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Renaissance Essays
Hugh Trevor-Roper's historical essays, published over many years in many different forms, are now difficult to find. This volume gathers together pieces on British and European history from the fifteenth to the early seventeenth centuries, ending with the Thirty Years War, which Trevor-Roper views as the great historical and intellectual watershed that marked the end of the Renaissance.
Covering a wide range of topics, these writings reflect the many facets of Trevor-Roper's interest in intellectual and cultural history. Included are discussions of Renaissance Venice; the arts as patronized by that "universal man," the Emperor Maximilian I; the court of Henry VIII and the ideas of Sir Thomas More; the Lisle Letters and the formidable Cromwellian revolution; the historiography and the historical philosophy of the Elizabethans John Stow and William Camden; religion and the "judicious Hooker," the great doctor of the Anglican Church; medicine and medical philosophy, shaken out of its orthodoxy by Paracelsus and his disciples; literature and Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy ; and the ideology of the Renaissance courts.
Trevor-Roper sets his intellectual and cultural history in a context of society and in realization of ideas, the patronage of the arts, the interpretation of history, the social challenge of science, the social application of religion. This volume of essays confirms his reputation as a spectacular writer of history and master essayist.
Covering a wide range of topics, these writings reflect the many facets of Trevor-Roper's interest in intellectual and cultural history. Included are discussions of Renaissance Venice; the arts as patronized by that "universal man," the Emperor Maximilian I; the court of Henry VIII and the ideas of Sir Thomas More; the Lisle Letters and the formidable Cromwellian revolution; the historiography and the historical philosophy of the Elizabethans John Stow and William Camden; religion and the "judicious Hooker," the great doctor of the Anglican Church; medicine and medical philosophy, shaken out of its orthodoxy by Paracelsus and his disciples; literature and Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy ; and the ideology of the Renaissance courts.
Trevor-Roper sets his intellectual and cultural history in a context of society and in realization of ideas, the patronage of the arts, the interpretation of history, the social challenge of science, the social application of religion. This volume of essays confirms his reputation as a spectacular writer of history and master essayist.
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
About the author
Hugh Trevor-Roper
122 books60 followersHugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton, was an English historian. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford.
Trevor-Roper was a polemicist and essayist on a range of historical topics, but particularly England in the 16th and 17th centuries and Nazi Germany. In the view of John Philipps Kenyon, "some of [Trevor-Roper's] short essays have affected the way we think about the past more than other men's books". This is echoed by Richard Davenport-Hines and Adam Sisman in the introduction to One Hundred Letters from Hugh Trevor-Roper (2014): "The bulk of his publications is formidable ... Some of his essays are of Victorian length. All of them reduce large subjects to their essence. Many of them ... have lastingly transformed their fields." On the other hand, his biographer Adam Sisman also writes that "the mark of a great historian is that he writes great books, on the subject which he has made his own. By this exacting standard Hugh failed."
Trevor-Roper's most commercially successful book was titled The Last Days of Hitler (1947). It emerged from his assignment as a British intelligence officer in 1945 to discover what happened in the last days of Hitler's bunker. From interviews with a range of witnesses and study of surviving documents, he demonstrated that Hitler was dead and had not escaped from Berlin. He also showed that Hitler's dictatorship was not an efficient unified machine but a hodge-podge of overlapping rivalries.
Trevor-Roper's reputation was "severely damaged" in 1983 when he authenticated the Hitler Diaries shortly before they were shown to be forgeries.
Trevor-Roper was a polemicist and essayist on a range of historical topics, but particularly England in the 16th and 17th centuries and Nazi Germany. In the view of John Philipps Kenyon, "some of [Trevor-Roper's] short essays have affected the way we think about the past more than other men's books". This is echoed by Richard Davenport-Hines and Adam Sisman in the introduction to One Hundred Letters from Hugh Trevor-Roper (2014): "The bulk of his publications is formidable ... Some of his essays are of Victorian length. All of them reduce large subjects to their essence. Many of them ... have lastingly transformed their fields." On the other hand, his biographer Adam Sisman also writes that "the mark of a great historian is that he writes great books, on the subject which he has made his own. By this exacting standard Hugh failed."
