[John O]

After the calamities of the Reformation, English Civil War, Glorious, French, Industrial, and Russian Revolutions, etc

If he's referring to the Protestant Reformation then calamity is the wrong word to use.

[ArrogantBustard]

calamity is the wrong word

Quite so ... It's not nearly strong enough. 'Disaster' comes closer ... perhaps 'catastrophe' would be better, or maybe 'fiasco'. As usually understood in 21^st Century English, 'tragedy' is certainly not strong enough.