Modern History
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course aims to offer both an introduction to the history of Europe within the context of transatlantic and global interactions from the end of the 15th to the first decades of the 19th Century (Part A) and an in-depth monographic analysis on specific phenomena in a global perspective, with a particular attention to the relations between past and present, facts, interpretations and cultural memory (Part B).
Expected learning outcomes
Thanks to the course, the interaction with the teacher, the individual examination of the documents analysed in class and/or individual learning (see. NF bibliography), the students will be able to:
- Acquire the knowledge of European history from the end of the 15th century to the first decades of the 19th century, with a specific focus on its prominent features.
- Understand the underlying demographic, social, economic, institutional, political, international, religious, and cultural dynamics of European History in the above-mentioned centuries from a transatlantic and global perspective.
- Learn to analyse critically sources and documents relevant to European history with a specific attention to past-present dynamics.
- Learn to explain the knowledge acquired both in an oral and/or written form.
- Learn to connect the knowledge acquired regarding European History phenomena, sources, and interpretations with other subjects of the curriculum.
- Acquire the knowledge of European history from the end of the 15th century to the first decades of the 19th century, with a specific focus on its prominent features.
- Understand the underlying demographic, social, economic, institutional, political, international, religious, and cultural dynamics of European History in the above-mentioned centuries from a transatlantic and global perspective.
- Learn to analyse critically sources and documents relevant to European history with a specific attention to past-present dynamics.
- Learn to explain the knowledge acquired both in an oral and/or written form.
- Learn to connect the knowledge acquired regarding European History phenomena, sources, and interpretations with other subjects of the curriculum.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
Course title: The Global Interactions of Early Modern Europe
Part One: A Global History of Early Modern Europe (16th-19th Centuries)
Part Two: "The Opening of the World" in European Sources from the Long Sixteenth Century
The course aims to guide students in exploring the historical roots of today's globalised world. It is divided into two parts. The first provides an introduction to the main developments in the global history of early modern Europe (16th-19th centuries), adopting an approach that highlights the relationship between past and present, historiography, and cultural memory. The second part, through the analysis of a variety of primary sources, examines the historical formation of a global framework, with particular emphasis on the sixteenth century.
The syllabus is valid until February 2028.
Part One: A Global History of Early Modern Europe (16th-19th Centuries)
Part Two: "The Opening of the World" in European Sources from the Long Sixteenth Century
The course aims to guide students in exploring the historical roots of today's globalised world. It is divided into two parts. The first provides an introduction to the main developments in the global history of early modern Europe (16th-19th centuries), adopting an approach that highlights the relationship between past and present, historiography, and cultural memory. The second part, through the analysis of a variety of primary sources, examines the historical formation of a global framework, with particular emphasis on the sixteenth century.
The syllabus is valid until February 2028.
Prerequisites for admission
There are no additional prerequisites beyond those required for admission to the degree programme.
Teaching methods
Attendance is strongly recommended, although not compulsory.
The course consists of lectures designed to foster the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and disciplinary terminology required for the subject, as well as the direct analysis of a range of primary sources.
Class discussion forms an integral part of the teaching method and is intended to promote students' critical thinking and their ability to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
In addition to lectures, the course includes group work and/or individual presentations.
Language of instruction: Italian.
The course consists of lectures designed to foster the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and disciplinary terminology required for the subject, as well as the direct analysis of a range of primary sources.
Class discussion forms an integral part of the teaching method and is intended to promote students' critical thinking and their ability to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
In addition to lectures, the course includes group work and/or individual presentations.
Language of instruction: Italian.
Teaching Resources
6 CFU
Attending students
Knowledge of the topics covered in class.
Part 1:
R. Ago - V. Vidotto, Storia moderna, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2021
C. H. Parker, Le relazioni globali nell'età moderna, 1400-1800, Il Mulino, Bologna 2012
Students are strongly encouraged to consult a historical atlas.
Part 2:
Knowledge of the sources examined in class and the teaching materials available on MyAriel, as well as the interview: Serge Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, https://video.unimi.it/media/478/
6CFU
Non-attending students
Knowledge of the volumes and materials listed below
Part 1:
R. Ago - V. Vidotto, Storia moderna, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2021, the interview: Serge Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, by Maria Matilde Benzoni, https://video.unimi.it/media/478/
Students are strongly encouraged to consult a historical atlas.
Part 2:
C. H. Parker, Le relazioni globali nell'età moderna, 1400-1800, Il Mulino, Bologna 2012, and either one of the following texts or one of the following groups of texts, selected from a single linguistic and cultural or thematic area listed below.
