Before we start, I must state this. When this was first done on the 14th, Reddit was in the process of falling apart. Thus we did not get the full ability to take questions. If you wish, please look here to see what has been asked and previous answers.
A reminder though, on Monday, the 21st, we will be doing a second AMA focused on Central and Eastern Europe, talking about kingdoms such as Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and Russia, including many people being here the can discuss the impotent Holy Roman Empire.
With the end of the Thirty Years War, Europe was ready to rise out of the ashes of confessional based conflict. While the this war wasn’t purely or primarily focused on confessional beliefs, the the world before it was certainly different than that of after. In this new and long 18th century, we see the rise of Dynastic politics and warfare.
This time period also sees multiple revolutions; the seeds of the industrial revolution is planted in Britain while the seeds of philosophical revolution are planted in Spain under Spinoza and picked up by others with the Enlightenment. There is a revolution of governance, with the strengthening of the State throughout most of Europe, a rise of Enlightened Despots that shaped their kingdoms and the nations to come.
Finally, with the change in government and leaders, we have a change in fashion. Courts become centralized and draw power from this centralization but culture also grows from this. We have the rise of famous courts like Sanssouchi or the ever famous Versailles. Culture becomes more focused and wide spread from single points.
While the West has a long history with multiple currents that shape it to the way it is now, these hundred and fifty one years are highly influential and set up contemporary Europe.
Le Dramatis Personae
/u/hazelnutcream Her expertise is on British Imperial governance at the close of the Seven Years’ War with a focus on the origins of the American Revolution. She also has a particular interest in the place of Britain’s other kingdoms, Scotland & Ireland, and their place within the British Empire.
/u/Itsalrightwithme is focused on Early Modern Europe but with a focus on the Habsburg realms, for today that will be Spain and the Spanish/Austrian Netherlands. He will be happy to answer questions on how Habsburg Spain and it’s successor, Bourbon Spain, reacted to the challenges of the 17th and 18th centuries. n.b. He does not live in the Low Countries.
/u/ColeVintage studies the trade and construction of fashionable consumer goods and how they affected both political movements and their daily life.
/u/alexistheman will be answering questions on His Majesty’s Britannic Royal Government.
/u/elos_ will be speaking about the Spanish and French New World, the genocide of native people’s, and the evils of Colonialism. He may help with mainland France.
/u/Bakuraptor expresses his sincerest regrets that he will not be able to attend as he is traveling.
Finally, /u/DonaldFDraper will express his love for France, particularly the Second Worst part of French history, the ancien regime.
Ask your questions! And we will try our best!
Directly inspired by /u/ColeVintage introduction
What kind of consumer goods were fashionable in Netherlands post-Thirty year war? I picked Netherlands as I think of it then as a rich country with large citizen base, but could be any country.
I can think of basic stuff as food, clothes, stuff for the house, books maybe, but were there some other, peculiar products or shopping habits in general worth noting? Items from the New World? Knock-offs? Gadgets?
First off I’d like to say thank you for volunteering your time and knowledge for this. Bourbon Spain is one of my favorite countries to read about so any information on the subject is always welcome. I am mostly interested in Spain’s navy during the 18th century. Her navy has always seemed… underwhelming. I would assume that a formidable navy would be a priority for a country frequently at war with England and dependent on overseas colonies for wealth.
I’ve read a few sources is passing that Spain’s crews were of low quality. Were they? How did they compare to other navies? Where their ships comparable, both in size and quality?
Was there any lengthy focus on improving the size and performance of the navy?
Did Spain have the means to challenge England at sea? Did they have an overall strategy for countering the English at sea? What about colonial defense?
And last but not least, are there any books you guys recommend on the subject?
I hope this isn't outside the scope of this AMA -
How good was European military technology in comparison to those of the kingdoms of Africa, Asia and the Middle East at this time?
In terms of sheer numbers, what was the biggest battle these powers fought during the period and what was the outcome?
What were the most important technological and social developments in the (mass?) production of consumer goods in this, the age before the Industrial Revolution?
What strategic advantages did Spain actually derive from having Bourbon monarchs?
Was there a palpable, rising standard of living for the common citizens of these great powers during this time or were their lives of more or less the same hardship at the end of this period?
The impression I get of 16th-17th c. Spain is that the mission of fighting heretics and controlling territory was put into motion by Philip II, then carried to ruinous conclusion under Philip IV and Olivares. Why didn't the country fracture completely, with the succession of Philip's son? Why didn't Valencia, Aragon, etc. split off like Portugal? They had complained bitterly of ruinous taxation under Olivares.
Was the curbing of the Estates (examples of that would be in Castile, in Prussia and in Austria) a requirement for the European nations to rise to become Great Powers? Did any of the more powerful states in Europe increase the power of the Estates and how did that help or hinder the state(s) in question?
Voltaire wrote a book called L'Ingénu which is about a Huron that arrives in France.
My question is was why would a Huron go to France in the first place? Was it "common" for native americans to go Great Britain or France?
Why was Nutmeg so important as a consumer product, what can you do with the stuff? It seems to have been very important to the Dutch East India Company; but why did the stuff matter at all ?