Part TwoStatemaking
During the last half of the fifteenth century, the bal
ance of economic and political power in Europe began to shift
away from the Mediterranean region and the Italian city-states.
The discovery and then colonization of the Americas contributed
greatly to the development of the Atlantic economy, adding to the
strength of Spain and then, beginning a century later, of Eng
land, transporting their rivalry across the Atlantic Ocean. The
surprising English naval victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588
symbolized the subsequent shift in power from southern to
northern Europe, even if Spain remained militarily stronger until
the 1630s.
In the seventeenth century, when aggressive European mon
archs were running roughshod over noble prerogatives and town
privileges, England and the Dutch Republic both maintained
their representative governments. The English Civil War led to
the defeat and execution of the king in 1649, the fall of the
monarchy, and in 1688, to the “Glorious Revolution/' which
affirmed the civil liberties of the English people and the rights of
Parliament. In the largely Protestant Netherlands, which earned
its independence after a protracted struggle against Catholic
Spain, the prosperous merchants retained a republican form of
government and helped generate the golden age of Dutch cul
ture. In contrast, many European rulers relentlessly extended
their power between 1650 and 1750, becoming absolute rulers.
In principle, they were above all challenge from within the state
itself, affecting the lives of more people than ever before through
taxation, military service, and the royal quest for religious ortho
doxy as Europe entered the era of absolutism.