Catherine Fletcher se zaměřuje na detailní historické události a jejich dopad na společnost. Její práce vyniká hloubkou výzkumu a pronikavým analytickým přístupem k minulosti. Fletcher zkoumá složité vztahy a rozhodnutí, které formovaly dějiny, a přibližuje je čtenářům srozumitelným a poutavým způsobem. Její literární styl odráží její akademické vzdělání a vášeň pro odhalování zapomenutých příběhů.
The book features a comprehensive table of contents that organizes its material into clear sections, allowing readers to navigate through the topics easily. Each section is designed to provide in-depth insights, making it a valuable resource for understanding the subject matter. The structure enhances accessibility and encourages a systematic approach to the content, catering to both casual readers and those seeking detailed information.
The Italian Renaissance profoundly influenced western culture, yet it was more complex and darker than often perceived. While we admire Leonardo da Vinci for his art, we overlook his innovative weapon designs. The Mona Lisa is iconic, but her marriage to a slave trader is seldom mentioned. Visitors to Florence admire Michelangelo's David without knowing the violent events that led to the republic's downfall. By concentrating on the Medici and Borgias, we neglect the significance of the Genoese, Neapolitans, and courts in Urbino and Mantua. The everyday lives of women writers, Jewish merchants, mercenaries, engineers, and citizens during this time are rarely acknowledged. Many renowned figures, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Machiavelli, emerged not in the celebrated fifteenth century but amidst the turmoil of the sixteenth century, marked by brutal wars that devastated Italy's political and social fabric. This period saw the rise of Protestantism, Spain's colonization of the Americas, and the Ottoman Empire's expansion, all challenging Italian power and igniting discussions on governance, morality, and faith. Catherine Fletcher's narrative history vividly captures this era, revealing its complexities and relevance to our contemporary world.
'Brilliant and gripping, here is the full true Renaissance in a history of compelling originality and freshness' Simon Sebag Montefiore LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA NON-FICTION CROWN 2020 The Italian Renaissance shaped Western culture - but it was far stranger and darker than many of us realise. We know the Mona Lisa for her smile, but not that she was married to a slave-trader. We revere Leonardo da Vinci for his art, but few now appreciate his ingenious designs for weaponry. We visit Florence to see Michelangelo's David, but hear nothing of the massacre that forced the republic's surrender. In fact, many of the Renaissance's most celebrated artists and thinkers emerged not during the celebrated 'rebirth' of the fifteenth century but amidst the death and destruction of the sixteenth century. The Beauty and the Terror is an enrapturing narrative which includes the forgotten women writers, Jewish merchants, mercenaries, prostitutes, farmers and citizens who lived the Renaissance every day. Brimming with life, it takes us closer than ever before to the reality of this astonishing era, and its meaning for today. 'Terrifying and fascinating' Sunday Times 'Enlightening...exactly the alternative history you might wish for' Daily Telegraph
Brimming with life and drama, this is the first book to explore two thousand years of European history through one the greatest imperial networks ever built 'erudite, entertaining and infinitely readable' HELENA ATTLEE 'a magical and informative ode' MICHAEL SCOTT 'a must-read for tourists and armchair travellers alike' ROSS KING 'an essential guide to the many hidden layers of history beneath our feet' KELCEY WILSON-LEE 'All roads lead to Rome.' It's a medieval proverb, but it's also true: today's European roads still follow the networks of the ancient empire, as Rome's extraordinary legacy continues to grip our imaginations. Over the two thousand years since they were first built, the roads have been walked by crusaders and pilgrims, liberators and dictators, but also by tourists and writers, refugees and artists. As channels of trade and travel, and routes for conquest and creativity, Catherine Fletcher shows how the roads forever transformed the cultures, and intertwined the fates, of a vast panoply of people across Europe and beyond. Reflecting on his own walk on the Appian Way, Charles Dickens observed that here is 'a history in every stone that strews the ground.' Based on outstanding original research, and brimming with life and drama, this is the first book to explore two thousand years of history through one of the greatest imperial networks ever built.