French
P. Burke, Il Re Sole, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2017
P. R. Campbell, Luigi XIV e la Francia del suo tempo, Il Mulino, Bologna 1997
V. Criscuolo, Napoleone, Bologna, Il Mulino, Bologna 2009
Spanish, Portuguese
M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012
J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale. 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2006
B. Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari 2010
G. Parker, Un solo re, un solo impero. Filippo II di Spagna, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2005
H. Rawlings, L'Inquisizione spagnola, Il Mulino, Bologna 2008
D. Salomoni, Magellano. Il primo viaggio intorno al mondo, Laterza, Bari 2022
T. Todorov, La conquista dell'America. Il problema dell'altro, Einaudi, Torino 2005
English
M. D. Palmer, Enrico VIII, Il Mulino, Bologna 2003 e G. Abbattista, La rivoluzione americana, Laterza, Bari-Roma 20196
M. D. Palmer, Enrico VIII, Il Mulino, Bologna 2003 and T. Bonazzi, La rivoluzione americana, Il Mulino, Bologna 2018
P. Wende, L'impero britannico. Storia di una potenza mondiale, Einaudi, Torino 2009
D. Salomoni, Francis Drake. Il corsaro che sfidò un impero, Laterza, Bari 2022
Polish
J. Lukowski - H. Zawadzki, Polonia. il paese che rinasce, Beit, Trieste 2009
and a selection of chapters in R. I. Frost, The Oxford History of Poland. The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569, OUP, Oxford 2018
Russian
P. Buschkovitch, Breve storia della Russia: dalle origini a Putin, Einaudi, Torino 2013
L. Hughes, Pietro il Grande, Einaudi, Torino 2012
W. Marshall, Pietro il Grande e la Russia del suo tempo, il Mulino, Bologna, 1999
M. Raeff, La Russia degli zar, Laterza, Roma 2023
Scandinavian languages
N. Kent, A Concise History of Sweden, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2008
Selected chapters related to the modern age, to be defined with the teacher, in E. I. Kouri - J. E. Olesen (eds.), The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, 2, 1520-1870, Cambridge University Press, 2016
German
R. H. Bainton, La Riforma protestante, Einaudi, Torino 2000, pp. 280
R. H. Bainton, Lutero, Einaudi, Torino 2013
T. Kaufmann, Lutero, Il Mulino, Bologna 2007 and M. Rady, Carlo V e il suo tempo, Il Mulino, Bologna 1997
Other topics
A. Prosperi, Missionari. Dalle Indie remote alle Indie interne, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2024
E. Bonora, La Controriforma, Laterza, Bari-Roma 2020 e S. Pavone, I Gesuiti dalle origini alla soppressione (1540-1773), Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2021
A. Brilli, Dove finiscono le mappe, Il Mulino, Bologna 2017
C. O' Grada, Storia delle carestie, Il Mulino, Bologna 2011
S. Faroqhi, L'impero ottomano, Il Mulino, Bologna 2014 e K. Kreiser, Storia di Istanbul, Il Mulino, Bologna 2010
M. Füssel, La guerra dei sette anni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013 e V. Criscuolo, Il congresso di Vienna, Il Mulino, Bologna 2015
A. Michelet, Il bianco e il negro. Indagine storica sull'ordine razzista, Einaudi, Torino 2021
W. Naphy - A. Spicer, La peste in Europa, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021
M. Pellegrini, Le guerre d'Italia, il Mulino, Bologna 2017 e Schmidt G., La guerra dei Trent'anni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2015
Florent Quellier, La civiltà del cibo. Storia culturale dell'alimentazione in Età moderna, Carocci, Roma 2025(1)
L. Valensi, Stranieri familiari: Musulmani in Europa (XVI-XVIII secolo), Einaudi, Torino 2013
A. Vanoli, L'ignoto davanti a noi, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021
Incoming international and Erasmus students are required to contact the instructor in advance to agree on the examination programme. If necessary, this consultation may take place in English.
Attending students
Knowledge of the topics covered in class.
Part 1:
R. Ago - V. Vidotto, Storia moderna, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2021
C. H. Parker, Le relazioni globali nell'età moderna, 1400-1800, Il Mulino, Bologna 2012
Students are strongly encouraged to consult a historical atlas.
Part 2:
Knowledge of the sources examined in class and the teaching materials available on MyAriel, as well as the interview: Serge Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, a cura di Maria Matilde Benzoni, https://video.unimi.it/media/478/
6CFU
Non-attending students
Knowledge of the volumes and materials listed below
Part 1:
R. Ago - V. Vidotto, Storia moderna, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2021, the interview: Serge Gruzinski, Storia, memoria, immaginari nel mondo globalizzato, by Maria Matilde Benzoni, https://video.unimi.it/media/478/
Students are strongly encouraged to consult a historical atlas.
Part 2:
C. H. Parker, Le relazioni globali nell'età moderna, 1400-1800, Il Mulino, Bologna 2012, and either one of the following texts or one of the following groups of texts, selected from a single linguistic and cultural or thematic area listed below.
