Hello everyone and welcome to the History of England episode 322.

The early 17th century and this episode is going to focus on religion and science.

Now while we're on the subject of ballruses and indeed carpenters it's time to talk about

the wider European context for the next stage of the history of England and time to stop

warbling on about, I don't know, shoes, ships, seining wax, cabbages and all that, and focus

on the kings once more.

Many moons have gone by since we had some history of Europe episodes.

In fact, I seem to remember writing part of the last one years ago in the early hours

in a B&B in North Wales before Henry woke up and we could start the days walking along

off his dike.

Happy days.

In such furnaces are the words of history forged.

Anyway, enough of the hyperbole.

These episodes cause me an inordinate level of pain and grief, actually, normally so anyway,

because they're quite impossible really.

One week there I am talking about the petty sessions in small English countitans and the

next we have four and a half seconds on the rise or otherwise of absolutism followed

by 35 seconds on the death of millions in the 30 years war.

It is impossible to do it justice.

Now more and more as we advance tortoise like towards the foothills of modernity, Europe

and indeed the world becomes ever more interconnected and our story will include that on the history

of England.

...