Historians often describe this period of European history as a century of war. There were wars of conquest and liberation, civil wars and (so-called) wars of religion which dramatically changed the relationships between countries. These wars produced the decline of Spain, which was replaced by France as the major continental power. Sweden emerged as the great power of the Baltic region. Two revolutions in England produced a unique form of government, and the creation of the United Provinces introduced into Europe an energetic and powerful centre of trade as well as a major cultural centre.

• The Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648)
• The Conflict Begins
• Sweden and France
• Germany, Spain and Sweden after 1648
• The United Provinces
• Beginning of the Decline
• Prussia
• Russia
• Social Conditions
• Peter the Great and the Rise of Russia (1682-1725)