French
P. Burke, Il Re Sole, Il Saggiatore, Milano 2017
P. R. Campbell, Luigi XIV e la Francia del suo tempo, Il Mulino, Bologna 1997
V. Criscuolo, Napoleone, Bologna, Il Mulino, Bologna 2009
Spanish, Portuguese
M. M. Benzoni, Americhe e modernità. Un itinerario fra storia e storiografia dal 1492 ad oggi, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2012
J. H. Elliott, La Spagna imperiale. 1469-1716, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2006
B. Fausto, Storia del Brasile, Fabula, Cagliari 2010
G. Parker, Un solo re, un solo impero. Filippo II di Spagna, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2005
H. Rawlings, L'Inquisizione spagnola, Il Mulino, Bologna 2008
D. Salomoni, Magellano. Il primo viaggio intorno al mondo, Laterza, Bari 2022
T. Todorov, La conquista dell'America. Il problema dell'altro, Einaudi, Torino 2005
English
M. D. Palmer, Enrico VIII, Il Mulino, Bologna 2003 e G. Abbattista, La rivoluzione americana, Laterza, Bari-Roma 20196
M. D. Palmer, Enrico VIII, Il Mulino, Bologna 2003 and T. Bonazzi, La rivoluzione americana, Il Mulino, Bologna 2018
P. Wende, L'impero britannico. Storia di una potenza mondiale, Einaudi, Torino 2009
D. Salomoni, Francis Drake. Il corsaro che sfidò un impero, Laterza, Bari 2022
Polish
J. Lukowski - H. Zawadzki, Polonia. il paese che rinasce, Beit, Trieste 2009
and a selection of chapters in R. I. Frost, The Oxford History of Poland. The Making of the Polish-Lithuanian Union, 1385-1569, OUP, Oxford 2018
Russian
P. Buschkovitch, Breve storia della Russia: dalle origini a Putin, Einaudi, Torino 2013
L. Hughes, Pietro il Grande, Einaudi, Torino 2012
W. Marshall, Pietro il Grande e la Russia del suo tempo, il Mulino, Bologna, 1999
M. Raeff, La Russia degli zar, Laterza, Roma 2023
Scandinavian languages
N. Kent, A Concise History of Sweden, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2008
Selected chapters related to the modern age, to be defined with the teacher, in E. I. Kouri - J. E. Olesen (eds.), The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, 2, 1520-1870, Cambridge University Press, 2016
German
R. H. Bainton, La Riforma protestante, Einaudi, Torino 2000, pp. 280
R. H. Bainton, Lutero, Einaudi, Torino 2013
T. Kaufmann, Lutero, Il Mulino, Bologna 2007 and M. Rady, Carlo V e il suo tempo, Il Mulino, Bologna 1997
Other topics
A. Prosperi, Missionari. Dalle Indie remote alle Indie interne, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2024
E. Bonora, La Controriforma, Laterza, Bari-Roma 2020 e S. Pavone, I Gesuiti dalle origini alla soppressione (1540-1773), Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2021
A. Brilli, Dove finiscono le mappe, Il Mulino, Bologna 2017
C. O' Grada, Storia delle carestie, Il Mulino, Bologna 2011
S. Faroqhi, L'impero ottomano, Il Mulino, Bologna 2014 e K. Kreiser, Storia di Istanbul, Il Mulino, Bologna 2010
M. Füssel, La guerra dei sette anni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2013 e V. Criscuolo, Il congresso di Vienna, Il Mulino, Bologna 2015
A. Michelet, Il bianco e il negro. Indagine storica sull'ordine razzista, Einaudi, Torino 2021
W. Naphy - A. Spicer, La peste in Europa, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021
M. Pellegrini, Le guerre d'Italia, il Mulino, Bologna 2017 e Schmidt G., La guerra dei Trent'anni, Il Mulino, Bologna 2015
Florent Quellier, La civiltà del cibo. Storia culturale dell'alimentazione in Età moderna, Carocci, Roma 2025(1)
L. Valensi, Stranieri familiari: Musulmani in Europa (XVI-XVIII secolo), Einaudi, Torino 2013
A. Vanoli, L'ignoto davanti a noi, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021
Incoming international and Erasmus students are required to contact the instructor in advance to agree on the examination programme. If necessary, this consultation may take place in English.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Mode of assessment: Oral examination.
Examination format: Oral examination in Italian.
Assessment criteria: Students will be assessed on their ability to organise and discuss the knowledge they have acquired, to think critically about the topics studied, to present their arguments clearly and coherently (in terms of content, effectiveness, and logical structure), and to use appropriate specialist terminology.
Grading system: Marks are awarded on a 30-point scale.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLD): Examination arrangements should be agreed with the instructor, in consultation with the University's relevant support office.
Examination format: Oral examination in Italian.
Assessment criteria: Students will be assessed on their ability to organise and discuss the knowledge they have acquired, to think critically about the topics studied, to present their arguments clearly and coherently (in terms of content, effectiveness, and logical structure), and to use appropriate specialist terminology.
Grading system: Marks are awarded on a 30-point scale.
Examination arrangements for students with disabilities and/or specific learning disorders (SLD): Examination arrangements should be agreed with the instructor, in consultation with the University's relevant support office.
HIST-02/A - Modern History - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Benzoni Maria Matilde Luisa
Professor(s)
Reception:
To make an appointment, please contact [email protected]. For information: https://ariel.unimi.it/
Room 5018, Unimi Campus, Piazza Montanelli 1 - 2099 Sesto San Giovanni (Mi)