Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names – Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli – are famous, but many others will be new to general readers. Their stories, ninety-four in all, remind us that history is more than dates and abstract concepts: it also arises from the lives of countless individual men and women. Table of ContentsIntroduction: Capturing the Renaissance • 1. Old Traditions and New Ideas 1400–1450 • 2. Europeans at Peace 1450–1470 • 3. The Emerging Nations 1470–1490 • 4. Sudden Shocks 1490–1510 • 5. The Collapse of the Old Order 1510–1530 • 6. The New Wave 1530–1550 • 7. The Framing of Modernity 1550–1600