The European Early Modern Period was a time of transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era. It was marked by profound social, political, economic, religious, scientific and cultural changes. In the Early Modern Period, people were confronted with numerous contradictions, crises and challenges; despite its distinctness, this era resembles our own time in many ways. Among the central innovations were the Reformation and Humanism, a consolidation of statehood and the Enlightenment. With global networking through ‘voyages of discovery,’ worldwide trade and colonisation, Europe began forming reciprocal relationships with other continents and cultures; an early form of globalisation shaped the Early Modern Period. It was crucial for the emergence of the modern world and for many developments that later reached their peak.
The research focus at the Greifswald chair includes cultural contacts, transfers and interrelationships, and the history of maritime spaces.
The chair cooperates with the International Research Centre for the Baltic Sea Region (IFZO) and with the International Research Training Group Baltic Peripeties.