The History Book Club discussion

This is a thread which will explore the Renaissance. Please feel free to post links, urls, books, discussion points related to this topic.

Note: Please no personal self promotion or spam.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on this fabulous period:

The Renaissance (French for "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento, from ri- "again" and nascere "be born") was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.

The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historic era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not uniform across Europe, this is a general use of the term. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a resurgence of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform.

Traditionally, this intellectual transformation has resulted in the Renaissance being viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term "Renaissance man".[2:][3:]

There is a general, but not unchallenged, consensus that the Renaissance began in Florence, Tuscany in the 14th century.

Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics, focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at the time; its political structure; the patronage of its dominant family, the Medici; and the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.

The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography, and there has been much debate among historians as to the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation.[9:] Some have called into question whether the Renaissance was a cultural "advance" from the Middle Ages, instead seeing it as a period of pessimism and nostalgia for the classical age, while others have instead focused on the continuity between the two eras.[11:] Indeed, some have called for an end to the use of the term, which they see as a product of presentism – the use of history to validate and glorify modern ideals.[12:] The word Renaissance has also been used to describe other historical and cultural movements, such as the Carolingian Renaissance and the Renaissance of the 12th century.

Source - Wikipedia
Here is the link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

I will add my 'two bobs' worth and mention a few of my favourite books on this subject just to get things started.

by William Raymond Manchester

by George Holmes

by Margarete Aston

by Paul Strathern

by Christopher Hibbert

One book sitting on my 'to-read' list is

by Paul Strathern
Publishers blurb:
In this masterful study, Paul Strathern (author of "The Medici", and "Napoleon in Egypt") details the incidental convergence of three of Renaissance Italy's most brilliant minds. "The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior" follows Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia through the mountains, remote villages and hill towns of the Italian Romagna. This was a period of extreme significance and considerable danger, not just for themselves, but for the country they were helping to shape. Borgia has become a byword for brutal and inhuman deeds, marred with the suspicion of incest. Depicted as a savage whose eyes were fixed on the prize of his own kingdom - a province in which he ruled supreme. But he was an educated savage and an unrivalled tactician, relying on surprise and patience.Leonardo, possessed of the most inquisitive mind of his generation, is the exemplar of the Renaissance man. His paintings and drawings are among the finest and most famous in the world and his notebooks portray intricate scientific and technological investigations. But what led this master thinker to work for the tyrannical Borgia and how did he become involved with Machiavelli? Machiavelli was the infamous author of "The Prince" - a work that was the culmination of all he had learnt throughout his long political career. Driven by an uncanny understanding of human nature, and the way people behave rather than how they ought to behave, Machiavelli became a master politician and diplomatic negotiator, unrivalled in Renaissance Italy. The legacies of these three men shaped the Renaissance and all that came after it and their impact is still felt today. Paul Strathern's new book is a vivid and gripping account of what happened in one short season in 1502.

A little slice of this fabulous period in history, I read and very much enjoyed this book about the building of the now infamous Duomo in Florence. It is more than just a story about it's construction, but also delves into the politics, finance, relationships among the noted artists of the day, and life in and around the city. Very enjoyable.
by Ross King
I recently picked up a similar book on the building of St. Peter's in Rome, but have not read it yet.
byR.A. Scotti

Hi Alisa, you have offered two very good recommendations and I think you will enjoy "Basilica" as much as the other book, I did :)

by R.A. Scotti

Redmond you are great...we are delighted to have you. Your posts so far have been outstanding. Thank you for these adds.

You are doing very well and I doubt you will wear out your welcome.

Hi Redmond, excellent recommendations and I am pretty sure many readers will really appreciate your suggestions above.

Redmond, great add. One reason we are all out here is to hear about what other people read and recommend as well as discussions about them. Your description piqued my interest and voila it got added to the to-read pile. Even Aussie Rick has managed to stimulate my interest in WWI and WWII, neither of which have ever been high on my list. Until now. Thanks!

