Seventeenth Century History
The seventeenth century was a time of rapid change and brilliant thinkers in the world. A number of European countries were beginning to colonize large parts of the world. The French, English, and Dutch were actively flexing their muscles. The Thirty Years War which started in 1618 resulted in The Treaty of Westphalia, which made official the … Keep Reading → power of the sovereign rulers of nation-states. Near the end of the century in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts the infamous trials of suspected witches resulted in innocent people being put to death. There were many great minds that made significant contributions in the seventeenth century; Francis Bacon, for example, who is largely credited with inventing modern scientific thought. Blaise Pascal was another brilliant thinker of the time; with his historical work in science and mathematics. Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton did their pioneering work in the century as well. Legendary creative figures of the time include William Shakespeare and Rembrandt.
