About this item

A remarkable new volume in the critically acclaimed Penguin History of Europe seriesFrom peasants to princes, no one was untouched by the spiritual and intellectual upheaval of the sixteenth century. Martin Luthers challenge to church authorityforced Christians to examine their beliefs in ways that shook the foundations of their religion. The subsequent divisions, fed by dynastic rivalries and military changes, fundamentally altered the relations between ruler and ruled. Geographical and scientific discoveries challenged the unity of Christendom as a belief community.Europe, with all its divisions, emerged instead as a geographical projection. Chronicling these dramatic changes, Thomas More, Shakespeare, Montaigne, and Cervantes created works that continue to resonate with us.