The 17th Century might be seen as the retort to the 16th Century. The 1500s included the beginning of Protestantism, Humanism, and Individualism; the 1600s were decidedly marked with wars initiated due to Catholic-Protestant Tensions, and government forms and powers shifted.
Basically, the 17th Century was a power struggle. I'll go through a couple of examples. First, in England, James I was crowned king. He was Protestant, which is important. At first he was tolerant to Catholics, but over time he commanded all Catholic Priests to leave the country. The Gunpowder Plot, which was a plan to assassinate the king and many Protestant aristocrats, was formed by conspirators trying to instigate a Catholic monarch, but was foiled.
After James, Charles I came to power. His wife was Catholic, which made Protestant England nervous about what religion their son, Charles II, would be. Charles I and his parliament continually battled for power. Parliament was not a very strong presence in English government, but the king had to ask permission to receive funding. Parliament refused, and for several years Charles dissolved Parliament, making him the sole ruler of England in many ways. Charles tried to unify Britain (including Scotland and Ireland) by introducing one church. It was "High Anglicanism," and although it was theoretically Protestant, it was very ceremonial, and therefore similar to the Catholic church. This started the First English Civil War, and Charles eventually had to call Parliament in order to receive funding. Still, the king and Parliament struggled for power, which led to another English Civil War, which ended with Charles' execution and turning Britain into a commonwealth.
However, after years of different forms of ineffective government, eventually Charles II was put on the throne. Still, Parliament became a greater part of British rule ever after.
In other parts of Europe, the Thirty Years' War changed the continent forever. Partly started because of Protestant-Catholic tensions in the Holy Roman Empire, the war involved several countries: Germany, France, Spain, Sweeden, Italy, and more at different stages. It devastated certain parts of Europe with disease and a large number of deaths, especially in Germany. Some of the obvious consequences were that the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, and Spain was no longer a European super power. Sweeden, on the other hand, became a major force in Europe.
Around the same time, the Hugenot Rebellions in France started because of fearful Protestants in the Catholic-dominated country. Louis XIII was king and had commanded that only Catholics sit in Parliament. The Hugenots, who were Protestants, felt threatened and declared they would defy the monarchy. With Cardinal Richelieu as chief minister, Louis XIII crushed the several rebellions. The Hugenots lost territorial, political, and military rights, and only reserved their religious rights until Louis XIV revoked those completely in 1685. The aftermath was an extremely strong central government in France.
The 17th Century was decidedly marked by a desire to control. And, interestingly enough, a lot of it had to do with religion. 16th Century Protestantism was, in a way, the beginning of spiritual and intellectual freedom. Man could read for himself what the Bible really taught, and could decide for himself what path he should then take. He didn't have to rely on clergy to tell him what to do. The legitimacy of certain religious traditions were questioned, and Man could decide if they were right or wrong, and then choose to follow a different path if He pleased. In this way, 16th Century Protestantism exemplifies individuality and freedom.
In an ironic twist, that very Protestantism then tried to assert control in the 17th Century. In England it struggled to confine or even eradicate Catholic power. Though I suppose Catholicism did the same thing as it obliterated Protestant rights in France. Religion, which was the essence of openness in the 16th Century, became completely intolerant in the 17th Century. It caused wars and most of the major movements of the period.
I know you were thinking it: what does this have to do with getting digital? I suppose the thing most on my mind this week is SOPA. A friend of mine started telling me more about it, and after studying a little of the 17th Century, I can see the power-struggle continuing today. It's not really about religion anymore, but it's a question of where the control is. By the end of the 17th Century, many of the governmental institutions had changed. In England, Parliament grew stronger. In France, the king asserted his central power. In the Holy Roman Empire, the authority was dissipated into weaker, broken-up countries. SOPA would give more power to the Federal Government, but also to companies who claimed to be victims of copyright theft. My friend who was telling me about it said, "It would basically change the internet as we know it." The wars of the 17th Century basically changed Europe as it was.
Now, luckily, we live in a democratic nation and we shouldn't be killed or driven out of the country for our beliefs. There are some things we can do, though I'm still reading and deciding what are some of the best things to do. I'll probably be doing some more research about it future posts.
In the end, what I want to say is, the 17th Century power struggles were not the highlight of our history. A civilization thrives when its people are free to act and think as they like. It also must be tolerant. When I say tolerant, I don't mean abandoning our own beliefs. I mean live and let live. Control is a good thing in moderation. We just have to find that balance.
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