A Short History of the World Chapter 52 - The Age of Political Experiments; of Grand Monarchy and Parliaments and Republicanism in Europe

In which the dissolution of old empires and religious unities propels Europe into a restless age of political experiments, as monarchies vie with emerging trading classes amidst a growing ocean of scientific knowledge and invention. This tumultuous era is painted with portraits of grand courts and petty states, all entwined in ambitions and intrigues that belie the profound transformations quietly reshaping human society.