Details

ONLINE HISTORY COURSE
“A Legacy of Power and Beauty: Italy from Ancient Rome to the Renaissance”

Course Description:

Across three sessions, this course explores Italy’s place at the epicenter of Western civilization. From the heart of the Roman Empire to the seat of the papacy and the cradle of the Renaissance, Italy played a vital role in shaping religious, intellectual, and artistic thought across more than 2,000 years. Beginning with Ancient Rome, we explore how this “Eternal City” set enduring principles of governance, architecture, and cultural authority that would echo through the ages. When the empire fell, Italy splintered into fiefdoms, republics, and city-states—each vying for power, yet unified by a shared geography and cultural legacy.

The medieval period saw a rich tapestry of rivalries and alliances, where feudal lords, papal rulers, and merchant dynasties contended for influence, paving the way for a cultural rebirth that began in the flourishing northern city-states. During the Renaissance, Italian creativity and innovation soared to dazzling heights as figures like Brunelleschi, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, inspired by classical ideals, revolutionized art, science, and philosophy.

Through the lens of Italy’s unique political and cultural landscape, we shall see how each period’s achievements contributed to an evolving vision of beauty, power, and human potential—cementing Italy’s role at the spiritual and cultural heart of the West.

Virtual Classroom: Full access to an online educational platform with videos of recordings, syllabus, and reading list.

Location: LIVE INTERACTIVE ON-LINE HISTORY LECTURES

Optional Readings:
Information will be provided 2 weeks before the start of the course.

Complete syllabus will be provided 2 weeks before the start of the course.

• ALL LECTURES WILL BE RECORDED AND AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING AT YOUR CONVENIENCE IN OUR VIDEO LIBRARY FOR TWO WEEKS AFTER THE COURSE HAS ENDED.

Schedule

LECTURE 1 – The Eternal City: The Epic of Ancient Rome

– Monday, April 7

This class will examine the dramatic history of Ancient Rome, from its mythical founding to its cataclysmic fall in 476 AD. We’ll explore epic moments like the Punic Wars, the gripping power plays of Julius Caesar, and the grandeur of Augustus, punctuated by the notorious reigns of the “bad emperors” such as Caligula and Nero. Highlights include iconic marvels like the Colosseum—a showcase of Roman engineering and entertainment—and the Pantheon, a testament to the Empire’s ambition to bring the heavens under a dome.

LECTURE 2 – Echoes of Rome: Faith, Feudalism, and the Medieval Imagination

– Monday, April 14

This session journeys into medieval Europe, where Rome’s legacy was reshaped by Christian ideals, Gothic cathedrals, and the stirring ambition to recreate Rome’s grandeur. From Theoderic and Charlemagne’s ambitious revivals to the thriving cities of Florence and Venice, we’ll examine how feudalism developed and then how urban life flourished. We’ll also visit the foundations of higher learning in Bologna and Padua, where the seeds of future Renaissance thinking were sown.

LECTURE 3 – The Age of Genius: Art and Innovation in the Renaissance

– Monday, April 21

In this class, we’ll immerse ourselves in the Renaissance, an age of rediscovery and innovation that breathed new life into art, science and politics. We’ll meet Cosimo de’ Medici and the creative geniuses—Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Masaccio, Leonardo, Michelangelo—whose revolutionary work in perspective and anatomy redefined human creativity. We’ll also explore the driving forces behind the era’s achievements: wealth, literacy, civic pride and a newfound thirst for knowledge that sparked an unprecedented cultural transformation.

Instructor

Ross King is the award-winning author of numerous books on Italian and French art and history, including Brunelleschi’s Dome and Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. His biography Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power has been called a “convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time.” His most recent book, published in April 2021, is The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance.