At the end of the Renaissance, the Western world was beginning to change. Explorers brought back treasures from other lands. Merchants helped develop the rudiments of a modern economy. The new Protestant religion swept across Europe, sparking the brutal Thirty Year's War with Roman Catholics. By the time of the French Revolution, the world had been introduced to the distinct entities that still largely make up present-day Europe, and to the revolutionary social, cultural, and political philosophies of the enlightenment. Within these pages, readers will encounter the developments that altered the course of Europe's early modern era. The volume contains a wealth of thoroughly researched information complemented by beautiful photographs to draw readers into the remarkable history of the development of this powerful continent.