Historical Dictionary of the Renaissance

The Historical Dictionary of the Renaissance is designed to be a handy reference covering the history of the European Renaissance, the period between about 1350 and the early 17th century. It emphasizes the new humanistic learning, the vernacular literature, the innovative artistic styles, and the music because these were the activities that gave rise to the concept of a Renaissance. Because "Renaissance" is primarily a cultural concept, less attention is given to political, social, and economic developments. Nevertheless, there are substantial entries on major Italian cities where the Renaissance first developed, and also on topics like printing, the 14th-century economic depression, the Inquisition, witchcraft, and the history of the church. Chronologically, there is considerable overlap between the age of the Renaissance and the age of the Reformation. Individuals related to the Reformation are treated here only to the extent that they were involved in the development of Renaissance culture; the same is true of political leaders. There is also a chronological overlap between the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In such cases, this Dictionary follows a strictly practical policy: if readers would benefit from discussion of a traditionally medieval topic that continued to influence Renaissance Europe (for example, the Avignonese Papacy, the Western Schism, the Hundred Years' War, Dante), the topic is treated here. Traditional history of the Renaissance has almost totally ignored the role of women. There is some justification for this, since relatively few women had the opportunity to gain enough education to participate in what remained a predominantly male culture. In particular, a mere handful of women had the opportunity to master Latin, the language of higher education and most book-learning. Yet our own society has special interest in the history of women, and this reference makes a special effort to provide information on the women who did manage to become authors, on women who a