Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

Volume II of The Cambridge History of War covers what in Europe is commonly called 'the Middle Ages'. It includes all of the well-known themes of European warfare, from the migrations of the Germanic peoples and the Vikings through the Reconquista, the Crusades and the age of chivalry, to the development of state-controlled gunpowder-wielding armies and the urban militias of the later middle ages; yet its scope is world-wide, ranging across Eurasia and the Americas to trace the interregional connections formed by the great Arab conquests and the expansion of Islam, the migrations of horse nomads such as the Avars and the Turks, the formation of the vast Mongol Empire, and the spread of new technologies – including gunpowder and the earliest firearms – by land and sea.

A comparative study of how the societies of late medieval England and France reacted to the long period of conflict between them from political, military, social and economic perspectives.

R. Coltman Clephan's 'The Defensive Armour and the Weapons and Engines of War of Mediæval Times, and of the 'Renaissance'' is a comprehensive study of military equipment and strategies used during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Clephan delves into the intricate details of defensive armor, weapons, and engineering marvels that shaped warfare during this era. His meticulous research and detailed descriptions provide readers with a vivid picture of battlefield tactics and technologies of the time. The book is written in a scholarly and analytical style, making it a valuable resource for historians, military enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the evolution of warfare. Clephan's work is a significant contribution to the understanding of medieval and Renaissance military history, offering insights into the innovation and challenges faced by soldiers and commanders of the period. Recommended for readers seeking a deep dive into the arms and armor of the past.

• Fascinating, fact-filled writing that delivers hundreds of years in the life of the European continent • Terrific supplementary reading for AP History students