Here is a recent book on one of my favourite artists of this period; " Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane".

by Andrew Graham-Dixon
Publishers blurb:
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (29 September 1571–18 July 1610) lived probably the darkest and most dangerous life of any of the great painters. The worlds of Milan and Rome through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and prostitutes, prayer and violence. Graham-Dixon puts the murder of a pimp, Ranuccio Tomassoni, at the centre of his story. It occurred at the height of Caravaggio’s fame in Rome and probably brought about his flight through Malta and Sicily, which led to his death in suspicious circumstances off the coast of Naples. Graham-Dixon shows how Caravaggio’s paintings emerged from this extraordinarily wild and troubled life: his detailed readings of them explain their originality and Caravaggio’s mentality better than any of his predecessors.

Here is a book I just stumbled across by accident if anyone is interested; "The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel That Defined the Renaissance" by Jonathan Jones.

[image error] by Jonathan Jones
Reviews:
"...gripping' - The Sunday Times

"...reanimates the giddy heights of the Renaissance through its evocation of a mighty scrap between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo." - Daily Telegraph

"Reanimates the giddy heights of the Renaissance . . . impressively smuggles seriousness into a populist format." - Sunday Telegraph

"A superb account of two of the Renaissance's greatest geniuses revealing the rivalrous passions that drove their work." - Observer

"A story of rivalry, political intrigue and conspiracy . . . beguilingly written." - Guardian

"A rich and intricate story . . . full of colourful incident and detail, both historical and artistic . . . Jonathan Jones writes with engaging passion." - RA Magazine

"Engaging . . . reveals the insults, egos and formal competitions that separated these two giants of the 16th century art world." - Artists & Illustrators Magazine

"Jonathan Jones weaves a rich and intricate story." - Royal Academy Magazine

And here is one book sitting on my 'to-read' list; "Titian: The Last Days" by Mark Hudson.


by Mark Hudson
Publisher blurb:
Towards the end of his life Titian didn't finish his paintings. The elderly artist kept them in his studio, never quite completing them, as though wanting to endlessly postpone the moment of closure. Created with the fingers as much as the brush, Titian's last paintings are imbued with a sense of final, desperate effort - a rawness and immediacy that weren't to be seen again in art for centuries. But what did Titian, who experienced as much in the way of material success as any artist before or since, mean by these works? Are they a harrowing, final testament or simply a collection of unfinished paintings? In the outbreak of plague that finally killed him, Titian's studio was looted, and many paintings taken. What happened to them is not known. This book is a quest - a journey through Titian's life and work, towards the physical and spiritual landscape of his last paintings. Looking at Titian's relationships with his artistic rivals, his patrons - including popes, kings and emperors - and his troubled dealings with his own family, the narrative moves from the artist's hometown in the Dolomites to the greatest churches and palaces of the age. Parallel with these physical travels is a journey through the paintings, following the glittering trajectory of Titian's life and career, the remorseless formal development that led to the breakthroughs of his last days. Titian: The Last Days is an exploratory history of the artist and his world that vividly recreates the atmosphere of sixteenth-century Venice and Europe, a narrative in which the search for the subject becomes part of the subject itself. The result is a brilliant and compelling study of one of Europe's greatest artists that is at once passionate, engaging and deeply personal.

Just finished reading and reviewing Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France a biography by Leonie Frieda (no photo available). Fascinating woman who deserves to be as well known as her contemporaries Elizabeth the I and Phillip II. Frieda does a good job of pulling the research together and writing a compelling narrative.

Good add; you also have the format OK.

Another book you may enjoy is

I do a lot of traveling and this book was recommended to me by someone that does tours of Rome. I was very interesting. I will now look at the architecture described with different eyes. Read Basilica first. I think you will get more out of this bookJake Morrissey

Linda, thanks for the addition, looks interesting. Since you also mentioned Basilica don't forget to cite it as well. I know which book you are talking about but many others may not, which is why we ask our members to always include the citation. Thanks!

R.A. Scotti

Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance by John Rigby Hale

I came across this in a second-hand bookshop in London, and although it is on my 'to-read' shelf, I've no doubts that it is a highly distinguished work on the subject, and I am very excited about getting round to read it.

