17th century (1600 CE – 1699 CE)

If last century was known as the Age of Exploration, this would be known as the Age of Enlightenment, as great minds such as Newton, Galileo, Déscartes, Hooke, and van Leeuwenhoek made several scientific breakthroughs. However, this is not to say that the period was not without its share of conflict and problems. While the Ming Dynasty collapsed under the pressure of the Manchus and Europeans colonized the New World, Europe found itself caught in a Thirty Years War and threw all major powers in Europe into a period of constant warfare. With the rise of empires during this time, the idea of absolutism established by King Louis XIV of France held onto authority of the state with an iron fist justified by divine right.