from within? Yale historian, Steven Pincus, talks us through the conflicting views on the Glorious Revolution and argues for a new perspective.
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English Society 1660-1832
by Jonathan Clark -
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The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1715-1754
by Romney Sedgwick ed. -
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Jacobitism and the English People, 1688-1788
by Paul Monod -
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1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion
by Daniel Szechi -
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France and the Jacobite Rising of 1745
by Frank McLynn
The best books on Jacobitism, recommended by Murray Pittock
The best books on Jacobitism, recommended by Murray Pittock
The failure of the Stuarts to win back the English or Scottish throne changed the course of history, enabling the buildup of a highly centralized British state and, possibly, America’s war for independence. Murray Pittock chooses the best books on Jacobitism, the 18th century phenomenon that nearly overthrew the British government.
The best books on The Highland Clearances, recommended by James Hunter
The Director of the Centre for History at the University of the Highlands and Islands talks to us about the history of the Highland Clearances in Scotland. Interesting reading on 19th Century Scottish history
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The Crisis of the European Mind
by Paul Hazard -
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The Enlightenment in America
by Henry May -
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The Enlightenment and the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture
by Louis Dupré -
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The Religious Enlightenment
by David Sorkin -
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Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, 1750-1790
by Jonathan Israel
The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Jonathan Israel
The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Jonathan Israel
Which are the best books on the Enlightenment? Jonathan Israel, one of the leading historians of early modern Europe, recommends his top five.
The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Lynn Hunt
It’s a revolution that still resonates and yet it resists easy interpretation. Lynn Hunt, a leading historian of the French Revolution, tells us what the events of 1789 and later years really meant, and what relevance they have for us today.
The best books on The 18th Century Sexual Revolution, recommended by Faramerz Dabhoiwala
The roots of our (generally) open attitude to sex lie not in the sixties but the 1760s, says the historian and author of The Origins of Sex, who explores this earlier sexual revolution through its literature.
The best books on London’s Addictions, recommended by Dr Matthew Green
The social historian argues London is an intrinsically addictive city. He charts its history through its dependencies on chocolate, tobacco, coffee, and tea.
The best books on The Early History of Astronomy, recommended by Dava Sobel
Best-selling science writer, Dava Sobel, recommends books about the men whose painstaking work changed our understanding of Earth’s place in the universe.
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The Diario of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage to America
by Bartolomé de las Casas -
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Shipwrecks and Commentaries
by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca -
3
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552)
by Bartolomé de las Casas -
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Royal Commentaries of the Incas (1609)
by Garcilaso de la Vega, El Inca -
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Red Earth, White Lies
by Vine Deloria Jr
The best books on Rewriting America, recommended by Robert Goodwin
The best books on Rewriting America, recommended by Robert Goodwin
Expert in Spanish Colonial History describes Christopher Columbus as a character from science fiction. Huge political irony that the first exploration of North America was led by a black man
The best books on Pirates, recommended by Adrian Tinniswood
People see in pirates what they want to see, says historian and author Adrian Tinniswood. He recommends five fascinating books about pirates.
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History of the French Revolution
by Jules Michelet -
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The French Revolution
by Hippolyte Taine -
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Democracy in America
by Alexis de Tocqueville -
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Reflections on the Revolution in France
by Edmund Burke -
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The Complete Essays of Montaigne
Michel de Montaigne (trans. by Donald M. Frame) -
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The Prince
by Niccolo Machiavelli
The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Peregrine Worsthorne
The best books on The French Revolution, recommended by Peregrine Worsthorne
For anybody wanting to go into politics a mastery of the French Revolution is an enormous help and a knowledge of history essential, says Peregrine Worsthorne, the columnist and former editor of Britain’s Sunday Telegraph. He recommends the best books on the French Revolution, both for and against.
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Thomas Cromwell: A Life
by Diarmaid MacCulloch -
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Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium
by Lucy Inglis -
3
Iran: A Modern History
by Abbas Amanat -
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Invisible Agents: Women and Espionage in Seventeenth-Century Britain
by Nadine Akkerman -
5
Power, Pleasure, and Profit: Insatiable Appetites from Machiavelli to Madison
by David Wootton
The Best History Books of 2018, recommended by Paul Lay
The Best History Books of 2018, recommended by Paul Lay
From female spies during the English Civil Wars to the enduring distinctiveness of Iran, there is much left to be understood about history globally. Editor of History Today Paul Lay recommends the best history books that hit the shelves in 2018.
The best books on The Enlightenment, recommended by Sophie Gee
The author of The Scandal of the Season – and Princeton University professor – gives an 18th century literature specialist’s view of the Enlightenment.