Convents as a Refuge in Early Modern Lisbon
Lisbon’s convents were not just religious houses, but safe havens for the noblewomen of Portugal offering refuge from abusive husbands, unhappy marriages and a city swarming with ‘dogs and devils’.
Renaissance
A History of Phantom Pain
For centuries, scientists and philosophers used phantom limbs to unravel the secrets of the human mind. While we know phantom pain exists, we still don’t know why.
Deaf Expression in Renaissance Art
Seen to be less capable because of their deafness, deaf artists in the Renaissance used their art as a powerful means of expression.
Violent Ends
Early modern methods of execution were carefully calculated to inflict shame upon the condemned.
Saving Face
The Renaissance face provided clues about the wealth and health of its owner. Those who had been disfigured were often mistreated, but to alter one’s appearance carried a stigma of its own.
Dolphins of the Belfiore
Does the intelligent sea mammal, long associated with Venus, the goddess of love, offer a clue to a lost jewel of the Renaissance?
Was there a Women’s Renaissance?
We ask four historians whether the great advances of the Renaissance were extended to women.
Solving a Renaissance Murder Mystery
The most powerful family of Florence and the most powerful man in the world offer a new solution to one of the most notorious crimes of the age.
Murder at the Vatican
An unsolved Renaissance mystery casts light on the dark world of extortion, revenge and power politics at the heart of the Catholic Church.
War, Law and Massacre
The conflicts that devastated Renaissance Europe were justified by ancient ideas rooted in natural law and Christianity. Though replaced by legal frameworks for the conduct of war between states, the killing continues.