From Copernicus to Shakespeare: How the Renaissance in Northern Europe Transformed the World
April 21, 2023
Strathern (Empire: A New History of the World) asserts that while the traditionally recognized Italian Renaissance was going on, a second, separate Renaissance was also occurring in northern Europe from the mid-14th century to end of the 17th century. The author cites groundbreaking innovations in the fields of medicine, religion, and astronomy, to name a few. Artists such as Albrecht D�rer and Pieter Bruegel the Elder employed a new realism in their paintings and engravings, while a progressive humanism emerged in the writings of Erasmus and Rabelais. Strathern devotes individual chapters to the lives and accomplishments of these luminaries, and there is no denying the influence of Gutenberg, Copernicus, and Martin Luther on the course of civilization. The premise of a separate Renaissance, however, falters when one takes into account the connections many of these individuals had to the Italian Renaissance through study, travel, or mentors. Similarly disappointing is the inclusion of only two women: France's Catherine de' Medici and England's Elizabeth I. In the case of Elizabeth I, the book inexplicably reduces the significance of her reign to the inspiration it brought Shakespeare. VERDICT An informative but disappointing look at a pivotal era.--Sara Shreve
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 1, 2023
Biographical sketches of the men and women who launched the Renaissance in Northern Europe. First established in Italy in the early 15th century, the Renaissance later took root in Germany, Belgium, France, and England, "gradually overturning many long-held medieval certainties." Indeed, it "was a time of increasing change, extending into all spheres of life." Strathern, award-winning novelist and author of The Florentines, The Borgias, The Medici, and other titles, believes that historians of the Renaissance have focused on Southern Europe to the detriment of the many technical, artistic, and intellectual advances that occurred north of the Alps. To rebalance this history, he describes the contributions of those who lived outside the Mediterranean world. Three themes anchor Strathern's counterstory: the invention of the movable type printing press, which enabled a wide dissemination of knowledge; the emergence of Protestantism as a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church and driver of humanism; and the shift from geocentric to heliocentric astronomy, which "would dislodge humanity from its central place in the universe, an event which would provoke a subtle but profound psychological effect on the human psyche." Gutenberg enabled Rabelais and Shakespeare; Martin Luther and Henry VIII broke from the papacy; and Copernicus, Mercator, and Kepler forever changed our understanding of the planet and facilitated the discovery of America, "very much an independent achievement of the Other Renaissance." Strathern also examines the contributions of humanists such as Montaigne and Nicholas of Cusa; artists such as Albrecht D�rer and Jan van Eyck; and the political rulers Catherine de' Medici and Cardinal Richelieu, "the father of modern statecraft." Although influenced by discoveries and ideas germinated in Southern Europe, the Other Renaissance "would transform European culture in its own unique fashion." That the lives portrayed are so deeply fascinating is the great appeal of the book. A docent-style stroll through the pantheon of Renaissance thinkers of Northern Europe.
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