Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Renaissance

The Renaissance (UK: rin-AY-sənss, US: (listen) REN-ə-sahnss) is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas and achievements of classical antiquity. It occurred after the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages and was associated with great social change.

4 episodes

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  1. Renaissance Magic

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the Renaissance obsession with Magic, including the serious and religious study of the 'hermetic texts' and the cabbala.

    17 June 2004

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    Featuring: Peter Forshaw, Valery Rees, Jonathan Sawday

     
  2. The 12th Century Renaissance

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and impact of the philosophical, scientific, religious and architectural changes of the 12th century in western Europe.

    20 October 2016

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    Featuring: Laura Ashe, Elisabeth van Houts, Giles Gasper

     
  3. The Renaissance

    Melvyn Bragg explores the veracity of modern claims about the Renaissance and whether our current perceptions about its role in cultural history stem from a 19th century historian.

    8 June 2000

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    Featuring: Francis Ames-Lewis, Peter Burke, Evelyn Welch

     
  4. The Sack of Rome 1527

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the slaughter and chaos as a hungry army of the Holy Roman Emperor swarmed through Rome, holding the pope hostage and weakening the Papal States.

    22 February 2024

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    Featuring: Stephen Bowd, Jessica Goethals, Catherine Fletcher