[AlotOfReading]

You're not imagining it. The period roughly between 1500-1800 is usually called the early modern period (with endless debates over the precise endcaps). Rather than stagnating or isolating though, historians usually consider it one of the most dynamic and volatile periods in European history.

The 17th century in particular is usually divided in two between the thirty years war and the post-westphalian era when nation-states begin to exist.