Trevor-Roper's most commercially successful book was titled The Last Days of Hitler (1947). It emerged from his assignment as a British intelligence officer in 1945 to discover what happened in the last days of Hitler's bunker. From interviews with a range of witnesses and study of surviving documents, he demonstrated that Hitler was dead and had not escaped from Berlin. He also showed that Hitler's dictatorship was not an efficient unified machine but a hodge-podge of overlapping rivalries.
Trevor-Roper's reputation was "severely damaged" in 1983 when he authenticated the Hitler Diaries shortly before they were shown to be forgeries.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2013
At this time, the princes also took over the other institution [besides the city-republic] which had sustained the culture of the Middle Ages: the Church … the Papacy had become worldly, the Church lax and corrupt, and the princes seized their chance. The Kings of Spain and France took over the patronage of the Church so completely that they did not need to turn heretic. The kings of the north went further.
(from “The Culture of the Baroque Courts”)
the author in 1975
Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914 – 2003) was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Wiki notes that he was “a polemicist and essayist on a wide range of historical topics, but particularly England in the 16th and 17th centuries and Nazi Germany.” John Kenyon is quoted as saying, "some of his short essays have affected the way we think about the past more than other men's books”.
His most widely read book was The Last Days of Hitler, which resulted from his days as a British intelligence officer in 1945.
the book
All but one of these essays appeared in print before this book was published, mostly in periodicals or collections. A few were first delivered as addresses.
Trevor-Roper (T-R) was known for a rather acerbic writing style, especially when he was comparing his own views to those of historians with which he disagreed. That style is little in evidence in this book. Here, the narrative flow is very friendly, easy to follow because he frequently summarizes what’s been written so far, and frequently plants signposts about what’s coming next. This style suggests that the intended audience for the book was both general readers with an interest in the historic period, and also more academic readers from fields related to the Renaissance.
There are footnotes at the end of each chapter, and a very useful index.
some details
In his Preface, T-R writes,
The essays in this volume all deal, essentially, with aspects or episodes of European history between the Renaissance and that great historical and intellectual watershed which can be seen as the end of the Renaissance, the Thirty Years War.
The aspects/episodes T-R writes of extend from 1423, when the Venetian doge Tomaso Mocenigo passed away and was replaced by Francesco Foscari, to the start of the Thirty Years War around 1620: two centuries in which the European world of the Middle Ages found its way onto the path which led it to the Enlightenment.
But T-R’s opening Venetian episode shouldn’t be mistaken as an indication that Italy plays a large role in the book. The Renaissance is generally held to have begun in Italy, but up to a century before the earliest date mentioned here. In fact T-R was not a specialist in Italian history at all, but rather in the history of England in the 16th and 17th centuries. And though these essays deal with many aspects of the Renaissance not necessarily connected with England, they are very northern European oriented, with many of the narratives taking place in Germany, Austria and France, as well as England.
Since the book’s composed of unconnected essays related to this historic period, it isn’t really useful as an introductory text, or as a broad overview, of the Renaissance, even of the Renaissance outside Italy. Most essays are of fairly narrow, specialized (though interesting) topics. But some do touch much more general aspects of the Renaissance in really useful ways, while yet having a seemingly narrow focus. For after all, these centuries are when many well-known and significant things occurred in Europe: the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the Elizabethan age in England, the beginnings of modern science with the investigations of Copernicus, the Age of Discovery, the flowering of Renaissance Humanism. See especially the essays “Sir Thomas More and Utopia”, “The Paracelsian Movement”, and “The Culture of the Baroque Courts.”
