"Renaissance" is the French word for "rebirth," which is given to the period of time between the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe when there was a marked resurgence in classical art, education, philosophy, architecture, and natural sciences. Once more, the former Roman territories embraced the writings of ancient Greeks and Romans, and the idea of humanism. This rebirth marks the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the long march toward modernity.

In those precious centuries, astronomers redefined the way we view our place in the solar system and the universe. Writers and scholars gave us new ways of thinking about the human condition, the self, and the community. Artists found new methods of expression, and architects used classical pieces in their contemporary churches, palaces, and public buildings. Science leaped forward, once more able to match the level of Arab and Muslim intellectuals in terms of math and experimental philosophies.

At its heart, the Renaissance marked a widespread stability that Europe had not known for centuries, coupled with an inevitable desire of people everywhere to learn and express themselves. Education and economic stability transformed Europe into a beacon of high culture that eventually led to the Enlightenment and the Modern Age as we know it.

In The Renaissance: A Captivating Guide to a Remarkable Period in European History, Including Stories of People Such as Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Copernicus, Shakespeare, and Leonardo da Vinci, you will discover topics such as

• A Brief Look at Pre-Renaissance Europe
• The Black Death
• The Italian Renaissance
• The Fall of Constantinople
• The Printing Press
• Literature of the 15th Century
• The New Education
• The Medicis of Florence and France
• The Dutch and Flemish Painting Revolution
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Michelangelo
• Copernicus
• The Reformation
• The Spanish Inquisition and Renaissance
• France and the Wars of Religion
• Arts and Politics Across Renaissance Europe
• The Age of Discovery
• Women's Education
• Galileo Galilea
• English Renaissance Under the Tudors
• Shakespeare, Lully, and the New Art
• Seers and Prophets
• The Medical Renaissance
• The Persecuted Intellectuals
• In the Years Following the Renaissance
• And much, much more