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The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations
- Narrated by: Andrew C. Fix
- Length: 24 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Between 1348 and 1715, western Europe was fraught with turmoil, beset by the Black Plague, numerous and bitter religious wars, and frequent political revolutions and upheavals.
Yet the Europe that emerged from this was vastly different from the Europe that entered it. By the start of the 18th century, Europe had been revitalized and reborn in a radical break with the past that would have untold ramifications for human civilization.
This comprehensive series of 48 lectures by an award-winning teacher and scholar sheds new light on this critical period by exploring the political, social, cultural, and economic revolutions that transformed Europe between the arrival of the Black Death in the 14th century to the onset of the Enlightenment in the 18th century.
It explains
- how these startling changes came about;
- the social, economic, and political factors that helped steer Europe away from the Middle Ages and into the modern world;
- the kinds of patterns we can see during this time; and
- how these centuries were critical to the entire narrative of history and have contributed to the Western world we know today.
Professor Fix covers a remarkable breadth of subjects relating to European history from 1348 to 1715. While religion, politics, wars, and economics dominate this period, he also pays close attention to art, exploration, science, and technology.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- FN2187
- 09-12-13
Excellent! (...but the ending could be improved)
Would you consider the audio edition of The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations to be better than the print version?
No idea. I didn't read the print version.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The narration is very good, the organization of the lectures is excellent. Key points are well emphasized so you end the course with a solid "big picture" perspective of several centuries. The ending was disappointing however. I'm not sure why, but I was caught up in the political and religious themes that dominate most of the course, and when science came towards the end it was a difficult transition. For me the best parts were Professor Fix's deep dive into the drama of the Reformation, as well as the reasons why different political traditions formed in each European nation during the Renaissance. You'll swear it's Bill Clinton speaking to you at times...uncanny how much he and Professor Fix sound alike! But then at the very end it just seems...to end. No summary of the course, wrap up of key points made over the 30 odd hours you spent listening. I wish there had been a final 30 minute session devoted just to summarizing the course. Hint hint...
What does Professor Andrew C. Fix bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Just a naturally good lecturing style. Emphasis at the right points. Not overly dramatic. Very easy to listen to. I'm struggling to get through "The English Novel" now simply because of the narration style...so it drives home the point of how important the narration is for these courses.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The entire discussion around the Reformation. Speaking as a non-practicing Protestant, it made me uncomfortable with all Protestant denominations not to mention the Catholic Church. Professor Fix makes it crystal clear why Luther and others like the Calvinists found a ripe audience for their movements against Catholicism. When you hear about the "Indulgences Crisis" you'll see just how much the Catholic Church deserved the Reformation! But every movement was corrupted and became to some degree intolerant and oppressive. The only characters that, for me, emerge from this entire narrative as "noble" are the political minds that formed the Dutch republic. I had never really considered how remarkable Holland was for its ability to form Europe's (the world's) first republic. I'd like an entire course now on the political history of the Netherlands!
Any additional comments?
Excellent experience, excellent value. Would really suggest a final session that summarizes the course...not just this course but all the Great Courses.
35 people found this helpful
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- Alessandra
- 06-24-19
One of the few misses in the Great Courses
Professor Fix makes errors in pronunciation I can understand but wish as a professor he would attempt to correct. What I cannot understand were so many errors of facts and in his narration I started to loss confidence in his lectures e.g. Piero the Gouty was Lorenzo the Magnificent’s father and who proceeded Lorenzo. Piero the Unfortunate was the son of Lorenzo. There were many other glaring errors that I had to stop listening. I came to the conclusion that Professor Fix was bored with the subject and wasn’t concerned about pronunciation or facts and just glossed over the subject. Quite dissatisfied and disappointed with this course. I have many of the Great Courses and appreciate the level of excellence. I don’t understand how this course was not checked.
15 people found this helpful
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- Matt
- 12-20-14
Great Stories & Insights - Easy to Absorb
I'm constantly amazed at what you can get for the cost of a monthly membership. I think I'll go back to this and listen again several times over.