Others chapters I found very interesting were “Erasmus and the Crisis of Christian Humanism”, “Robert Burton and The Anatomy of Melancholy”, and the final one on the outbreak of the Thirty Years War.
For additional details, see my status updates above.
what I got out of the book
Even though I said above that the book isn’t an “introductory” text, it was for me actually a great book to open my eyes to this period of European history (which I did know something about) – in the sense that it has made me very interested in following up by reading more widely about the era.
(from “The Culture of the Baroque Courts”)
the author in 1975
Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914 – 2003) was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Wiki notes that he was “a polemicist and essayist on a wide range of historical topics, but particularly England in the 16th and 17th centuries and Nazi Germany.” John Kenyon is quoted as saying, "some of his short essays have affected the way we think about the past more than other men's books”.
His most widely read book was The Last Days of Hitler, which resulted from his days as a British intelligence officer in 1945.
the book
All but one of these essays appeared in print before this book was published, mostly in periodicals or collections. A few were first delivered as addresses.
Trevor-Roper (T-R) was known for a rather acerbic writing style, especially when he was comparing his own views to those of historians with which he disagreed. That style is little in evidence in this book. Here, the narrative flow is very friendly, easy to follow because he frequently summarizes what’s been written so far, and frequently plants signposts about what’s coming next. This style suggests that the intended audience for the book was both general readers with an interest in the historic period, and also more academic readers from fields related to the Renaissance.
There are footnotes at the end of each chapter, and a very useful index.
some details
In his Preface, T-R writes,
The essays in this volume all deal, essentially, with aspects or episodes of European history between the Renaissance and that great historical and intellectual watershed which can be seen as the end of the Renaissance, the Thirty Years War.
The aspects/episodes T-R writes of extend from 1423, when the Venetian doge Tomaso Mocenigo passed away and was replaced by Francesco Foscari, to the start of the Thirty Years War around 1620: two centuries in which the European world of the Middle Ages found its way onto the path which led it to the Enlightenment.
But T-R’s opening Venetian episode shouldn’t be mistaken as an indication that Italy plays a large role in the book. The Renaissance is generally held to have begun in Italy, but up to a century before the earliest date mentioned here. In fact T-R was not a specialist in Italian history at all, but rather in the history of England in the 16th and 17th centuries. And though these essays deal with many aspects of the Renaissance not necessarily connected with England, they are very northern European oriented, with many of the narratives taking place in Germany, Austria and France, as well as England.
Since the book’s composed of unconnected essays related to this historic period, it isn’t really useful as an introductory text, or as a broad overview, of the Renaissance, even of the Renaissance outside Italy. Most essays are of fairly narrow, specialized (though interesting) topics. But some do touch much more general aspects of the Renaissance in really useful ways, while yet having a seemingly narrow focus. For after all, these centuries are when many well-known and significant things occurred in Europe: the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the Elizabethan age in England, the beginnings of modern science with the investigations of Copernicus, the Age of Discovery, the flowering of Renaissance Humanism. See especially the essays “Sir Thomas More and Utopia”, “The Paracelsian Movement”, and “The Culture of the Baroque Courts.”
Others chapters I found very interesting were “Erasmus and the Crisis of Christian Humanism”, “Robert Burton and The Anatomy of Melancholy”, and the final one on the outbreak of the Thirty Years War.
For additional details, see my status updates above.
what I got out of the book
Even though I said above that the book isn’t an “introductory” text, it was for me actually a great book to open my eyes to this period of European history (which I did know something about) – in the sense that it has made me very interested in following up by reading more widely about the era.
May 22, 2012
It’s a shame that academic history is rarely written like this anymore. But it is not a fault of historians, at least not individually. Professional publication and research requirements for academic historians are different and it has affected their writing.
I found these essays to be interesting and readable—even those about topics I knew nothing about and had previously not had an interest in..
