HIEU 321

Medieval and Renaissance Italy

Crabb, Ann

The object of this course is to investigate the political, social and cultural history of Italy during the age of the Renaissance. It surveys the unique Italian political institutions and urban culture in northern and central Italy, setting them in the context of other areas of Italy and of Renaissance Italy’s place in historiography.  It will finish with a reconsideration of the end of Italian cultural dominance and of the legacy of Renaissance culture. The emphasis throughout will be on the relationship of the artistic and literary culture to the social and political culture in which they are found. We will discuss, among others, the writings of Alberti, Valla, the civic humanists, Ficino and Machiavelli. We will also discuss the great innovations in Italian art, the role of Renaissance patrons in the production of art and culture, and the impact of both on public life.

There will be a paper, several short written assignments on course readings, an hour exam,  and a final. In addition to short readings on Electronic Reserve (UVa Collab), we will read the following:

John Najemy, ed., Italy in the Age of the Renaissance
Benjamin G. Kohl and Alison Andrews Smith, eds. Major Problems in the History of the Italian Renaissance
Paula Findlen, ed.,The Italian Renaissance: The Essential Readings

Brucker, Gene A., ed. The Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study
Mark Musa and Julia Bondanella, eds, The Italian Renaissance Reader
Evelyn Welch, Art in Renaissance Italy: 1350-1500