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The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations cover art

The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations

Written by: Andrew C. Fix, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Andrew C. Fix
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Publisher's Summary

Between 1348 and 1715, western Europe was fraught with turmoil, beset by the Black Plague, numerous and bitter religious wars, and frequent political revolutions and upheavals.

Yet the Europe that emerged from this was vastly different from the Europe that entered it. By the start of the 18th century, Europe had been revitalized and reborn in a radical break with the past that would have untold ramifications for human civilization.

This comprehensive series of 48 lectures by an award-winning teacher and scholar sheds new light on this critical period by exploring the political, social, cultural, and economic revolutions that transformed Europe between the arrival of the Black Death in the 14th century to the onset of the Enlightenment in the 18th century.

It explains

  • how these startling changes came about;
  • the social, economic, and political factors that helped steer Europe away from the Middle Ages and into the modern world;
  • the kinds of patterns we can see during this time; and
  • how these centuries were critical to the entire narrative of history and have contributed to the Western world we know today.

Professor Fix covers a remarkable breadth of subjects relating to European history from 1348 to 1715. While religion, politics, wars, and economics dominate this period, he also pays close attention to art, exploration, science, and technology.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

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Interesting

I found this interesting and easy to listen to (I've listened to it twice). I only knew a portion of this topic well prior to starting, but noted a couple glaring errors in the stated facts (ie since when did Prince Arthur die in a shipwreck?). That did leave me wondering how many errors there are in the sections I was hearing about for the first time, that I just missed. But overall I enjoyed it very much and found the themes interesting to learn about.

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Interesting Themes, Misfires on Many Facts

Interesting enough, but the author is simply wrong on many black and white facts. From the Peasants’ Revolt to bankers’ acceptances to Thomas More to the French military, and a great many points in between, he frequently and baldly misstates basic facts. His reluctance to quote almost any source and his broad generalizations could seriously misinform, and make me wonder about how valid his conclusions are.

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An excellent interview of this time period

I listened to this course as part of a year long process of teaching my congregation about church history. I found this to be an excellent complement to the other resources I used, and it even mentioned some Christian groups that Christian-specific resources neglected.

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errors and mispronunciations galore

This is really not up to Great Courses standards. It's full of errors and rumours treated as facts, along with some really odd pronunciations (e.g. papal like apple). If I'd spent a credit on this, I'd be furious.

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Captivating Storytelling

For what I usually considered a dry subject it's a captivating read. Paints a clear picture of the major political events between the chruch and the crown. And explains the evolution of ideas well. Narrator appears to be an excellent storyteller!

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A Great Listen.

Very informative. essentially outlines how we got here. lots of interesting nuggets. accompanying course notes help solidify material heard here. If you want to know how humanity pulled itself out of the Dark Ages this book will tell you.

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