I like to listen when I'm doing other stuff - gym, cooking, driving, falling asleep etc. I tend to judge an audio book on how well I can absorb it when my attention is divided. While I definitely found myself having to rewind over some key sections quite a few times, it passed my listenability test with flying colours. It became one of those 'can't put it down' titles.
I was almost totally ignorant of the Renaissance before I listened to this. I just had a rough idea of the dates, where it all kicked off and a few of the major players. I thought, I really should know at least a little about the Renaissance. After one listen I'm sure I now know more about it and the profound ways it influenced the Western world than anyone I know, and almost anyone I'm likely to meet.
Prof. Fix's delivery is not as polished as some of the other history lecturers contributing to this series. Quite a few ums and errs. He has a more casual and perhaps irreverent style. He's very engaging nevertheless, while giving a deep, scholarly set of lectures covering some complicated issues.
I really like the way he manages to keep it light and easy going for the most part. Never stuffy or boring.
One thing I've come to appreciate about audio history lectures is that the pace at which material is presented and how it's then referred back to is important. I've listened to a few where I've not been able to keep up. This is well paced and I don't recall struggling to recall people and events from earlier lectures he referred back to.
He tells great stories, gives really deep insights and does a marvellous job of piecing together many pieces of a complicated jigsaw puzzle.
A major theme of the lectures is the religious feuding that gripped post medieval Europe, the fragmentation of Christendom and the birth of the various Protestant branches.
If you're at all interested in the history of Christianity and how it influenced national boundaries and government you'll love it.
Even if you've studied the Renaissance I think you'll learn heaps from it. I certainly did.
Highly recommended.
13 people found this helpful
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- Kirsty
- 10-01-13
Fantastic while visiting Europe
If you could sum up The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations in three words, what would they be?
Informative, engaging, and memorable
What did you like best about this story?
I listened to this download while traveling in France for six weeks. It is a fantastic series of lectures, and helps get both historical and modern Europe in focus. The professor is engaging, full of humanity, and I am far more confident now of both the linear history and the intertwining strands through the continent. I hope there is another series coming from Professor Fix.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not possible
Any additional comments?
Recommended for people who may be touring Europe and looking at historical sites - they will get so much more out of the trip
10 people found this helpful
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- FireFairy
- 05-11-15
Many mistakes!
I'm not a professional historian, but even I can stop obvious mistakes.
Joan of Arc did not go to the dauphin to Orleans, he resided in a different city. There is no solid evidence that Lucrezia Borgia had children with her father (stated here as fact). And finally, Henry VIII's brother Arthur definately didn't die in a shipwreck!
Thats just the horribly obvious errors. I'm wary about trusting anything else this professor says.
34 people found this helpful
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- Timothy S Blakley
- 08-25-15
Bad History
The professor in this book obviously has not studied the Middle Ages and makes a series of sweepIng, incorrect statements oversimplifying complex issues. Very disappointing, love the rest of the books in the series.
6 people found this helpful
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- Ilinca
- 10-17-13
very good
Informative and easy to read, indeed. Little in-depth analysis, but with the sheer amount of data, no wonder. I felt it failed to tie a few knots, but overall a good read.
6 people found this helpful
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- Logical Paradox
- 03-09-14
Underwhelming Presentation
I just started this course, so this is only an initial reaction.
I'm a big fan of history and this period in European history is one I've tended to veer away from because it seemed to me to always come across so dull. More recently I've become quite interested in events like the 30 Years War, the Northern Wars, and the power struggles between the Italian city-states prior to unification of Italy. So, I was quite excited to start this course.