Description:

"The masterpiece of Britain's leading Renaissance scholar. Winner of the Time-Life Silver Pen Award and The Royal Society of Literature Award. The Civilisation of Europe in the Renaissance is the most ambitious achievement of Britain's leading Renaissance historian. John Hale has painted on a grand canvas an enthralling portrait of Europe and its civilisation at a moment when 'Europe' first became an entity in the minds of its inhabitants. John Hale's Renaissance has no compartments. His range is universal. With astonishing range and subtlety of learning, he paints a gigantic picture of the age, enlivened by a multiplicity of themes, people and ideas. It contains memorable descriptions of painting, sculpture, poetry, architecture and music, but Hale is not simply concerned with the arts. He examines the dramatic changes during the period in religion, politics, economics and global discoveries. And throughout his book he approaches the art of war and the art created for princes from the point of view of their impact on the imaginations, sensibilities and lives of ordinary people."

Reviews:

"'This magnificent book is the product of a lifetime's scholarship by someone with a quite irrepressible curiosity and prodigious breadth of reading!together with the enviable gift of writing clearly and beautifully.' TLS 'This study deserves to stand alongside Braudel's classic account of the Mediterranean in the time of Philip II. Hale is as generous as he is knowledgeable; his life's work has culminated in a meticulous masterpiece.' Frederic Raphael, Sunday Times 'John Hale has produced a vast and enthralling mosaic. Only someone who had devoted a lifetime to studying history, literature and the art of the 15th- and 16th-century could draw so effortlessly on what seems a limitless range of texts and illustrations!His curiosity never fails, his learning constantly surprises, and the wit and energy of his style never flags!Extraordinary.' Anthony Grafton, LRB"


Thanks to everyone for putting up those useful recommendations. They'll be on my reading list. Happy reading!

Max

Another good post Max, good information, thanks for sharing :)

I just finished reading The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev and rated it five stars. It's a biography of Caterina Sforza Riaria de Medici. While a great biography and a decent history of the period, it shouldn't be read as an overall guide to Renaissance history. Rather, it is best used as a supplement, particularly if you are interested in the reign of the Borgias and in one of their most stubborn adversaries.

Good post Christopher and thanks for bringing this book to everyone's attention, it sounds very interesting.

by Elizabeth Lev

A rich portrait of Girolamo Savonarola, the preacher and political agitator who took center stage in Renaissance Florence after the fall of the Medicis. It was Savonarola who urged his followers to burn their worldly goods in "the bonfire of the vanities".

byLauro Martines

The second son of Lucretia Borgia was fated as was the custom of the time, to enter the church......but he was certainly not pious. He rose to the position of Cardinal and, although rather unknown to historians, Ippolito d'Este was a fascinating and intriguing part of the Borgia history.

by Mary Hollingsworth

Would anybody here happen to know of a good biography on Leonardo Da Vinci? My interest in him was piqued recently, and I would like an accurate (as much as possible) account of his life. I'd be super grateful if anyone did.

I mention him here because he is, as I've heard, the epitome of what a Renaissance Man is supposed to be. Plus, he actually lived during the Renaissance, right?

Hi Brandon, here are a few books that I enjoyed on Leonardo da Vinci:


by Paul Strathern

by Charles Nicholl

by Michael White

Brandon.............I would second AR's recommendation of:

by Charles Nicholl

A very well done biography which captures the genius of the man.

I'm sure most folks are familiar with author Will Durant and his chronological history book series. A good in-depth well documented book is his "The Renaissance".

