The Renaissance World, Vol. 1

Encompassing the history of ideas, political history, cultural history and art history, The Renaissance World offers a sweeping survey of Europe in the Renaissance. This lavishly-illustrated and multi-disciplinary volume offers new perspectives on the stunning artistic and intellectual achievements of the Renaissance while providing insights into the economic, social, political, and religious transformations of the era. Beginning with the Black Death of 1348 and the revival of an interest in Antiquity in fourteenth and fifteenth century Italy, thirty four essays by leading international experts trace the roles of popes and patricians, merchants and artisans, humanists and artists in the shaping of Renaissance culture through to the era of Galileo and Milton.From Poland and the Ottoman Empire, across Europe to Spain and Portugal and their colonies in both the New World and Asia, the volume is truly global in its reach. Topics include the development of perspective, portraiture, and cartography; changes in popular and elite religion; political and familial structures; ™ the use of firearms, and sociability in the city and in court. There are also fresh portraits of pivotal figures including Pietro Aretino, Bianca Cappello, Desiderius Erasmus, Galileo Galilei, Jan Kochanowski, Thomas More, Niccoli Machiavelli, and William Shakespeare. What emerges is a world in motion - motion on every level, from the circulation of goods to the circulation of ideas and images; and the news of discoveries that transformed the world. This accessible volume is invaluable reading for all students and scholars of the Renaissance.Martin, John Jeffries is the author of 'The Renaissance World, Vol. 1', published 2008 under ISBN 9780415455114 and ISBN 0415455111.