Author's Note Note on Dates Maps The Encyclopedia Chronology of Major Events Select Bibliography Index
Wars were fought on a global scale between the 12th and 17th centuries as navies, armies, and chartered merchant companies fought one another (and locals) on every inhabited land and every navigable body of water, and continental rivalries turned into global rivalries for power, territory, markets, and souls. Close to 2,000 A-to-Z entries offer detailed and compelling information about the period of the Wars of Religion, the first period when war was waged around the world.
Cathal J. Nolan is Executive Director of Boston University's International History Institute, and Associate Professor of History. He is the author of the multiple award-winning The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations (Greenwood, 2002), the award winning Notable U.S. Ambassadors since 1775: A Biographical Dictionary (Greenwood, 1997). Dr. Nolan has also authored, co-authored, or edited many books, including Ethics and Statecraft: The Moral Dimension of International Affairs (Praeger, 2004), Power and Responsibility in World Affairs: Reformation versus Transformation (Praeger, 2004), NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security (with Carl Hodge, Praeger, 2002), and Principled Democracy: Security and Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy (Praeger, 1993).
"This encyclopedia is simply excellent. Seemingly covering most
regions of the globe, Nolan does them all justice. This two-volume
work is spectacular in its breadth of topics and knowledge, with
nearly 2,000 entries arranged alphabetically. The set also includes
a list of entries, a preface, an author's note, a note on dates,
and a chronology of major events. This is a very useful addition to
this field of study. Covering the world (but with more attention
devoted to Europe), typical entries in this work are Aztec Empire
of Mexico; Calvinism; Confucianism; both Defenestrations of Prague;
Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), Dominican monk and religious
reformer in Florence; Muskets; Printing; Salah al-Din (1137-1193),
better known as Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria and the worthy
foe of Crusaders; and Kabuto, an ornate Japanese armored helmet and
mask. Entries range from a few sentences to several pages, and each
has a suggested readings section. Highly recommended.
Lower-/upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers." -
Choice
"[A]n excellent reference work that is well written and easy to
use." - American Reference Books Annual
"It is an extremely good, clear, concise dictionary/encyclopedia of
world military history for the Middle Ages and the early modern
period. The entries are lively and engaging and make me wonder why
I was not more interested in military history in the past." -
Reference Reviews
"What stands out immediately about this encyclopedia is that the
entire work-over 3,000 entries from abatis to Zwingli spread over
1,000 pages of closely printed text-was written by Cathal J. Nolan.
He is not an editor in the usual sense of an encyclopedia, but the
author of this work....[i]n every area of expertise-from firearms
and technology to social history and theology-Nolan has read and
synthesized the major expert or experts in the field, making this a
very impressive work of synthesis. The work is truly global in
scope....[t]he work will be useful to both military historians and
non-military historians of early modern Europe alike....[t]his is
an extremely user-friendly as well as reliable reference work. If
you have only one reference work on early modern military history
on your shelf, this is now the one to have." - The Journal of
Military History
"This encyclopedia describes and illuminates a momentous 650-year
period of world history that includes what historians have called
The Dark Ages and the Renaissance....Nolan's well-written and
authoritative preface serves as an excellent and clear introduction
to this large slice of world history, and the alphabetically
arranged entries are equally informative, impartially written, and
accessible to students....Though specialized, this encyclopedia is
recommended for libraries supporting a robust world history
curriculum or fielding a number of questions on the topic." -
School Library Journal
"This resource would be a good purchase for larger public libraries
and undergraduate institutions that support courses in the history
of warfare. It can provide students and general readers with
background for understanding some of the major conflicts of the
twenty-first century." - Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"The focus of this encyclopedic historical reference work by Nolan
is the European wars of religion that were fought from the 14th
through the 17th centuries, various chronological and geographical
historical tributaries that are in one way or another related to
those wars also come under consideration. The bulk of the
approximately 2500 alphabetical entries provide narratives of major
wars and battles and other standard topics of military history.
However, they also include biographies of key military, political,
and intellectual figures. Additionally, Nolan acknowledges the
complexity of war by addressing questions of military technology,
royal finance, social and class relations, major confessional
groups, theological debates, and elite mores and conceits about
combat and chivalry. Following the entries, a chronology of major
events from 1008 to 1650 is presented, in addition to a
thematically organized selected bibliography. Twenty-five pages of
maps are also included." - Reference & Research Book News
"College-level students of world history or religious history will
find an extensive, useful reference in The Age of Wars of Religion,
1000-1650: An Encyclopedia of Global Wafare and Civilization.
Entries chart individuals, battles, equipment and settlements alike
as they provide entries key to understanding different methods of
battle and political scenarios. A specialty item, but a 'must' for
any collection specializing in the era's history." - California
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