New Books in History Stuart Carroll, "Enmity and Violence in Early Modern Europe" (Cambridge UP, 2023)
Jan 10, 2026
Stuart Carroll, an early modern historian and professor at the University of York, delves into enmity and violence in Europe from 1500 to 1800. He explores how ordinary people dealt with enemies and the escalation of violence in personal and political realms. Carroll contrasts public and private enmities, analyzes changing language around conflict, and discusses regional differences in conflict resolution. He argues that Europe's unique debate culture fostered both violence and pluralism, challenging notions of a steady decline in violence.
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Private Feuds Became Political Threats
- Enmity in early modern Europe mixed private grievances and public politics, making personal enemies a political danger.
- Stuart Carroll shows private feuds often escalated into wider civil conflict during the 16th–17th centuries.
Renaissance and Reformation Raised Violence
- Violence rose after the Renaissance and Reformation rather than declining with 'civilization.'
- Carroll connects new masculine ideals and the collapse of medieval reconciliation practices to rising homicide rates.
Combine Archives And Ego Documents
- Use judicial archives and ego-documents like diaries and livres de raison to study enmity and litigation patterns.
- Carroll recommends combining statistical homicide data with personal writings to capture feelings and motives.
