Renaissance in Italy: A History

(Hardback)

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The Italian Renaissance has come to occupy an almost mythical place in the popular imagination. The outsized reputations of the best-known figures from the period-Michelangelo, Niccolo Machiavelli, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Pope Julius II, Isabella d'Este, and so many others-engender a kind of wonder. How could so many geniuses or exceptional charac

Reviews

"An elegant tour of the republics and princely courts where the Italian Renaissance flourished. Bartlett presents a survey of glittering cultural, literary, and artistic achievements, never losing sight of the important political contexts in which they were made. The whole sweep of the Italian Renaissancethe fabulous wealth of its merchants, the ruthless schemes of its princes, the high ideals of its poets and writers, the astonishing works of its artists and architects, the struggles of its visionaries and reformerscomes into focus." Margaret Meserve, University of Notre Dame
"Bartlett looks at the Renaissance in a new and original way. Instead of tracing a history of the Renaissance in Italy, as do most of the studies available today, Bartlett's book is focused on key people and city states, from Petrarch and his era to the 'End of the Renaissance in Rome,' during the pontificate of Pope Sixtus V from 1585 to 1590. The twenty-two chapters are exhaustive and provide an excellent and novel view of the Italian Renaissance. This book is well thought out, clearly developed, and beautifully written. I recommend it to anyone interested in the culture of one of the most interesting periods of early modern European history." Massimo Ciavolella, University of California, Los Angeles
"A lively study informed by the latest international scholarship. Building on his years of experience as a teacher and a guide for travelers to Italy, Bartlett has created a well-written and up-to-date history of the high culture of the period, 'an exploration of the Italian Renaissance guided by particular moments and menand a few remarkable women.' Bartlett shows how the unique artistic and cultural flowering of the Renaissance fit with the interests and outlooks of the elites who dominated the various Italian cities. His case studies range well beyond the usual Florentine and Roman experiences to include many of the smaller, but equally exciting, courts of northern and central Italy. The studies themselves are freestanding and could easily be used by travelers as introductions to these various cities." Duane Osheim, The University of Virginia

Author Bio

Kenneth Bartlett is Professor of History and of Renaissance Studies, University of Toronto.