Quote from: Chad on 18 October 2011, 11:54:20 AM
Aart
Not enough room in a Cinquecento to swing a cat let alone have a battle.

Chad

Leave it to the Italians. You'd be amazed how many children have been fathered (or born, for that matter) in a mere Toppolino. I wouldn't be surprised if the Cinquecento had room for a full-blown Italian civil war.

Cheers,
Aart

Quote...I thought DanJ was primarily interested in the Condottiere wars of the fourteen hundreds

That's right, late fourteenth to early sixteenth centuries, the for me the Italian Wars are Renaissance warfare.  It's amazing what the Italians achived in terms of art, litterature, science, religion etc against a backdrop of virtually constant warfare and who couln't be inspired by an army commanded by a Borgia?

By the middle of the sixteenth century the fire had, probably inevitably, gone out of the Renaissance and all we had to look forward to was Baroque architecture, the counter reformation and the interminable wars of religion, none of which I find inspiring.

Incidentaly why would anyone want to call the Renaissance the Early moden period?  Early modern period is bland, boring and uninformative and what's none political about Renaissance? It refers to a particular period and place, highlighting the exposion in learning brought about by the rediscovery of many ancient texts and authors which led to the great flowering in Italy and then across Europe.

Quote from: DanJ on 18 October 2011, 01:57:49 PM
By the middle of the sixteenth century the fire had, probably inevitably, gone out of the Renaissance and all we had to look forward to was Baroque architecture, the counter reformation and the interminable wars of religion, none of which I find inspiring.

While I share your admiration for the renaissance, and think that Italy and Japan are worth the rest of the world combined, I think the best was still to come in the mid-16th century. Or aren't you a music-lover? Or an espresso drinker? Or grateful for reliable contraception?

Quote from: freddy326 on 17 October 2011, 09:16:00 AM

I'm rather short of any info about this period of history!

Freddy,

This is a nice article on the rise of the pistol and demise of the lance during the period 1550 - 1620:


http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_lancepistol.html


Cheers, Rob 

Quote from: Rob on 18 October 2011, 08:38:39 PM
Freddy,

This is a nice article on the rise of the pistol and demise of the lance during the period 1550 - 1620:


http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_lancepistol.html


Cheers, Rob 

Thanks. Hadn't read that one myself.

Quote from: Rob on 18 October 2011, 08:38:39 PM
Freddy,

This is a nice article on the rise of the pistol and demise of the lance during the period 1550 - 1620:


http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_lancepistol.html


Cheers, Rob 

You are right, that is a useful article.

regards

Freddy

QuoteI think the best was still to come in the mid-16th century. Or aren't you a music-lover? Or an espresso drinker? Or grateful for reliable contraception?

There are many great things to come (not least Shakespeare) but I hold the opinion that roughly the middle of the 16th century marks the end of the Renaissance.  There was an undoubted continum of achievement but often they were achieved on the back of what the Renaissance created.  For instance I would say that Shakespeare isn't a Renaissance poet but that Chaucer was, Chaucer was a polymath and diplomat in Italy during the Condotierre wars and was among the first to write in the vernacular while Shakespeare was working more than a century later and is merely the greatest poet the world has ever seen. 

Quote from: DanJ on 19 October 2011, 10:21:02 AM
Shakespeare [...] is merely the greatest poet the world has ever seen. 

That begs the question how many languages you can read? 

Don't tell me it's only English. 

Cheers,
Aart

Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 19 October 2011, 02:27:53 PM
That begs the question how many languages you can read? 

Don't tell me it's only English. 

Cheers,
Aart

Wasn't it Whister who observed that when an Englishman had said that Shakesoeare was the greatest of all writers, he no longer felt any urge to read any other - or to read Shakespeare either?
NO reflection on any posters in this thread is implied.

QuoteDon't tell me it's only English. 

OK, you got me there I can just about get by in French and have a smattering of United States American but I should have said greatest writer in the English Language.

Quote from: DanJ on 19 October 2011, 04:05:03 PM
OK, you got me there I can just about get by in French and have a smattering of United States American but I should have said greatest writer in the English Language.

No problem, Dan. It's just that if you ask a Russian he's bound to call Pushkin the greatest, a Spaniard would go for Neruda, a German for Goethe and a Frenchman, well, let's just say he has a choice. The point is they're all chauvinistic and probably haven't read much of their 'favourite' poet either, like FierceKitteh suggested.

I really love Shakespeare, by the way. Haven't read all that much of him either   

Cheers,
Aart

No problems, I was just being sloppy and chauvanistic

QuoteHaven't read all that much of him either

At least I can claim a to have read a fair bit of Shakespear, my original degree was in English and I recon I've seen and read about half of his plays and poems and studied about a quarter in some depth if only to Grad level. But I was told he was the greatest poet the world had ever seen, so he must be, so much for receive wisdom. 

Actually it's shocking how many Germans haven't read Goethe.

QuoteActually it's shocking how many Germans haven't read Goethe.

Apart from depressed teenagers. 

Quote from: DanJ on 20 October 2011, 03:11:41 PM
Apart from depressed teenagers. 

And then the book is sold cheaply second handbecause of the bloodstains over the last few pages.