The time around 1500 was a period of upheaval: a new way of thinking emerged from the rigid conceptual frameworks of the Middle Ages. However, a newly developing power politics also led to dynastic, religious, and political conflicts. This volume paints an exciting picture of this era, which has left deep marks in our collective memory, not least due to the Thirty Years' War. - Early Modern Period from the Reformation to the Thirty Years' War - Historical image, historical concept, historical boundaries - Reformation, confessions, confessionalization - Forms of rule and statehood in the Empire and in Europe - European conflicts, religious wars, and peace treaties - Status and society: nobility, citizens, peasants - Worldview, mentality, and thinking - Education and knowledge, spirit and culture.