Essay topics:
The Venetian Doge Francesco Foscari
The Emperor Maximilian I as a patron of art
Sir Thomas More and Utopia
Erasmus and “the Crisis of Christian Humanism”
The Lisle Letters (family correspondence during the reign of Henry VIII that reflects on the era the way the Paston letters reflected on the time of War of the Roses)
John Stow
Richard Hooker and the Church of England
William Camden as the first historian of Queen Elizabeth
The Paracelsian Movement
The sieur de la Riviere (Renaissance medicine)
The Culture of the Baroque Courts
Robert Burton and the Anatomy of Melancholy
The Outbreak of the Thirty Years War
I found these essays to be interesting and readable—even those about topics I knew nothing about and had previously not had an interest in..
Essay topics:
The Venetian Doge Francesco Foscari
The Emperor Maximilian I as a patron of art
Sir Thomas More and Utopia
Erasmus and “the Crisis of Christian Humanism”
The Lisle Letters (family correspondence during the reign of Henry VIII that reflects on the era the way the Paston letters reflected on the time of War of the Roses)
John Stow
Richard Hooker and the Church of England
William Camden as the first historian of Queen Elizabeth
The Paracelsian Movement
The sieur de la Riviere (Renaissance medicine)
The Culture of the Baroque Courts
Robert Burton and the Anatomy of Melancholy
The Outbreak of the Thirty Years War
July 10, 2024
Too often I found a specific essay would fail to explain why the subject matter was important from the perspective of history in general or the history of ideas specifically. Most were a compendium of names and titles almost as if the author was strutting his knowledge rather than informing the reader.
On a more positive note - the book provided some avenues for further reading on topics I think will be interesting such as Paracelsian medicine.
On a more positive note - the book provided some avenues for further reading on topics I think will be interesting such as Paracelsian medicine.
October 24, 2012
Hugh Trevor-Roper’s legendary historical essays aren’t easily found in the U.S., and this little volume cost me thirty dollars. It was worth it. Erudite without being academic, elegant without being overwrought, each of the thirteen essays collected here is a little education in itself. If you thought you knew a thing or two about the Renaissance, prepare to unlearn it, or rethink it.
In this book, Trevor-Roper gives us the epic intrigues of Doge Francesco Foscari’s Venice, the Emperor Maximilian I's strange relationship to the arts, the rise and fall of Erasmian Christian Platonism, the wonderful mildness (intolerable to both adversaries and allies) of Richard Hooker, and the strange but shockingly modern alchemical-medical mysticism of Paracelsus.
Best of all, perhaps, we get a fresh look at Robert Burton’s warm, humane skepticism, and what he was really about (diagnosing and prescribing for the human condition in general) in The Anatomy of Melancholy. I look forward to re-reading Renaissance Essays, and paying thirty dollars again for another Trevor-Roper book as soon as possible.
In this book, Trevor-Roper gives us the epic intrigues of Doge Francesco Foscari’s Venice, the Emperor Maximilian I's strange relationship to the arts, the rise and fall of Erasmian Christian Platonism, the wonderful mildness (intolerable to both adversaries and allies) of Richard Hooker, and the strange but shockingly modern alchemical-medical mysticism of Paracelsus.
Best of all, perhaps, we get a fresh look at Robert Burton’s warm, humane skepticism, and what he was really about (diagnosing and prescribing for the human condition in general) in The Anatomy of Melancholy. I look forward to re-reading Renaissance Essays, and paying thirty dollars again for another Trevor-Roper book as soon as possible.
