The A to Z of the Renaissance (The A to Z Guide Series Book 14)

Few periods have given civilization such a strong impulse as the Renaissance, which started in Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe. During its brief epoch, most vigorously from the fourteen to the sixteenth centuries, Europe reached back to Ancient Greece and Rome, and pushed ahead in numerous fields: art, architecture, literature, philosophy, banking, commerce, religion, politics, and warfare. This era is inundated with famous names (Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Petrarch, Machiavelli, Cervantes, and Shakespeare), and the heritage it left can hardly be overestimated. __The A to Z of the Renaissance__ provides information on these fields through its chronology, which traces events from 1250 to 1648, and its introduction delineating the underlying features of the period. However, it is the dictionary section, with hundreds of cross-referenced entries on famous persons (from Adrian to Zwingli), key locations, supporting political and social institutions, wars,... Few periods have given civilization such a strong impulse as the Renaissance, which started in Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe. During its brief epoch, most vigorously from the fourteen to the sixteenth centuries, Europe reached back to Ancient Greece and Rome, and pushed ahead in numerous fields: art, architecture, literature, philosophy, banking, commerce, religion, politics, and warfare. This era is inundated with famous names (Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Petrarch, Machiavelli, Cervantes, and Shakespeare), and the heritage it left can hardly be overestimated. The A to Z of the Renaissance provides information on these fields through its chronology, which traces events from 1250 to 1648, and its introduction delineating the underlying features of the period. However, it is the dictionary section, with hundreds of cross-referenced entries on famous persons (from Adrian to Zwingli), key locations, supporting political and social institutions, wars, religious reformations, achievements, and failures, which is the heart of this book. Further research is facilitated by the bibliography. "This dictionary includes an interpretive introduction to the period; a chronology of major events; and entries covering major Italian cities where the Renaissance first developed, artists and architects, writers and philosophers, and teachers and scientists who contributed to the exceptional achievements of this time; as well as topics such as printing, the fourteenth-century economic depression, the Inquisition, witchcraft, and religion. While traditional Renaissance history has almost completely ignored the role of women, this reference profiles the women who were authors, patrons of the new culture, and successful painters. An extensive bibliography provides easy access to further research." "Historical Dictionary of the Renaissance covers the history of the European Renaissance from approximately 1350 to the early 1600s, emphasizing humanistic learning, vernacular literature, innovative artistic styles, and music. Such disciplines gave rise to the concept of a renaissance, a time of novel concepts and progressive discoveries and inventions." "Readers of all interest levels will find this an informative and engaging reference about one of the most extraordinary eras in the history of Europe."--Jacket