Even as it struggled amid the chaotic vicissitudes of the papacy, violent quarrels and the devastation of war and plague, medieval Italy developed into a vital centre of commerce and culture replete with material, intellectual and artistic riches. Medieval Italy, the latest in Routledge's acclaimed Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages Series, is the first A-Z reference to be devoted to this churning nexus of European civilization. Students, specialists and general readers alike will turn to Medieval Italy for details on: * The contributions that made Italy the cradle of modern education, law, craftsmanship and double entry bookkeeping * The Bardi, the Visconti and other commercial and noble families who ruled Italy and made their influence felt throughout Europe * Great city-states such as Genoa, Venice, Siena and Florence * The papacy, at the pinnacle and nadir of its power Petrarch, Boccaccio, Giotto and other pioneers who laid the groundwork for Renaissance literature and art * And much more This Encyclopedia gathers together the most recent scholarship on Medieval Italy, while offering a sweeping view of all aspects of life in Italy during the Middle Ages.
This two volume, illustrated, A-Z reference is a cross-disciplinary resource for information on literature, history, the arts, science, philosophy and religion in Italy between AD 450 and 1375. Featuring nearly 1,000 entries running from a concise 100 to a comprehensive length of 10,000 words, Medieval Italy depicts every aspect of the time and place, with all its apparent contradictions. Encompassing public and private life, the sacred and the profane, this unique work includes accounts of lucre and revenge alongside coverage of great strides in education and the arts, depicting the many variegated hues that constituted the medieval Italian world and heralded the advent of the renaissance. David Abulafia, University of Cambridge, UK; Emily Albu, University of California, Davis, USA; Gian Carlo Alessio, Palazzo Nani Mocenigo, Italy; Gloria Allaire, University