Kings, nobles and commoners

the long version

"Kings, Nobles and Commoners explores the workings of religion on the development of the early modern state in Europe and traces its continued influence from 1550 to 1800. Focusing on religion's power as a badge of identity and source of inspiration in early state development and the nature of the states that emerged, Jeremy Black makes a significant and stimulating contribution to the scholarship on the emergence of the modern nation state." "Jeremy Black's revisionist history based on cutting edge research and a mass of original materials including the rich historical geography now coming to light, links together themes vital for an understanding of the period. He tracks the rise to power of both Protestant and Catholic states. On the Protestant side were the United Provinces and Britain, with growing financial, technical, military and naval resources, expanding into the New World, and Britain, becoming a global power Sweden and Prussia were powerful, centralised militaristic states. On the Catholic side the Habsburgs and France vied for dominance."--Jacket.