Will Durant

One cannot think of the Renaissance without the name de Medici coming to mind. Isabelle de Medici was one of the brightest stars in that glittering family and the daughter of Duke Cosimo, the ruler of Florence and Tuscany. The author captures the intrigue,the scandal, the romantic affairs and the violence that were commonplace in the Florentine court. Isabelle was an extraordinary woman - fluent in five languages, a free-spirited patron of the arts, a practical joker and a passionate lover.....and died at the hands of her own husband with the approval of her brother. It is a fascinating and disturbing biography.

by Caroline P. Murphy

The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition

by Dan Hofstadter

Synopsis

Celebrated, controversial, condemned, Galileo Galilei is a seminal figure in the history of science. Both Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein credit him as the first modern scientist. His 1633 trial before the Holy Office of the Inquisition is the prime drama in the history of the conflict between science and religion. In Galileo’s day, Rome was the capital of a sovereign theocratic power, which in 1600 had executed Giordano Bruno on similar charges and reserved the right to torture Galileo.

Galileo was then sixty-nine years old and the most venerated scientist in Italy. Although subscribing to an anti-literalist view of the Bible, as per Saint Augustine, Galileo considered himself a believing Catholic.

Playing to his own strengths—a deep knowledge of Italy, a longstanding interest in Renaissance and Baroque lore—Dan Hofstadter explains apparent paradoxes and limns this historic moment in the widest cultural context, portraying Galileo as both humanist and scientist.

Great add Jill.

Catherine de Medici has had many books written about her as she was one of the most fascinating women of the Renaissance. Here is another that is recommended.

The Devil's Queen

by Jeanne Kalogridis

Synopsis

Confidante of Nostradamus, scheming mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots, and architect of the bloody St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Catherine de Medici is one of the most maligned monarchs in history. In her latest historical novel, Jeanne Kalogridis tells Catherine’s story—that of a tender young girl, destined to be a pawn in Machiavellian games.

Born into one of Florence’s most powerful families, Catherine was soon left a fabulously rich heiress by the early deaths of her parents. Violent conflict rent the city state and she found herself imprisoned and threatened by her family’s enemies before finally being released and married off to the handsome Prince Henry of France.

Overshadowed by her husband’s mistress, the gorgeous, conniving Diane de Poitiers, and unable to bear children, Catherine resorted to the dark arts of sorcery to win Henry’s love and enhance her fertility—for which she would pay a price. Against the lavish and decadent backdrop of the French court, and Catherine’s blood-soaked visions of the future, Kalogridis reveals the great love and desire Catherine bore for her husband, Henry, and her stark determination to keep her sons on the throne.

This book is widely considered the first work of political philosophy and made pejorative terms out of the words "Machiavellian" and "politicians". It is interesting to note that the British name for the devil, "Old Nick", came from the first name of Machiavelli.

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

Synopsis

"Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge."

For nearly 500 years, Machiavelli's observations on Realpolitik have shocked and appalled the timid and romantic, and for many his name was equivalent to the devil's own. Yet, The Prince was the first attempt to write of the world of politics as it is, rather than sanctimoniously of how it should be, and thus The Prince remains as honest and relevant today as when Machiavelli first put quill to parchment, and warned the junior statesman to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.

Yet another book about one of the most fascinating men in European history.

A Unlikely Prince

by Niccolo Capponi

Synopsis

He has been called a cynic,a soulless proponent of tyranny, and a political genius. The author examines the life of Niccolo Machiavelli, what his intentions were and how he was regarded by his contemporaries. The author has a personal investment in the text since he is a direct descendant of Machiavelli.

This book offers a social history of the Italian Renaissance in a cultural mien.

Strong Words: Writing and Social Strain in the Italian Renaissance

by Lauro Martines

Synopsis

Using tales, poems, prayer, and letters as primary sources, the author probes religious sensibilities, love, alienation, explosive feeling against political authority, the moral strains of patronage, and the close ways of urban neighborhoods. He sharpens the analysis with case studies of suicide and the seduction pf propertied women and exposes the power of local angers, fears, and loyalties.

Some great adds Jill. Good work.

Thanks, Bentley.

Florence was, and remains, the center of the greatest architecture and art of the Renaissance.

