The book by the famous historian Francis Vanes is dedicated to a turning point in European history - the unusually long and eventful 16th century. This is the most important milestone, incorporating the features of the fading Middle Ages with its witch hunts, the Reformation, brutal wars, and the New Age, the era of change and scientific discoveries. War follows war, uprisings break out in Europe, witches are burned at the stake. Ottoman troops invade Europe. Martin Luther writes the 95 Theses, for which he will be excommunicated. The borders of the Habsburg possessions lie so far that they will later be called an empire “on which the sun never sets.” The author unfolds before the reader a motley canvas on which there was a place for Emperor Charles V and William of Orange, great artists and the harsh Inquisition. In one mesmerizing book, Vanes managed to capture the entire 16th century, which laid the foundations of modern society. Neither famous monarchs nor the most ordinary people escaped the attention of the historian. “This century is sometimes considered a transitional one: a historical bridge to the Age of Enlightenment, the cradle of our current worldview. But the starting point for the knowledge society as we know it today was really set in the 16th century... Since that century, people have been resolutely looking forward, not back" (Francis Vanes). The publishing layout of the book is preserved in PDF A4 format.