The Most Underrated Era in History (In My Opinion)

Everyone has their favorite period in history. Mine happens to be a period not too long ago. But everyone dressed really weird so I think we all collectively agreed to forget. The early modern period. A time when Poland was a superpower. The Ottomans ruled half the Mediterranean. And the Holy Roman Empire was, existing...barely.

[juanmanuelpenaloza]

Keep in mind, Beretta was founded in this era. Yes, the company that made the first hand cannons, also made the M9 handgun used by Army officers.

[Lynmaru_]

It's so crazy to realize that Pirates, Knights and Pilgrims weren't actually a thousand years apart from each other

[artofnocula]

I’m Polish, I can vouch the 1500 to 1700 period is the most talked about era in Polish history class. Learning about the socio-political dynamics of Polish Lithuania that lead to the partitions (hello 1792) is like our version of the fall of Rome, with all the literary romanticisation that comes with it.

[handlesarecringe]

What I love about this period is how quickly the lance fell out of fashion after the pistol became common. There was barely any transition period, they basically instantly dropped the lances the instant they could get pistols.

[astronautindisguise]

It blows my mind that Hollywood hasn’t focused more on this era. You’ve got massive hand cannons that would look imposing on the screen, incredibly detailed outfits with extravagant colors, massive walled city sieges. It really is almost a perfect era for Hollywood but they ignore it completely.

[MagicMike]

You’ve sold it to me, the moment I realized the peak of Caribbean Piracy, the Ottoman Empire, and the Spanish Empire were in the same time period, I fell in love with this era

[generaldave]

The Pike & Shot Era is so underrated, thank you for appreciating it.

[connorblair]

This is actually why I adore Warhammer fantasy so much, as the Empire is in the Early Modern Period with pike & shot armies being their main tactic

[BuddySpike]

It’s so odd learning about the English civil war and going to castles hearing about one army attacking the castle with pikes and swords whilst the other army inside the castle is shooting at them with muskets and a canon mounted at the top of the roof. It’s so interesting.

[MauriceEscargot]

In the Netherlands we learn a lot about this era because for us it was the Dutch Golden Age. We were at the peak of our power and were one of the biggest powers in Europe at the time. It's unfortunate that it is not mentioned even though there is a lot of Dutch artwork in the video.

[georginachard]

As a Brit this perspective is so interesting because in our public school history we hear a lot about this era, Tudors, Stuart's, cival war etc.

[imasyourleague]

at that time theres a alot of jobs can be sign:
- Farmer
- Pirates
- Explorer
- Merchant
- Soldier of Pikes
- Soldier of Musket
- Soldier of Archery
- Knights
- Priest
- Witch
- Mercenaries
- Spy
- Artillery Crew
- Noble Government
- Printing Crew

[compatriot]

It's sad to see this era of pikemen and musketeers so often overlooked, especially in America. It was such an eventful period, especially for nations like Spain and Poland-Lithuania

[MysteriusChannel]

This is so hilarious to watch as a German, because pilgrims are literally the least of our worries during history class.

[jmanjman]

The fact you didn’t include all the wild stuff that was going on in Holland shows how crazy this era actually was

[LieutenantLudum]

Fun fact, pike and shot was not phased out for a very long time, they just put the pikes on the guns in the form of bayonets.

[marcello]

As an Italian who loves very much the Netherlands, this is one of my favorite eras, particularly the 16th and 17th century. To me it evocates the same vibes as the Late Antiquity.

[frankdecron]

Wish EU4 was as fun during this time period and less on early game. The problem is that it doesn’t really show internal strife, rebellion, and civil wars well. Also snowballing is a huge issue, countries never really collapse—especially if you are the player. If you are successful early game, you’ll be successful throughout.

[NauticalMongoose]

"Everyone hated France" is a pretty good summary of European geopolitics in this era.

[prettypic]

17th century history is DEFINITELY underrated in more than just military. The fashions, the culture, the politics, everything is just HAM. I just finished a great book on political informers in post glorious revolution England and it was one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve ever had! (I’ve also been reading the 1632/ring of fire series and enjoying it too)