Brunelleschi's Dome

by Ross King

Synopsis

By all accounts, Filippo Brunelleschi, goldsmith and clockmaker, was an unkempt, cantankerous, and suspicious man-even by the generous standards according to which artists were judged in fifteenth-century Florence. He also designed and erected a dome over the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore-a feat of architectural daring that we continue to marvel at today-thus securing himself a place among the most formidable geniuses of the Renaissance. At first denounced as a madman, Brunelleschi literally reinvented the field of architecture amid plagues, wars, and political feuds to raise seventy million pounds of metal, wood, and marble hundreds of feet in the air. Ross King's captivating narrative brings to life the personalities and intrigue surrounding the twenty-eight-year-long construction of the dome, opening a window onto Florentine life during one of history's most fascinating eras.

A window on the years that changed civilization from medieval to modern.

The Renaissance: A Short History

by Paul Johnson

Synopsis
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.

Jill wrote: "Florence was, and remains, the center of the greatest architecture and art of the Renaissance...."

I read this book and really enjoyed it. The hubub it created in the artist community alone made it a page turner, and there was fascinating detail about the physics of transporting the marble down the Arno, of course the attendant politics involved. Very interesting little book. I'm no authority on the Renaissance but found this informative and enjoyable.

by Ross King

That does look interesting Alisa - thank you. And thank you Jill for the original posting and synopsis.

Biography, with a twist, of one of the most important figures of the Renaissance era.


Uncentering the Earth: Copernicus and the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres

by William T. Vollmann

Synopsis
In 1543, the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus lay on his deathbed, reportedly holding his just-published masterpiece, The Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, in his hands. Placing the sun at the center of the universe, Copernicus launched modern science, leading to a completely new understanding of the universe, and humanity's place within it.


But what did Copernicus really believe? Some argue that he anticipated the vast secularizing impact his ideas would have on history. Others contend that Copernicus was a man of his time and, on the whole, accepted its worldview. William T. Vollmann navigates this territory with the energetic prose and powerful intelligence for which he is known, providing a fresh and enlightening explication of Copernicus, his book, and his time, and the momentous clash between them.

One of the most famous images of the Renaissance period.......de Vinci's Vitruvian Man

I was asked to move this post from the Middle Ages to here, so here it is.

Henry V was a great historical play, irrespective of the time it was written. I didn't know where to post this but, I just saw this amazing play again. Shakespeare could really do history.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=A-yZNM...

by William Shakespeare

G....thanks for moving it over here as well. Since Shakespeare's oeuvre is history in itself, I felt that it fit in both threads. and you are so right, Shakespeare could do history!!!! And I love to hear the theories that he really didn't write his work but it was done by whomever the theorist thinks is the candidate.

The Battle for Christendom

by Frank Welsh

Synopsis

Aat the dawn of the 15th century, Islam invaded Europe from the East and it seemed that Christendom itself was under threat of dissolution.In an attempt to save the Christian world, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund called a conference at Constance, beside the Rhine, attracting the greatest minds in the Western world and innumerable princes, lawyers and prostitutes. The author delves into this often overlooked conference and posits that is was one of the central moments in European history, calming Catholic schisms, stirring sparks of the Reformations and heralding the dawn of the Renaissance.

Monarchs of the Renaissance: The Lives and Reigns of 42 European Kings and Queens

by Philip J. Potter (no photo)

Synopsis

During the Renaissance, the monarchy rose to become the dominant form of power in Europe. This dynamic epoch produced formidable sovereigns who crushed the feudal rights of nobles, defended the Catholic Church against the encroachments of the Protestant Reformation, fought self-aggrandizing wars, and were patrons of art, architecture, literature, and music. The period witnessed celebrated monarchs like Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Francis I, and Charles V, as well as others who had a significant impact on European history, including Richard III, Isabella, and James IV. This biographical narrative chronicles the lives and reigns of the 42 sovereigns in England, Scotland, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire between 1400 and 1600. Presented here in the context of their era are the personalities, the accomplishments, and the failures of these monarchs.

This book takes an entirely different look at the rise of the Renaissance.....that is was China which was responsible. Interesting concept and well researched.

