The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance

by John Hale

Looks at European history between 1450 and 1620, describes the intellectual life and social conditions of the period, and discusses the cultural changes that took place.

Includes Notes, a Bibliography and an Index

Genres: History, Renaissance, Nonfiction, European History, Art, Art History, 15th Century

648 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[John David · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Hale’s book on the history of the European Renaissance belongs to a short list of indispensable books on the subject. It is indisputably thorough and important, but also somewhat idiosyncratic. It is a topical history of the (roughly) “long century” between approximately 1450 and 1620 that borrows from the French historiographical Annales tradition of histoire des mentalities, i.e., history with the purpose of reconstructing the attitude and intellectual frameworks instead of a mere recounting of events. The title of the book also acknowledges a debt to the intellectual tradition handed down by Jacob Burckhardt, whose “The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy” essentially cleared a path for future studies of the subject. But whereas Burckhardt’s book was one with the sole focus on Italian culture, Hale has taken the whole continent as his subject to look at the broader cosmopolitan picture of an emerging Europe.

This is evident even from the opening chapter, in which Hale takes up the ideas of “self” and “other” on a continent whose religious and philosophical conceptions of itself were rapidly shifting and eventually coalescing into cohesive portraits of themselves over time. This slowly turns into discussion of constructions and assumptions about national identity, another not uncommon topic of the Annales school.

There are a few aspects of the book that make it read much older than its thirty-odd years. First, Hale presents a largely whiggish version of Renaissance history that sees progress over time as inevitable. He also sidelines any interest in the history of ordinary, common people, preferring to discuss important kings, diplomats, artists, and philosophers. In fact, his running commentary on art is one of the especially notable parts of the book, as well as its numerous black-and-white reproductions of sculpture, painting, and architecture. There are occasional stretches that can sometimes be a bit dull and more oriented toward the reader with more background in the subject than the average person. For that reason, despite the expansive and topical representation of the text, it is probably not the best introduction or primer to the subject of the Renaissance.

Despite being a survey covering a vast array of information, Hale almost never sacrifices neither clarity nor detail. This makes it nearly a fruitless book to review because it’s difficult to know where to begin, what seems more important, and what can be understandably left out. I’ll leave these decisions to reviewers with a better grasp of the period. I hope this is an adequate explanation of the brevity and overall impressionistic nature of this review. By far the biggest attraction of Hale’s book is its scope, which succeeds in capturing the seismic social and cultural changes that were associated with the Renaissance. Hale’s ability to successfully synthesize this breathtaking amount of information speaks not only to a lifetime of careful attention spent studying the sources, but equally to his dedication in seeing that his audience gets a book that is an adequate reflection of Hale’s learning and scholarship.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Handsome, profound overview of the Renaissance. By now, a little out of date, of course.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hale remarkably achieves his goal of giving "an investigative impression" of Europe between 1450 and 1620. It is like looking at a Bruegel painting...overwhelming detail that you zoom into and find amazing and then zoom back out and glance over the packed scene and then zoom in again on a vignette. I enjoyed this 'skim' and 'zoom' reading of Hale's canvas and did indeed have an impression of the Renaissance and the people who lived during this time and place. He divides the book into three major sections referenced in the title: Europe (a new concept); Renaissance (why now); and Civilization (civility and lack thereof..life was brutal).

[Rob Markley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much about art and too little about civilisation. When I compare this to Durant's 'The Renaissance' it comes up very short. Possibly written too much for insiders rather than the general public?

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a history of Early Modern Europe course, and found it to be interesting but very much an overview of something I already have a decent idea of . Hale is synthesizing a lot of information here, and because of that there are just some points where the book gets borderline unreadable for a few pages. It is so packed full of examples of the development of "Europe" that it strays into the obscenely detailed. Because it is so packed with information (it is the most comprehensive coverage of a period I have seen in print form since Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire), there is definitely something for everyone. I would recommend approaching the book holistically and skimming the surface on sections that are less immediately appealing. There are people who will be interested in the in-depth development of perspective in painting - I am not one of those humans. If you are interested in the implications or theoretical possibilities of such a thing, there is some discussion, but overall Hale doesn't dive deep enough on any topic in specific to give a good idea. There is just enough information where the conclusions he draws are well-rounded, interesting, and viable; but just enough generalization to find where the cracks form.

I will admit, I skimmed several sections in this book where maybe they deserve more attention. It was more due to time constraint than anything else, but I recommend taking this book in chunks. It is separated very well thematically to allow for anyone with a general interest to do so, and it doesn't read to me like it is thoroughly chronological. Each section (or topic if you prefer) has its own chronology that produces a total picture of the Renaissance. Overall a good read, but not exactly hte most thrilling for people who read a lot about the Renaissance anyway.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 / 4 - I found some of the long chapters on art incredibly tedious, but I have no interest in that to begin with. For the most part, this was an interesting collection of information. Despite its hefty size, everything was quite generalized and simple to understand. I did finish by thinking 'yes, the modern day is definitely the best time to be alive', so it paints a realistic portrait of the period versus over-glorifying any grand narratives. This book is a good introduction or overview, for good and bad. If nothing else, it has made me want to read into a few things mentioned in passing. I might go read some books about the Medici's and Montaigne for instance.

[Dulcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly learned and deeply dense. This is a work to make your way through at leisure, not a gallop.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Economics was instrumental in developing a general awareness of history in general and the History of ideas in particular

[Mark Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been on a Renaissance reading kick recently, and just finished this. It is one of the better books on the subject, and has a very good bibliography.

[David Potsubay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most exciting writing style, but Hale is certainly comprehensive. It feels a bit dated from the 1990s. I still found it to be like a decent survey of the European Renaissance.

[Aram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book but not really sure what the point is here. Also, are we ever going to mention the fact that the Italians only had Greek manuscripts because of the Arabs?

[David R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hale's study is thorough, deep, and insightful, providing the reader with an excellent understanding of the world in the area of the 16th Century. Topics range from art, agriculture, religion, culture and more. Well worth a read to better understand the realities of life in Europe in this fascinating period.

[P J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The European historical period is by common agreement divided into three parts – Ancient, Medieval and Modern. There is rather less agreement about the dating of when the dividing lines between these periods are. The fall of Rome is conventionally the beginning of the medieval period (in Britain this is often the withdrawal of direct Roman authority in 410 AD). The conventional date to end the middle ages is 1492 and Columbus’s discovery of the new world. Yet in itself this is fairly meaningless – other events would be more profound in the shaping of the individual nations of Europe – the fall of Granada in the same year, the destruction of Feudal England precipitated by Bosworth Field in 1485. But as J R Hale points out so lucidly, there were many themes which interplayed during the years 1480 to 1520 and signalled quite clearly the beginning of the modern western world. The centralization of government, as in the case of Henry VII’s England, and the growth of professional civil servants, are clearly ‘renaissance’ movements, in that they hark back to the classical, or more precisely the Roman age.
Similarly, intellectual thought, more directly inspired by the ancients, was being freed of many of the constraints of medieval Christianity - by 1496 it was possible for a Christian humanist like John Colet to lecture at Oxford on St Paul’s epistles by means of the Greek texts rather than Medieval Latin commentaries. In the 1490s Pico della Mirandola’s would rubbish astrology. Scientific analysis was more readily carried out - Leonardo realized that the presence of fossil shells in the Apennines meant that the sea had once been present there. Professor Hales also cites, as an example of the ‘rigorous commonsense’ the Inquest on the alleged suicide of Richard Hunne in 1515.
But there was more than just the returning to intellectual processes and governmental systems which had in fact been possible in the past. There was also the new. Foremost was surely printing with moveable type. By 1500 there were 73 places with printing presses in Italy, 50 in Germany, 45 in France and 4 in England. Possibly six million books had been printed by then. The spirit of modernism is epitomised by the Emperor Maximilian having himself portrayed in a printer’s workshop.
The range of this book is impressive, and occasionally overwhelming. But it certainly clearly makes the case that these forty years were critical, the turning point that led to the modern west.

[John Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with an interesting observation: prior to the Renaissance, Europeans didn't conceive of "Europe" as a cohesive whole. Instead, they viewed themselves as part of "Christendom," defining themselves in terms of religion rather than geography.

The book continues with a comprehensive overview of Europe during this vibrant period of its history. The book covers many subjects, such as travel, the economy, and manners and mores, rather than concentrating on the incredible art of the period as many commentators do. It makes for an interesting book, but personally, I would prefer to see greater concentration on art, science, and technology - the subjects which occupy the first rank in the many achievements during this period.

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this many years ago, in advance of my first trip to Italy in 1996. I wish I could write more specifically on it, but I remember loving it. It's not a terribly easy read, but very worthwhile. As I remember Hale makes good use of Jakob Burkhardt's much earlier book on the same subject, but adds a more recent perspective . If you're at all interested in Italy, the Renaissance, and/or as Hale titles it "The Civilization of Europe" you'll find this an excellent read.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is obviously extremely knowledgeable about the Renaissance. That might be the problem. His knowledge keeps getting in the way of his analysis. He is so fond of quoting obscure sources and referencing artwork of the period that it seems he forgets why he's doing this in the first place. The quote and the art becomes their own raison d'etre. Because of this, this book reads more like a list of Renaissance facts than a careful analysis of the period.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense and packed with detail. Great historical reference but it took me over a year to read it. It's better to scan and then read just the sections you are most intersted in. Overall the author does well in communicating the upheaval of the Renaissance.

[Thom Dunn]

The world's a big place.

[Jerry-Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview of life in the late middle ages.

[Julaine]

Sell this book. Date Purchased Unknown. Source: QPB

[Bridget Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Hale certainly knows Renaissance history, and writes so fluently on the topic in a way that is both intimate and objective of Renaissance key players and events.

[Julie Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and the final page made me laugh and cry.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous