Paste your essay in here…1. Thirty Years War (1618-1648):
• It was one of the most destructive and deadliest religious wars in European History. It began as a war between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire. Newly elected Emperor, Ferdinand II, tried to impose Catholicism on all of his people. It granted full sovereignty to member states of the Roman Empire and abandoned the structure of being headed by a pope and emperor.
2. Shakespeare’s First Folio (1623):
• This was the first published collections of Shakespeare’s plays containing thirty six of his works. They are grouped into comedies, histories, and tragedies. Eighteen of the plays included had never been published previously and would have been lost if it were not for this folio. It is believed to have been compiled by his friends and fellow actors.
3. Bernini’s David (1624):
• David is a life sized statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini that commemorates biblical David preparing to throw a stone at Goliath. Compared to previous sculptures of David, Bernini’s embraced the Baroque style of the time with David’s implied movement and at the moment of action. It was meant to evoke emotion, unlike the calmness of Renaissance art, and created a new vision of art at the time.
4. Taj Mahal (1631-1648):
• The Taj Mahal is an ivory, marble mausoleum in Asia built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to hold the tomb of his wife. It was one of the most extensive architectural structures of the sixteenth century and is one of the new seven wonders of the world. It served as a model for many architectural structures for years to come and is still modeled after today.
5. Donne’s The Flea (1633):
• The Flea is one of the most famous metaphysical poems, a style of poetry in the seventeenth century that used conceits and put a greater emphasis on the spoken aspects of poems. It uses a conceit of a flea as a metaphor for the important sexual relationship of a man and woman. Its erotic style makes it stand out in its time and it further emphasized the importance of the sounds of poetry.
6. Descartes’ Principles of Philosophy (1644):
• Principles of Philosophy was the first look into true study of philosophy. One of Descartes’ biggest arguments in his book, is proving the existence of God with the reasoning that God is the most perfect being and that it is more perfect to exist than to not exist, so God must exist. Though many of his arguments would be considered science today instead of philosophy, it started and helped build the study of philosophy to what it is today.
7. Vermeer’s The Milkmaid (1658):
• Vermeer helps to introduce a new style of painting using the power of light and shadow. This technique was a large contrast from the previously popular style of darkness in paintings. The Milkmaid reflected a sense of realism and light that had not been previously seen before and it revolutionized painting.
8. Declaration of Breda (1660):
• This proclamation was issued by Charles II of England and promised forgiveness for all crimes committed during the English Civil War, religious toleration, and payment to the army. This was a huge step for those who did not identify with the Church of England. After years of religious warfare and issues, those who did not agree with the Church could now avoid punishment and practice their religion freely.
9. Paradise Lost (1667):
• Paradise Lost is an epic, blank verse poem written with the intention of justifying God’s ways to men. He follows stories of Adam and Eve as well as Satan with an underlying Angelic War over heaven and the loss of paradise, Heaven, due to sin. Its large metaphor can also be directed as criticism towards the English monarch. During this time, this work was of great importance as many men tried to explain and understand the ways of God and this added to the major works of religious explanation.
10. The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy (1687):
• Isaac Newton publishes his work on the laws of motion and gravity in The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. His three laws of motion and law of universal gravitation are some of the biggest breakthroughs in science and serve as the basis for many scientific discoveries and facts since published.
11. Dido and Aeneas (1688):
• Written by Henry Purcell, this was his first opera. It is a great example of the popular Baroque period music and opera, consisting of a prologue and three acts. It’s story centers around the Queen of Carthage’s love for Aeneas, Trojan hero, and her distress after he abandons her. The dates are uncertain for its composition, but is thought to have been composed no later than 1688.
12. Glorious Revolution (1688):
• The Glorious Revolution was set out to overthrow King James II of England as he ruled by divine right and diminished the rights of the people of England. By inviting William III of the Dutch to invade, Parliament successfully reestablishes a fair and proper monarch in England. This was a great display of people coming together for the protection of their rights and was the basis and inspiration of the American Revolution later on.
During this time period among the texts, there was a great spirit of change and growth among many aspects of the world including religion, science, art, music, and government that all served as the basis for the building of these aspects into what they are today. Religious beliefs began to expand and were more widely accepted and tolerated in many countries. Different views of God and religion, like Paradise Lost allowed for different views to be introduced and grow. People began to enforce many of their rights, including religion, and formed into a more modern version of government with more respect of personal rights. Art became more lively and expressive as it focused more on realism and movement of action. Literature became more expressive as well as it moved into different subjects and styles of writing that were not previously used before, like the erotic style of The Flea or the publication of Shakespeare who is still widely studied today. Immense breakthroughs in science were made with Newton’s The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and philosophy was introduced with Descartes’ Principles of Philosophy. Though the Puritans were not directly involved in many events, seeing the world during the time of the Puritans better helps understand their views and the context. For example, the religious war of the Thirty Year’s War is a parallel example of the work of the Puritans. Both parties are fighting for the same religious freedom and toleration of their own beliefs in different ways and knowing that this same fight is happening in other parts of the world as well is very interesting to piece together. The most interesting aspect of putting all of these together was seeing how different various places around the world were at the same time and how they all work together. For example, Vermeer’s The Milkmaid in the Netherlands had the same style lively and realistic style as Bernini’s David in Rome despite being is different areas of the world and having a thirty-year difference in production between the two pieces. Overall, this was a time of great change that had a big impact in history.