Category Archives: Empires and Imperialism

Religion and Empire in Early Modern Maryland

Archaeologists made a curious find during recent excavations at St. Mary’s, a colonial settlement in Maryland. One of the participants in a dig unearthed “a rare 370-year-old Spanish cross that had likely been made in the pilgrimage city of Caravaca, … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Wars of Religion, History of the Western World, Reformation History, Religious History, Renaissance Art and History, United States History and Society | Leave a comment

Military Contractors in the French Wars of Religion

I am happy to report that my latest publication on military contractors in the French Wars of Religion is finally in print. This is a chapter in a collective volume on Die Kapitalisierung des Krieges / The Capitalization of War. … Continue reading

Posted in Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Mercenaries, Museums and Historical Memory, Reformation History, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Illinois Creoles

France constructed a vast empire in the Caribbean and North America during the early modern period, leaving lasting cultural influence in Francophone Haiti, Louisiana, and Quebec. Often forgotten is the French imperial territory in the Illinois country and Mississippi valley. … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, Francophonie, French Empire, French History, History in the Media, History of the Western World, Humanities Education, Illinois History and Society, Museums and Historical Memory, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Leave a comment

Race and Conflict in the Early Modern Mediterranean

I am happy to report that my most recent article has just been published in Mediterranean Studies. It took a number of years to do the research, writing, rewriting, revisions, and editing to produce the article, but here (finally) it … Continue reading

Posted in Civilians and Refugees in War, Cultural History, Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, Globalization, History of Race and Racism, History of Violence, Maritime History, Mediterranean World, Piracy, Religious History, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World, World History | Leave a comment

Virtual Rome

My students in HIST 420 The Renaissance at Northern Illinois University recently discussed the intellectual movement of Humanism in the Renaissance, focusing especially on the Humanists’ fascination with antiquities and their nostalgia for ancient Rome. Students read passages from Poggio … Continue reading

Posted in Ancient History, Art History, Cultural History, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History in the Media, History of the Book, Humanities Education, Intellectual History, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Renaissance Art and History, The Past Alive: Teaching History | Leave a comment

Geckos, Environmental History, and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Historians are collaborating with scientists in new ways these days, especially in the growing field of environmental history. Scholars are making new and fascinating discoveries about the long history of human transformations of environments. Historians of the Columbian Exchange, beginning … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Environmental History, Globalization, History of Science, Maritime History, Renaissance Art and History, World History | Leave a comment

Historians Respond to Critical Race Theory Controversy

Historians and educators across the United States are responding to the current political attacks on Critical Race Theory and politicians’ attempts to dictate the ways in which professional historians teach about race and racism in American history. Many historians and … Continue reading

Posted in Academic Freedom, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Education Policy, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, Globalization, High School History Teaching, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Activism and Protest Culture, Political Culture, Renaissance Art and History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Diversity in Historical Re-enactments

Colonial Williamsburg, one of the most important sites for historical re-enactment in the United States, is increasingly stressing diversity issues in its historical interpretations of colonial American society. The community of Williamsburg, Virginia, has been promoting building restoration and living … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, Historical Re-enactment, History in the Media, History of Race and Racism, Museums and Historical Memory, Social History, The Past Alive: Teaching History, United States History and Society, Urban History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

The Politics of Commemorating Napoleon

Commemorations of the Bicentennial of the death of Napoléon Bonaparte this year have become the latest battleground in France’s ongoing “culture wars.” The figure of Napoléon remains powerful in French popular culture through television series, documentaries, films, and video games. … Continue reading

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Strategy and International Politics, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Enemies in the Early Modern World Conference

A virtual conference on Enemies in the Early Modern World, 1453-1789: Conflict, Culture and Control, hosted by University of Edinburgh, was recently held in March 2021. The conference call for papers reads: “From Luther’s insistence that the Pope is the … Continue reading

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, History of Violence, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World, World History | Leave a comment