The Struggle for Power in Early Modern Europe: Religious Conflict, Dynastic Empires, and International Change (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics (116))

Scholars have long argued over whether the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, which ended more than a century of religious conflict arising from the Protestant Reformations, inaugurated the modern sovereign-state system. But they largely ignore a more fundamental question: why did the emergence of new forms of religious heterodoxy during the Reformations spark such violent upheaval and nearly topple the old political order? In this book, Daniel Nexon demonstrates that the answer lies in understanding how the mobilization of transnational religious movements intersects with--and can destabilize--imperial forms of rule. Taking a fresh look at the pivotal events of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries--including the Schmalkaldic War, the Dutch Revolt, and the Thirty Years' War--Nexon argues that early modern "composite" political communities had more in common with empires than with modern states, and introduces a theory of imperial dynamics that explains how religious movements altered Europe's balance of power. He shows how the Reformations gave rise to crosscutting religious networks that undermined the ability of early modern European rulers to divide and contain local resistance to their authority. In doing so, the Reformations produced a series of crises in the European order and crippled the Habsburg bid for hegemony. Nexon's account of these processes provides a theoretical and analytic framework that not only challenges the way international relations scholars think about state formation and international change, but enables us to better understand global politics today. Taking A Fresh Look At The Pivotal Events Of The 16th And 17th Centuries, Nexon Argues That Early Modern 'composite' Political Communities Had More In Common With Empires Than With Modern States, And Introduces A Theory Of Imperial Dynamics That Explains How Religious Movements Altered Europe's Balance Of Power. Introduction -- Theorizing International Change -- The Dynastic-imperial Pathway -- Religious Contention And The Dynamics Of Composite States -- The Rise And Decline Of Charles Of Habsburg -- The Dynamics Of Spanish Hegemony In The Sixteenth And Early Seventeenth Century -- The French Wars Of Religion -- Westphalia Reframed -- Looking Forward, Looking Back. Daniel H. Nexon. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [301]-331) And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Figures and Tables 10 Preface 12 Chapter 1: Introduction 19 Chapter 2: Theorizing International Change 38 Chapter 3: The Dynastic-Imperial Pathway 85 Chapter 4: Religious Contention and the Dynamics of Composite States 117 Chapter 5: The Rise and Decline of Charles of Habsburg 153 Chapter 6: The Dynamics of Spanish Hegemony in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries 203 Chapter 7: The French Wars of Religion 253 Chapter 8: Westphalia Reframed 283 Chapter 9: Looking Forward, Looking Back 307 References 319 Index 351 ISBN,9780691137926,(alk.,paper),—,ISBN,9780691137933,(alk.,paper) Princeton University Press Looks at the pivotal events of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - including the Schmalkaldic War, the Dutch Revolt, and the Thirty Years' War. This book argues that early modern 'composite' political communities had more in common with empires than with modern states.