France - Renaissance Furnishing Style
By Stephan Teak
Put the French and the Renaissance together and you are bound to get magic. With furnishings for your home or office, this is certain the case.
Archive for December, 2006
Medieval Costumes! Going Back In Time For One Knight
By William Lezubski
Medieval costumes are a popular choice for many of the renaissance lovers out there that enjoy the mystery, sorcery, and glamour of that unique era!
Borgia “Executes” Rivals
Cesare Borgia invited leaders of the opposing Orsini family to his castle, where he imprisoned them and had them, er, "executed" on December 31, 1502. Find out more, and see...
The Renaissance in Italy in 1400-1600
By Aaron Schwartz
Italy is a country where the Renaissance actually began and it dates back to the late 13th c. but the shift from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance became the most evident in the 14th c. this period is characterized by a rapid development of arts, science and culture. The cultural center of Europe was Florence, a beautiful Italian city where many famous artists lived and worked as well as many travelers and explorers of new lands did, since Genoa is a native city of Christopher Columbus. During 14-16th centuries artists as well as scientists focus their attention on the real world around them. They began to apply to the history, particularly to the ancient culture of Greece and Rome. They studied works of arts of ancient artists that certainly broadened their horizons. Actually, there was a trend to experiment and innovation in the art which was reinforced by growing wealth of cities that helped support artists.
Medieval Castles - An Essay
By Michael Cooper
Castles remind us of a time that was full of adventure and romance. Castles remind us of a time in history in which there was a lack of government and order. Although there was not mass confusion and anarchy, there was less order. Castles were the basis of feudalism. Castles can be seen as a manifestation of feudal society. Feudalism started with the rise of castles and ended with their end. The castle set the tone as the only homestead that nobility would live in during this time. Castles were influenced by and influenced many medieval cathedrals in Europe. Although castles served many purposes, their primary purpose was military. At that time, people were not protected by merely shutting and locking a regular wooden door. They needed the protection of castles and their knights. The lords and constables of castles needed serfs to work the land to make revenue in order to pay rent to the more important nobles. Given the following evidence, it is relatively obvious why castles and castle building played an instrumental role in the development of Western Europe.
Renaissance
By Aaron Schwartz
The word “renaissance” means rebirth, this period was also called “Age of Discovery and the revival of Learning”. Renaissance means the moving of the European culture and re-discovering of the past Middle Ages.
How to Draw Castle Floor Plans
By Will Kalif
The Floor Plan for every Medieval Castle was different but there were some rules of thumb that they pretty much all followed. Here are some guidelines to help you draw a castle floor plan that is realistic and attractive.
Botticelli: From the Birth of Venus to a Bonfire of the Vanities
By Brenda Harness
Most of the Western world is familiar with the image of Venus as she rises from the sea on a clamshell in the famous Italian Renaissance painting by Sandro Botticelli. With its lyrical, graceful beauty, the work we know so well is properly named The Birth of Venus and sometimes affectionately known in contemporary culture as “Venus on the Half Shell.” Botticelli’s mythological work continues to inspire contemporary art, literature, film, and a myriad of other things.
Weapons Innovations of the Medieval Era
By Lawrence Heller
Although many when many people think of the Middle Ages as “The Dark Ages”, there were actually many brilliant innovations in the arts, politics, and medieval weapons made during this time.
Becoming a Renaissance Man or Woman
By Jeffrey Hauser
I wrote one of my Master’s thesis on Michelangelo and his relationship to the various Popes he eventually outlived. During that period of writing in my twenties, I gained a fair amount of insight into the artist and the many other contemporaries that made up the geniuses of the Renaissance. That era, by the way, is generally considered as the time from the early fifteenth century to the late seventeenth century, an era encompassing about 200 years. Sure, there were other painters and sculptors like Botticelli, Bernini, Raphael, and Ghiberti, but those were mostly people entrenched in the arts. I’m discussing the true multitalented thinkers such as Da Vinci and the aforementioned Michelangelo. In addition to their obvious expertise, they invented, created buildings, weapons, and developed many innovative techniques in the arts and science. This isn’t to slight the scientists such as Galileo, Copernicus, Descartes, Bacon, Kepler, and finally, Newton, who technically arrived a few decades later. But they were somewhat one-dimensional, compared to the two aforementioned.
Hidden England - Medieval Castles, Historic Homes and English History
By Andrew Stephen
With Summer coming to a glorious climax, the gardens of Hidden England are in full bloom. For garden enthusiasts the opportunities are endless.
Renaissance Poetry: Christopher Marlowe
A poem from the Renaissance era by Christopher Marlowe, from your Mining Co. Guide
Medieval Atlas - Fifth Century Maps - Chronological Map Index
Maps of political boundaries as they stood in the fifth century.
King Richard II of England
King Richard II of England played an impressive role in the Peasants' Revolt and was eventually maneuvered into abdicating.
Pimbley B Terms
From Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry, the fourth of five pages of heraldic terms beginning with the letter B. Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry is in the public domain.
The Liz Quiz
Test your knowledge of Queen Elizabeth I in this quick quiz.
