A Short History of the Renaissance in Europe

A Short History of the Renaissance in Europe
Author: Margaret L. King
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2016-09-22
Genre: History
ISBN: 1487593104

Writing about the Renaissance can be a daunting task. Not only do scholars disagree on what the Renaissance is, but they also disagree on whether or not it even took place. Margaret L. King's richly illustrated social history of the Renaissance succeeds as a trusted resource, introducing readers to Europe between 1300–1700, as well as to the problems of cultural renewal. A Short History of the Renaissance in Europe includes a detailed discussion of Burckhardt as well as new content on European contact with the Islamic world. This new edition also provides improved coverage of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. "Focus" features provide fascinating insights into the Renaissance era, and "Voices" sections introduce a wealth of primary sources. King's engaging narrative is enhanced by over 100 images, statistical tables, timelines, a glossary, and suggested readings.

Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe

Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe
Author: Charles G. Nauert (Jr.)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 254
Release: 1995-09-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521407243

This new textbook provides students with a highly readable synthesis of the major determining features of the European Renaissance, one of the most influential cultural revolutions in history. Professor Nauert's approach is broader than the traditional focus on Italy, and tackles the themes in the wider European context. He traces the origins of the humanist 'movement' and connects it to the social and political environments in which it developed. In a tour-de-force of lucid exposition over six wide-ranging chapters, Nauert charts the key intellectual, social, educational and philosophical concerns of this humanist revolution, using art and biographical sketches of key figures to illuminate the discussion. The study also traces subsequent transformations of humanism and its solvent effect on intellectual developments in the late Renaissance.

The Renaissance in Europe

The Renaissance in Europe
Author: Margaret L. King
Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2003
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781856693745

"The Renaissance is usually portrayed as a period dominated by the extraordinary achievements of great men: rulers, philosophers, poets, painters, architects and scientists. Leading scholar Margaret King recasts the Renaissance as a more complex cultural movement rooted in a unique urban society that was itself the product of many factors and interactions: commerce, papal and imperial ambitions, artistic patronage, scientific discovery, aristocratic and popular violence, legal precedents, peasant migrations, famine, plague, invasion and other social factors. Together with literary and artistic achievements, therefore, today's Renaissance history includes the study of power, wealth, gender, class, honour, shame, ritual and other categories of historical investigation opened up in recent years. Tracing the diffusion of the Renaissance from Italy to the rest of Europe, Professor King marries the best work of the last generation of scholars with the findings of the most recent research, including her own. Ultimately, she points to the multiple ways in which this seminal epoch influenced the later development of Western culture and society."--Jacket.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance
Author: Paul Johnson
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2013-10-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780227167

A fresh and vigorous appreciation of the intellectual liberation and artistic triumphs of the Italian Renaissance. The development of the first universities from the 12th century onwards, growing wealth and patronage in certain cities, and above all the invention of printing and cheap paper, provided essential conditions for the Renaissance. And it was in literature and scholarship that it began, in the rebirth of classical culture that loosened the Church's iron grip on visual art. Paul Johnson tells the story, in turn, of Renaissance literature, sculpture, building and painting. Despite the critical importance of inventions outside Italy - printing in Germany and oil painting in Holland - he locates the Renaissance firmly in Italy and in Florence above all, between 1400 and 1560. There are memorable sketches of the key figures - the frugal and shockingly original Donatello, the awesome Michelangelo, the delicacy of Giovanni Bellini. The final part of the book charts the spread and decline of the Renaissance, as the Catholic Church repositioned itself to counter the Reformation which the Renaissance had itself helped to produce.

The Renaissance

The Renaissance
Author: Paul Johnson
Publisher: Modern Library
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2002-08-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0812966198

The Renaissance holds an undying place in our imagination, its great heroes still our own, from Michelangelo and Leonardo to Dante and Chaucer. This period of profound evolution in European thought is credited with transforming the West from medieval to modern and producing the most astonishing outpouring of artistic creation the world has ever known. But what was it? In this masterly work, the incomparable Paul Johnson tells us. He explains the economic, technological, and social developments that provide a backdrop to the age’s achievements and focuses closely on the lives and works of its most important figures. A commanding short narrative of this vital period, The Renaissance is also a universally profound meditation on the wellsprings of innovation.

The Renaissance in Europe

The Renaissance in Europe
Author: Peter Elmer
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2000-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780300082227

Current research on the Renaissance has emphasized the need to look again at the original texts, documents and artefacts which, taken together, constitute the primary source of evidence for the re-evaluation of its historical significance. This volume represents one attempt to reflect this renewal of interest in returning to first principles. The Anthology presents a series of carefully selected primary sources across a wide range of disciplines, ordered thematically and reflecting the interests of scholars in a variety of fields of Renaissance studies. There are sections on humanism and its impact on philosophy and politics; Renaissance court culture, with particular emphasis on the courts of northern Italy and the Kingdom of Hungary; poetry and drama in Renaissance Britain; the Reformation; and science, magic and witchcraft. While some of the extracts are short and familiar, others appear here, in translation, for the first time, including, for example, an early sixteenth-century demonology by the Italian humanist Gianfrancesco Pico della Mirandola. The volume is illustrated throughout and each extract is introduced by a brief headnote describing the author and the source. Peter Elmer is Staff Tutor and Lecturer in the History of Science and Techology, Nick Webb is Staff Tutor and Lecturer in Art History, and Roberta Wood is Course Manager in the Arts Faculty, all at the Open University.

A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe

A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe
Author: Jonathan W. Zophy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 372
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN:

In an effort to bridge the gap between the often different worlds of professors and students, this exploration of Renaissance and Reformation Europe offers an accessible, engaging approach that pays sufficient attention to the roles and contributions of women. Its conversational tone and concise presentation are examples of an approach that is more representative than comprehensive--introducing historical figures and concepts as they flow through the narrative, without frequent interruption to include and define technical and foreign terms. Rather than a compendium or grand "summa," the text serves as a brief introduction to some of the major personalities, issues, events and ideas of the Renaissance and Reformation age.

A Short History of the Italian Renaissance

A Short History of the Italian Renaissance
Author: Virginia Cox
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2015-10-08
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0857727753

The extraordinary creative energy of Renaissance Italy lies at the root of modern Western culture. In her elegant new introduction, Virginia Cox offers a fresh vision of this iconic moment in European cultural history, when - between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries - Italy led the world in painting, building, science and literature. Her book explores key artistic, literary and intellectual developments, but also histories of food and fashion, map-making, exploration and anatomy. Alongside towering figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Petrarch, Machiavelli and Isabella d'Este, Cox reveals a cast of lesser-known protagonists including printers, travel writers, actresses, courtesans, explorers, inventors and even celebrity chefs. At the same time, Italy's rich regional diversity is emphasised; in addition to the great artistic capitals of Florence, Rome and Venice, smaller but cutting-edge centres such as Ferrara, Mantua, Bologna, Urbino and Siena are given their due. As the author demonstrates, women played a far more prominent role in this exhilarating resurgence than was recognized until very recently - both as patrons of art and literature and as creative artists themselves. 'Renaissance woman', she boldly argues, is as important a legacy as 'Renaissance man'.