August 9, 2026
an aged, but wonderfully written & researched range of unrelated essays on issues, persons and moments in renaissance history. while some topics (e.g., the ~60 pages over two essays on paracelsians in france) were a bit dry for me, i at least felt each topic covered was done with meaning, effective argument and clear importance - and, most of all, with a masterful display of historical practice that i only wish to emulate in my works!
i found the initial essays on foscari & maximilian i, more & erasmus, and the latter essay on baroque courts, to be the most enjoyable, though maybe that just reflects my interests. some other quotes i’d like to remember:
i could show many more, but i think this suffices to show trevor-roper’s wonderful writing style. each essay leaves me with a sense of resolution to a given issue or story. how did the thirty years’ war emerge; how did the anglican state-church construct a history to legitimise itself; how did intellectual (and medical history) grow and emerge in the renaissance, into the 17th century?
overall, a wonderful way of acquainting yourself with the times. good observations throughout, and very informative, whether for a student or anyone more casually interested!
i found the initial essays on foscari & maximilian i, more & erasmus, and the latter essay on baroque courts, to be the most enjoyable, though maybe that just reflects my interests. some other quotes i’d like to remember:
“Even the most perfect constitution is operated by men, with human passions, and the more complex a constitution is, the more certainly it falls into the hands of skilful politicians; and skilled politicians, even with the old rules, may play a new game.” (Ch.1, ‘The Doge Francesco Foscari’)
“The Pope, his old enemy, the wicked warrior-pope Julius II, was very ill, at death’s door. So Maximilian, as he explained to his daughter, decided not to marry again ‘or ever again pursue naked women’… He enjoyed the idea of ‘becoming a priest, and afterwards a saint, so that after my death you will have to worship me; of which I shall be very proud’. Three thousand ducats, he reckoned, would suffice to square the cardinals… He signed his letter, ‘your good father Maxi, future pope’. Unfortunately Pope Julius recovered, and Maximilian’s ambition of becoming the first pope-emperor was not fulfilled.” (Ch.2, The Emperor Maximilian I, as patron of the arts)
Having given an overview of Thomas More’s early life: “All of this reveals nothing of his mind.” (Ch.3, Sir Thomas More and Utopia)
“[More] did not seek, in past history, a means of controlling the future: he looked to philosophy for a means to end history: to end it altogether… he sought a social form which would be proof against historical change… His island of Utopia had no history.” (Ch.3)
“Platonists like Pole were shocked by Machiavelli’s realism, his ‘reason of state’. But this was not the real difference between them… were the methoss by which Utopian society was preserved
entirely un-machiavellian, in the vulgar sense of that word? Machiavelli at least apologised for the methods which he thought necessary in politics… Plato and More sanctified them, provided that they were used to sustain their own Utopian republics.” (Ch.3), an excellent critique.
“From 1537 the terms of life shift, and a course of events begins which turn these hitherto purposeless annals into a fast-moving drama…” (Ch.5, The Lisle Letters)
“Much ink has been spilt in seeking to define the concept of the baroque… But let us not waste time in these semantic exercises. For practical purposes we all know what we mean by it.” (Ch.11, Culture of the Baroque Courts), how refreshing!
i could show many more, but i think this suffices to show trevor-roper’s wonderful writing style. each essay leaves me with a sense of resolution to a given issue or story. how did the thirty years’ war emerge; how did the anglican state-church construct a history to legitimise itself; how did intellectual (and medical history) grow and emerge in the renaissance, into the 17th century?
overall, a wonderful way of acquainting yourself with the times. good observations throughout, and very informative, whether for a student or anyone more casually interested!
June 6, 2024
Forever to return, last left at Hobbes.
May 28, 2015
Short and snappy essays on the doge foscari, Maximilian I, insightful torchlight upon the dark recesses of history such as revealed in the lisle letters about Thomas Cromwell and the first english historian (William Camden) and antiquarians (john stow et al) are made lopsided by disappointing and overly long essays on the paracelsian movement and Richard hooker Anglicanism Catholic debate and other medical dark figures. Uneven and brilliant.
June 25, 2013
Both enlightening and enjoyable, with the chapter on Paracelsus particularly amazing. Trevor-Roper sums up the period very well through a handful of essays, and allows the reader to enter the period's mindset and zoom in closely on Renaissance Europe.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews