History: The Modern Age: The Tudor Age & Beyond. (15th-18th centuries).
In detail and complexity, human experience and existence are infinite. Thus, the human past is almost immeasurable and often difficult to comprehend. Historians frequently address this by ‘subdividing’ and ‘simplifying’. They categorize the constant flow of events into artificial periods and select certain themes to create order out of chaos. The Modern Age, during which nation states in Europe took shape and consolidated, is one such period. For England, this period begins with the Tudor dynasty (1485-1603) and is essentially concluded by the Glorious Revolution (1688).
The Tudor Succession by Lucas D’heere in Sudeley Castle, ç.1560. Source: Jasper Ridley, Tudor Age.
William and Mary signed the Declaration of Rights, 1688 by James Northcote (1746-1831). Source: ArtsDot.com.
Long before the end of the Wars of the Roses, the necessity for thorough reform had already been announced throughout Europe. Faced with increasing pressure—the rise in the cities of an emancipated and affluent bourgeoisie and intellectual elites, which had been felt since the 13th century—the emerging nation states from the 16th century onwards would increasingly follow their own paths. The reform movement, originally intended to modernize the entire Western Christendom from Rome, would eventually lead to a national, religious, and political reorganization.
The Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572 by François Dubois, ç.1572-1584 at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux Arts, Lausanne, Switserland. Source: Wikipedia.
During the Tudor Era, England’s response to modern challenges gradually took decisive shape. For although England in the 17th century was still clouded by “unresolved” issues, the Englishman derives his national feeling from the Tudors, both politically and artistically. To subsequently become the trading nation and colonial power, that from the 18th century onwards would overshadow all European nations, only one aspiration of the Tudors had to be sacrificed; namely the idea that in a modern world based on meritocracy, the monarch could only rely on God and his lineage.
The Territories of The British Empire (16th-21th century).
Marc-Frans Van Hoof.
Would you please read this?
Audio: spoken by Marc-Frans Van Hoof. How about my English accent? @Anglophile @Torsten @Arinker.