Early modern Europe is the term used by historians to refer to a period in the history of Europe (especially Western Europe and Central Europe) which spanned the centuries between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century. The early modern period is often considered to have begun with such events as the invention of moveable type printing in the 1450s; the Fall of Constantinople in 1453; the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485; the Voyages of Christopher Columbus and the completion of the Reconquista in 1492 or the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Its end point is often linked with the outset of the French Revolution in 1789, or with the more nebulous origins of industrialism in late 18th century Britain. As with most periodizations of history, however, the precise dates chosen vary.

Der Begriff Frühe Neuzeit, Frühmoderne oder Neuere Geschichte bezeichnet in der Geschichte Europas üblicherweise das Zeitalter zwischen dem Spätmittelalter (Mitte 13. bis Ende 15. Jh.) und der Französischen Revolution (1789–1799).

A Idade Moderna é um período específico da História do Ocidente. Ela se destaca das demais por ter sido um período de transição por excelência. Tradicionalmente aceita-se o início estabelecido pelos historiadores franceses, 1453 quando ocorreu a tomada de Constantinopla pelos Turcos otomanos, e o término com a Revolução Francesa, em 1789.

Но́вое вре́мя, но́вая исто́рия — понятие, обобщающее культуры, цивилизации и события, ориентированные во времени примерно с 1492 по 1789 года новой эры.