The Renaissance, New Sciences, and Religious Wars in Europe, 1450–1750

Audio / Video / Film

  1. The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

Driven by ambition, the Medici family rose from humble beginnings to become guardians of Florence and popes in Rome. They were the “patrons of genius and provided patronage and protection for Italy’s Renaissance giants.” However, this legacy was bought with the price of blood. PBS traces the rise of the Medici family from the birth of Cosimo de’ Medici to its downfall. (Account Required)

Part 1/4 (55:23): Birth of a Dynasty

Part 2/4 (55:22): The Magnificent Medici

Part 3/4 (55:23): The Medici Pope

  1. The Protestant Revolution

Martin Luther: Driven to Defiance (precedes the other PBS documentary on the site)

Part 1: The Politics of Belief (59:00):

Part 2: The Godly Family (59:27)

Part 3: The Reformation of the Mind (58:51):

Part 4: No Rest for the Wicked (58:44)

Web Links

  1. “Early Modern Resources.”Website with many links on the full range of institutional and cultural
  2. Spanning every facet of the scientist’s life, The Galileo Project is both informative and concise in its assessment of Galileo’s life work and contribution to modernity and science.
  3. NASA’s website looks at the life and views of Johannes Kepler. It examines his discoveries, contemporaries and the events that shaped modern
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