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The early modern period - the period from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century - is considered to be the epoch of transformation from the Middle Ages to the modernity of the 19th and 20th centuries. The revolution of the print media, the beginning of confessional-religious plurality, the emergence of the modern state, the expansion of Europe into the rest of the world or globalization, the so-called invention of modern sciences and the secularization of world interpretations will determine the face of the modern world and make the early modern period appear as the "pattern book of modernity". Characteristically, however, these developments were not linear and one-dimensional, but surprisingly contradictory and complex. In many respects, the early modern period is even very strange to us. Birth status, "heredity," honor and religion played a decisive role in people's thoughts and actions, dress and living habits were strictly regulated, the world was permeated by magical ideas, astrology and alchemy were considered recognized sciences, the "Black Death," witch hunts and visions of the end times were constantly present. This juxtaposition of the non-simultaneous, of the familiar and the foreign in one's own culture and its interconnections is what makes the early modern period so appealing. Last but not least, it is the view of the other, of the alternatives in history, especially in the process of the emergence of modernity, through which the study of the early modern period gains its special topicality. The courses offered at the University of Kassel reflect these research perspectives by providing students in the teaching, bachelor's and master's programs with a thematically broad basic and general knowledge of German and European history as well as the fascinating diversity and ambivalences of the epoch in culture, society and politics.

This text is the result of a machine translation and serves only as a working aid. No responsibility is accepted for any inaccuracies or translation errors.