The Pursuit of Glory: Europe, 1648-1815

Front Cover
Penguin, 2007 - History - 707 pages
The new volume in the acclaimed Penguin History of Europe series takes on the greater eighteenth century in all its revolutionary glory

Here is an enormously entertaining, rich, and provocative account of a vivid and magnificent era in Europe’s history. Tim Blanning has for many years been one of the foremost writers on the eighteenth century. The culmination of many years’ work, The Pursuit of Gloryis an accessible and enjoyable account of Europe from the end of the Thirty Years’ War to the Battle of Waterloo—an era of immense change and cultural, political, and technological ferment. Spanning the years 1648–1815, The Pursuit of Glorytakes us from the Enlightenment through the French Revolution and Napoleonic era. As interested in the art and music of the period as in the great dynastic and revolutionary wars, as concerned with the lives of ordinary people as with the great rulers on horseback, The Pursuit of Gloryturns a compelling spotlight on one of history’s most unique and fascinating eras.

From inside the book

Contents

Communications
3
People
40
Trade and Manufacturing
93
Agriculture and the Rural World
142
Power
193
Rulers and Their Elites
195
Reform and Revolution
286
Religion and Culture
353
Court and Country
393
Palaces and Gardens
423
The Culture of Feeling and the Culture of Reason
456
From the Peace of Westphalia to the Peace
531
From the Peace of Nystad to the French
562
The Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon
611
Conclusion
675
Index
689

Religion and the Churches
355

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About the author (2007)

Tim Blanning is professor of modern history at the University of Cambridge and the author and editor of numerous books on European history.

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