The Oxford Illustrated History of the Renaissance by Gordon Campbell

The Renaissance is one of the most celebrated periods in European history. But when did it begin? When did it end? And what did it include?

Traditionally regarded as a revival of classical art and learning, centred upon fifteenth-century Italy, views of the Renaissance have changed considerably in recent decades. The glories of Florence and the art of Raphael and Michelangelo remain an important element of the Renaissance story, but they are now only a part of a much wider story which looks beyond an exclusive focus on high culture, beyond the Italian peninsula, and beyond the fifteenth century.