Research Guides: HIST 229: Spectacles of Power in Europe, 1550-1700 (HC): Background

Finding Background Information

The following sources provide overviews of ideas, people, and branches of study in the history of early modern Europe. They are a quick way to find out the basic facts and current points of debate.

When using an article in an encyclopedia or handbook, always check the bibliography for further reading at the end of the article. It will provide a selective list of the books, articles, and, frequently, Web resources considered to be the most up-to-date and reliable.

Handbooks

Ashgate Research Companion to Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe by Jane Couchman; Allyson M. Poska (Editor)
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ISBN: 1409418170
Publication Date: 2013-02-28
This Ashgate Research Companion reviews research on women and gender in early modern Europe from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The authors examine women's lives, ideologies of gender, and the differences between ideology and reality through many disciplines, including history, literary studies, art history, musicology, history of science and medicine, and religious studies. Also available as an ebook.
Early Modern Emotions: An Introduction by Susan Broomhall (Editor)
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ISBN: 9781138925755
Publication Date: 2017-01-13
Offers an introduction to the study emotions in early modern Europe. The volume is divided into four sections that guide students through the key processes employed in research on the history of emotions: 1)How key terms and concepts in the study of emotions relate to early modern Europe; 2) Unique ways in which emotions were conceptualized at the time; 3) Range of sources and methodologies for this kind of study; 4)Themes, including war, religion, family, politics,and the arts, to show how analysis of emotions may offer new perspectives.
A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art by Babette Bohn; James M. Saslow
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ISBN: 1444337262
Publication Date: 2013-03-04
This Companion focuses on European art produced between 1300 and 1700, presenting a variety of thematic essays written by art historian experts to give an overview of the broad topic. Also available as an ebook in Tripod.
Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750 by Hamish Scott (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2015-09-23
This two-volume handbook re-examines the concept of early modern history in a European and global context analyzing a broad range of crucial topics. Essays of special interest include:
"Early Modern Catholicism" Vol. 1, 601-625
"Royal Courts" Vol. 2, 440-477
The Oxford Handbook of the Ancien Régime by William Doyle (Editor)
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ISBN: 0199291209
Publication Date: 2012-01-13
In this wide-ranging and authoritative collection, old and newer areas of research into the Ancien Regime are presented and assessed, and there has been no attempt to impose any sort of consensus. The result shows what a lively field of historical enquiry the Ancien Regime remains, and points the way towards a range of promising new directions for thinking and writing about the intriguing complex of historical problems which it continues to pose.
The Oxford Handbook of the Baroque by John D. Lyons
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ISBN: 9780190678449
Publication Date: 2019-09-05
Many essays present the Baroque as a broad cultural phenomenon that arose in response to the enormous changes emerging from the 16th century: the division between Catholics and Protestants, the formation of nation-states and the growth of absolutist monarchies, the colonization of lands outside Europe and the mutual impact of European and non-European cultures.
See in particular:
"Baroque Theatricality"
"Court Spectacle and Entertainment"
"Ottoman Baroque"

Biographical Dictionaries

Dictionnaire de biographie française
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The dictionary is in progress and has currently treated individuals through Lévis. For the latter part of the alphabet, see the older dictionary by Michaud, la Biographie universelle. It is available in print in Tripod and also online from Hathi Trust..
Literature Resource Center
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Provides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analyses of authors from every age and literary discipline.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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Contains scholarly, brief biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond,from the earliest times to the year 2001. Articles focus on noteworthy people from all walks of life.

Encyclopedias

Europe 1450 to 1789
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Online subject encyclopedia for early modern Europe with an emphasis on cultural history. The bibliographies at the ends of articles are good places to find more information.
Britain in the Hanoverian Age, 1714-1837 by Gerald Newman (Editor)
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ISBN: 0815303963
Publication Date: 1997-09-01
Dictionnaire de l'Ancien Régime: royaume de France, XVIe-XVIIIe siècle by Lucian Bely
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Encyclopedia of Tudor England by John A. Wagner; Susan Walters Schmid
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ISBN: 9781598842999
Publication Date: 2011-12-09
Offers more than 800 entries covering culture and history during the reigns of Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History by Bonnie G. Smith (Editor)
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ISBN: 9780195148909
Publication Date: 2008-01-23
The Encyclopedia of Women in World Historycaptures the experiences of women throughout world history in a comprehensive, 4-volume work. Although there has been extensive research on women in history by region, no text or reference work has comprehensively covered the role women have played throughout world history.

Literature Reviews

In a literature review the author writes an overview of a topic from the point of view of the research that has been done. The author analyzes the arguments in individual books and journal articles to build a narrative about the themes that have been articulated, areas which need further investigation, and questions which do not yet have a consensus among scholars.
For your project, a literature review can give you a headstart on understanding your topic in much greater depth. It also point out books and journal articles which are the most relevant and of the highest quality.
See the resources below for literature reviews in specific academic disciplines.

History Compass
Relevant articles include:
"The Power to Pardon in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe: New Perspectives in the History of Crime and Criminal Justice" by Quentin Verreycken (2019) in History Compass
"Early Modern Diplomatic History" by Tracey A. Sowerby (2016) in History Compass
"Politics and Theatrical Culture in Restoration England" by Andrew R. Walkling (2007) in History Compass
"Cross-Channel Connections: Early Modern English Noblewomen's Familiarity with Continental Women's Literary and Performance Practices" by Julie Campbell (2007) in Literature Compass
Other Compass journals, like Religion Compass, may have useful articles as well.
If you don't find a relevant literature review in History Compass and its associated journals, check for material in Oxford Bibliographies and Dissertations and Theses (see below).
Oxford Bibliographies Online Renaissance and Reformation
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The Oxford Bibliographies series provides extensive annotated source lists on specific topics in many different fields. They are written by scholars with the aim of introducing students to important issues and key authors. The different subject sections are all under development with new essays added twice a year.
Essays of interest in this class include:
"Dance" by Jennifer Nevile.
"Elizabeth I" by Sarah Covington.
"England, 1485-1642" by Sarah Covington.
"France in the 16th Century" by Barbara B. Diefendorf.
"Louis XIV, King of France" by Darryl Dee.
Dissertations and Theses
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Doctoral students go through an exhaustive literature search when writing their dissertations. They also tend to work on new questions, sometimes ones that have received very little attention from scholars before. You can obtain these dissertations and benefit from all the bibliographic treasures and new ideas.
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses is a collection of doctoral and masters' theses in the Humanities and Social Sciences many of which are available full-text.

Society for Court Studies

Court Historian
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ISBN: 20563450
The Court Historian:The International Journal of Court History provides an interdisciplinary framework for the study of royal and princely courts from antiquity to the present, throughout the world. Scholarship comes from the fields of music, literature and gender studies, as well as political, social, diplomatic, intellectual, art, architectural and landscape history.
Society for Court Studies Bibliography
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This bibliography provides an extensive list of scholarship published on courts from 2003 to the present. Use the Find in This Listing box to locate titles by keyword.