1434

by Gavin Menzies

Synopsis:

The brilliance of the Renaissance laid the foundation of the modern world. Textbooks tell us that it came about as a result of a rediscovery of the ideas and ideals of classical Greece and Rome. But now bestselling historian Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that in the year 1434, China—then the world's most technologically advanced civilization—provided the spark that set the European Renaissance ablaze. From that date onward, Europeans embraced Chinese intellectual ideas, discoveries, and inventions, all of which form the basis of western civilization today.

Florence and Venice of the early fifteenth century were hubs of world trade, attracting traders from across the globe. Based on years of research, this marvelous history argues that a Chinese fleet—official ambassadors of the emperor—arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they were received by Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the influential pope with a wealth of Chinese learning from a diverse range of fields: art, geography (including world maps that were passed on to Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan), astronomy, mathematics, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, military weaponry, and more. This vast treasure trove of knowledge spread across Europe, igniting the legendary inventiveness of the Renaissance, including the work of such geniuses as da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo, and more.

In 1434, Gavin Menzies combines this long-overdue historical reexamination with the excitement of an investigative adventure. He brings the reader aboard the remarkable Chinese fleet as it sails from China to Cairo and Florence, and then back across the world. Erudite and brilliantly reasoned, 1434 will change the way we see ourselves, our history, and our world.

Thanks Jill. That one sounds very interesting.

by Gavin Menzies

This is the third and final volume (I think) that I need to order when it is published in September. This book covers the Renaissance.

by Susan Wise Bauer
Description:
Beginning in the days just after the First Crusade, this volume - the third in the series - chronicles the contradictions of a world in transition. Popes continue to preach crusade but the hope of a Christian empire comes to a bloody end on the walls of Constantinople. Aristotelian logic and Greek rationality blossom while the Inquisition gathers strength. Kings and emperors continue to insist on their divine rights but ordinary people all over the world seize power. New threats appear, new currencies are forged, new weapons invented and world-changing catastrophes alter the landscape. In the chaos of these events, our own world begins to take shape.

A veritable feast for the eyes, this book of early Renaissance French art is all encompassing.

Kings, Queens, and Courtiers: Art in Early Renaissance France

by Martha Wolff(no photo)

Synopsis

This sumptuous catalogue provides an overview of French art circa 1500, a dynamic, transitional period when the country, resurgent after the dislocations of the Hundred Years' War, invaded Italy and all media flourished. What followed was the emergence of a unique art: the fusion of the Italian Renaissance with northern European Gothic styles. Outstanding examples of exquisite and revolutionary works are featured, including paintings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, tapestries, and metalwork. Exciting new research brings to life court artists Jean Fouquet, Jean Bourdichon, Michel Colombe, Jean Poyer, and Jean Hey (The Master of Moulins), all of whose creations were used by kings and queens to assert power and prestige. Also detailed are the organization of workshops and the development of the influential art market in Paris and patronage in the Loire Valley

An upcoming book:
Release date: October 29, 2013

Heretics and Heroes: Ego in the Renaissance and the Reformation

by Thomas Cahill

Synopsis:

In Volume VI of his acclaimed Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill guides us through the thrilling period of Renaissance and Reformation (late fourteenth to early seventeenth centuries), so full of innovation and cultural change that the Western world would not experience its like again until the twentieth century. Beginning with the continent-wide disaster of the Black Plague, Cahill traces the many innovations in European thought and experience that served both the new humanism of the Renaissance and the seemingly abrupt religious alterations of the increasingly radical Reformation. This is an age of the most sublime artistic and scientific adventure, but also of newly powerful princes and armies, and of newly found courage, as many thousands refuse to bow their heads to the religious pieties of the past. It is an era of newly discovered continents and previously unknown peoples. More than anything, it is a time of individuality in which a whole culture must achieve a new balance, if the West is to continue.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I will add my 'two bobs' worth and mention a few of my favourite books on this subject just to get things started.

by William Raymond Manchester

[bookco..."

Thank you for this post. Some of these look very interesting.

The renaissance has always been a period I've been interested in, but I know very little about it, and have no idea where to start!