Theodore K. Rabb (1937–2019)

Historians often debate the features that distinguish one period from another, but less frequently consider the developments that mark the end of an epoch. Rabb’s essay on periodization in European history takes up the challenge of describing evidence for the end of the Renaissance, which he regards as a ‘unity of patterns in time’ which itself had replaced the unity of patterns that distinguished the medieval period.

In seeking to describe the coherencies that mark an historical show more epoch, Rabb acknowledges the inconsistencies, contradictions, and ambiguities inherent in the historian’s art. He takes his lead from the philosopher R.G. Collingwood in insisting that history is neither invented nor found, but is the product of a dialogue between the historian and the materials left to us by the past. Any good historian must know that the past is always changing.

For its part, the Renaissance destroyed the sense of coherence that medieval society had created. Beginning in the 13th c., we can detect the erosion of papal authority and a growing dissatisfaction with religious doctrine and practice. In the secular realm, the impetus came not so much from dissatisfaction as from the pressure of external forces, notably technology and disease. Rabb is particularly good on the upheaval in military affairs (the size and organization of armies, developments in fortification and armaments, and the mustering of both natural and human resources for the purpose of waging war) resulting from the use of gunpowder. Likewise, the demographic and economic effects of the Black Death undid long-standing patterns in European society, clearing the way for the “commercialization” of European life. Rabb’s succinct account of these transformations is insightful enough to hold the interest of even experienced readers in European history.

The cultural shift that distinguished the Renaissance from the previous period was the deliberate rejection of the immediate past and a return to antiquity for guidance and inspiration. A cultural “flowering” or rebirth is frequently presented as the prime feature of the Renaissance, but Rabb emphasizes instead the disquiet and unease that pervaded all aspects of European life between the 14th and 17th centuries. Whereas the traditional narrative describes the period as one marked by the creation of new opportunities, Rabb provides ample evidence for interpreting the Renaissance as an age characterized by intensified antagonisms, doubts, and confusions. The prevailing mood was one of crisis rather than of mastery.

Ultimately, the yearning for assurance and stability led to the acceptance of new ideas in the second half of the 17th c., the result not of intellectual debate, writes Rabb, but of a shift in mood. New commitments and ambitions transformed everything from politics and views of war to art and the quest for knowledge. The authority accorded to science struck a fatal blow to Renaissance assumptions, and antiquity was deemed inadequate for the challenges faced by European societies entering an age of revolution.

One of the most difficult tasks for historians is presenting convincing evidence for how people of an earlier period thought. “Culture” as an explanation for historical change has gained much currency, though efforts to unpack culture and to describe its distinguishing features often result in muddled thinking and woolly prose. Rabb’s discussion of the European mood and mindset at critical junctures evades both shortcomings. The Last Days of the Renaissance is intellectual history of the first rank. show less

A grab bag, as designed. It was a pleasant book to flip through. The early European history moments were well chosen and I liked most of the essays, just a few that didn't get my attention. This is a series, I may look for the others when in need of some historical snacking.

Rabb's vignettes offer insight into Renaissance and into 15 men and women of the era. His goal is to show how these individuals defined their age as well as were defined by their age. Very well written and insightful.

A collection of essays whose only connecting thread is that they all involve Europe in some way. That's it. Some are art history, others detail revolutions. Some are written in a dry academic style, while others read like pop history, and one, Paul Kennedy's "The Battle of the Nile," is written from the perspective of a fictional Egyptian fisherman (and manages to be actually offensive in how artificial, unconvincing, and Orientalist the fiction is). Some essays relate controversies or show more mysteries, while others just recount events and periodically insert "I wish I'd been there to see that."

I wish this book had more of a point. They should have curated this collection so that it focused on "key turning points in the drama of European history," as stated on the back, OR focused it on points of history that are still mysterious. As it stands, it's a bunch of utterly random bits of history, most of which is related poorly. show less