This graduate seminar will examine the multifaceted and dynamic constructions of power (political, coercive, economic, and legal) in Europe and its expanding empires from 1400-1750. Topics covered will include dynastic, elective, and republican regimes; state-building and its discontents; feud, vendetta, and revolt; witchcraft, heresy, and religious nonconformity; legal developments; and the economic power of guilds, companies, and states.
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