First off again, disclosure: I’m writing a book (my first!) and starting to do research.
I want to know things about the 1600s, starting very early (first decade) and going through the rest of that century. What level of technology was around? Who were the great minds of the day? Artists? What major discoveries were made? What were cities and towns like, versus rural life? Did anything happen globally of great importance?
Can anyone recommend any books that talk about what life was like for the average person during those times? I’m quite willing to read up to do this research but being pointed in the right direction would be awfully handy and getting started has always been my weakest point when doing research, like for school papers. Once I find the sources I can glean what I need, it’s just finding the sources that I stumble on.
I’m interested primarily in English/Scotish/Welsh/Irish and also Dutch. What was London like?
Any pointers would be much appreciated. I know it probably feels like homework help, but you guys are just so resourceful that it’s hard not to start here. Even if you can just give me some good Google Fu–search terms that might be handy or search strategies.
Elizabeth I died in 1603 and was followed by James I (he of the King James Version of the bible). Shakespeare was still writing at the beginning of the century.
Charles I followed James I but was executed by Cromwell in 1649. The monarchy was eventually restored under Charles II in 1660. James II succeeded him in 1685.
Both the Dutch and English founded colonies in the New World during that century.
There was a series of Anglo-Dutch wars during the 17th century. During one of them, the English took over the Dutch colony. Somewhere I read that Manhattan was traded during treaty talks for a now obscure island in the East Indies. Both the Dutch and the English wanted the East Indian island, since it was the source of some spice. But the Dutch had done better during the war, so the English were forced to take the second-best island.
This should give you plenty of topics to look up in Wikipedia.
The 17th century was an incredibly important and turbulent period in English history. The transfers of power mentioned by dtilque were not just regular successions, but involved important conflicts over religion, the monarchy, and the authority of Parliament, all culminating in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
For individual dramatic events, the great fire of London in 1666 is a pretty good candidate.
For something like a book, especially if you’re starting from scratch, the best place to start might be social histories, the sort that focus on everyday life. I’m no expert in English history, but i read some as an undergrad, and a couple more as a grad student. Here’s a few that will help you get started, on London at least:
Wow, thanks mhendo. Those sound like great places to start out.
Fortunately this is for backstory on my older vampire character. The setting of the book will not be in that time, just anecdotal tales when the vampire talks about his past, so I don’t need to be fluent in the period, just know enough to sound plausible.
You guys are being immensely helpful; I appreciate it.
Right. I was just trying to hit the high spots, but forgot one of the biggest.
Note that there was also an outbreak of the bubonic plague during 1665-6, so it was a double disaster.
Another name from this era to look up: Christopher Wren. He was the architect responsible for rebuilding London’s churches after the fire. His most notable accomplishment was St Paul’s Cathedral, although it didn’t get completed until the next century.
In scientific circles, the Royal Society was founded in this century and Isaac Newton did his most important work.
1611 saw the publication of the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible. Its impact was (and remains) huge; the KJV was the first Bible to be (1) literate, (2) popular and (3) in English. The Catholic Church had kind of a vested interest in keeping the Bible in Latin prior to the Protestant Reformation and the first few Bibles to be translated into English were victims of dubious scholarship and a Puritan agenda. Now literate Englishmen could see for themselves what the Bible really said, and form their own interpretations. It remains the Bible of choice for most English-speaking Protestants to this day, and when Biblical quotes are used for any (English-speaking) literary purpose, this is the one writers go to. Few books have made as big an impact on Western culture.
A pretty good movie about the 17th Century: Restoration, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Sam Neill. Court intrigues and the state of medical science of the day (1660s) were major themes.
The 17th century was certainly a mess for England. With the Revolution (and Commonwealth and Restoration), Plague, Great Fire and Glorious Revolutionit was a happening time.
Read Pepys diaries for dialogue and first-hand information.
Famous diarist who had first-hand accounts of both the plague and the great fire as well as daily, mundane existence like eating and affairs and hiring maids and dealing with transportation.
There’s always Forever Amber, by Kathleen Winsor. (I read on Wikipedia that this book is 972 pages long and was whittled down by the publishers from an epic FIVE times as long!)
The Baroque Cycle books by Neal Stephenson is historical fiction about the late 1600s, focusing on the Royal Society in London but also includes visits to Germany and the Netherlands and even Turkey.
Of course you’ll need like 3 weeks to read it. It’s three heavy books. But a fantastic painting of the era.
If the 1900s were “The American Century,” then the 1600s were undoubtedly the “Dutch Century.” Most of the major activity of the 1600s can ultimately be connected to the conflicts between the Dutch and the Spanish, and ultimately between the Catholic Holy Roman Empire and the protestant states of Germany, and the Low Countries (Netherlands and parts of Belgium and France.) The defining event of the 1600s really was the Thirty Years War and without understanding it, the history of the period will not make much sense.