European Renaissance | 𒉿Bildungblocks

Sometimes I read something so fascinating, that I immediately want to write a blog about it and share my new interest with the digital world. But me being myself, I often run into practical considerations that are likely to delay such a project. For instance, I have to look into the broader scholarly literature to be certain that I present you with a proper overview of the learned consensus on a topic. And with new interests, this is hindered by the fact that even I cannot be an expert in all humanities – however hard I may try. So this week, in the middle of summer, we are going to talk about a subject that first grabbed me last Christmas: firearms as accessories in Renaissance Italy.

Continue reading Firearms as Accessories in Renaissance Italy →

We all know that one scene from many adventure movies. The charismatic explorer, wizened wizard, or inquisitive secret agent – often, but not always, accompanied by a variety of plucky sidekicks and love interests – visits an archive to further their quest. And almost without exception, though seldom without great effort, they do find the log of a person from the (distant) past – preferably a family member or ancestor of one of the available main characters – which tells them exactly what they needed to know.¹ Such plot devices may be necessary to help a film move along and they regularly serve relevant themes of ancestry, cooperation, and responsibility. But if we want to understand the past through actual archives, we often learn as much from what the documents and objects therein do not tell us as from what do tell. And the same, rather uncinematically approach will help us today to get to know more about the Italian city of Florence during the European Renaissance.

Continue reading Circumventing Silences in the Archives of Renaissance Florence →