The age of upheavals: Continuity and change in early modern Europe, 7,5 cedits

This course is at the undergraduate level, and is electable for incoming exchange students. The course is taught in English and is one of five elective courses in the second period of the larger Historia II course, spring semester 2026.

The coup d'état and arrest of Gustav IV. 19th century drawing. KB, KoB Sv. HP G. IV A. A.31.

The aim of this academic course is to analyse and assess the possibility of political change in a period that has been described as a continuous system of hierarchical extraction; “l’ancien régime”. The history of early modern Europe is in fact full of uprisings, coup d’etats, external conflicts and civil wars.

We use contemporary historical literature to deepen our understanding of this process, discussing similarities and differences as well as the driving forces behind the development. The course proposes a comparative perspective in comparing Swedish regime shifts with similar phenomena in countries such as Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Poland or Russia.

For the examination, each student will write an essay on political change in early modern Europe, comparing the development in Sweden with one or two other European countries.

Key concepts to be addressed: political regimes, critical junctions, path dependency, domestic/international conflict, causes/effects, comparative perspectives.

  • The course is in English as the language of instruction

Last updated: 2026-01-27

Source: Department of History

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