I love the Great Courses by the Teaching company, but I'm not very impressed with Prof. Andrew C. Fix. I'm admittedly only 4 lectures in, but it's very slow going and the lectures seem very poorly structured. The first lecture ends seemingly out of nowhere. He just stops and then the lecture ends and he starts again in the next. Worse, his delivery is poor. Prof. Fix has a very... homely... style of speaking. I found him inarticulate and vague in his description of the crises of the 14th century leading up to the Renaissance and his description of the Milanese and Venetian contests for power in Northern Italy, he twice used the phrase "went on the warpath" to describe the military expansionism of the two nations. He uses very ambiguous language at times like in describing a city state as having "not a huge army". His coverage of the 100 Years War was choppy and incomplete--granted it was only a brief overview to provide some backdrop to the content of the course, but even in that context I found it lacking. His attempt to explain the Black Death was really poor. He often seems to just avoid detail and use
I'm going to continue with the course, and hopefully I'll get enough out of it to make the time worth it. Maybe it gets better. I might update this review after I've finished the course to give a more complete opinion.
29 people found this helpful
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- Andy
- 10-25-15
Great narration, makes the details interesting
The narrator has a great voice and tone, almost that of a Southern storyteller, and it keeps you wanting to listen.
Content-wise, the great thing about these lectures is the level of detail they go into regarding the Renaissance. I've taken college courses on the topic, but never really understood how the Renaissance was borne out of a very specific political situation in Italy at the time. Part of this lecture series almost sounds like a history of Italy in the 1400s and 1500s, but the lecturer does an amazing job of relating why these details are so integral to cultural innovations we now know so well.
3 people found this helpful
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- Gary
- 01-09-16
A great counterweight to today's stupidity
History in it's proper context is always relative to current times and is the best antidote to the stupidity in which I routinely see happening around especially during the political season.
This lecture starts the Renaissance with Florence and even will tell you practically the day that the Renaissance started. In 1382, Florence was in the process of losing a war with one of their weaker neighbors and the General leading the assault against Florence died and thereby saved Florence from defeat.
The city fathers decided to look at what had gone wrong and one of the things is they realized that their scholasticism was only geared towards producing Lawyers, Doctors and Theologians and not critical thinkers able to generalize from the particular to the universal (science and philosophy previously was not inductive, but deductive, from the universal to the particular).
The city fathers made a concerted effort to teach the people how to think critically and to conceptualize beyond the old standards. By rejecting the old ways of scholasticism, they led to providing a modern perspective which will ultimately lead to the Enlightenment. The Florentine city fathers would have realized how nothing could be more stupid than to have a politician be cheered when he says that "a welder is worth more than a philosopher" (this is an actual example from this current political season, and highlights the stupidity currently going on). That statement is wrong for multiple reasons. A person's worth doesn't come from what he does for a living, welders make good philosophers, and teaching one how to think critically is always a good thing to do. In the case of Florence it's going to ultimately lead to the creation of an Isaac Newton.
I don't want to imply that the reformation and nation building parts of this lecture are not relevant to today's times for they are and were just as entertaining as the Renaissance parts were. I just wish people who cheered such stupid statements as the one cited above would read (or listen) to history and science books and lectures and start to think beyond what they see on their TVs and blogs and get themselves out of the scholastic mindset and start to learn to think critically.
The lecturer does devote two hours to the development of science up to Isaac Newton and explains the Aristotelian Ptolemaic system better than most books I've read on the development of science. He'll end the lecture at the early Enlightenment, and he covers all the steps that are necessary for the creation of an Isaac Newton and a Pierre Bayle (one of my all time favorite people and I'm glad this lecture gives him his proper place within the Enlightenment, if only briefly).
9 people found this helpful
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- David
- 10-03-16
Well, despite myself, I loved it
Where does The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
For history right at the top. Not because it was the best history, or even particularly good, insightful history; but just because it was a rattling good story. And it was far better than a history book to listen to; I love history, but cannot get on with history audiobooks. So this was a real find.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations?
Monking. I howled. Andrew Fisk was describing the relationship between Luther and his Dad, and Andrew had his father cry out in outrage 'there's no money in monking!'. A real treat.
Have you listened to any of Professor Andrew C. Fix’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No I've not; this thing is I agree with another comment that there were hideous generalisations, inaccuracies, and a very traditional view - the view of the pre-reformation church, for example could have been written 30 years ago. And although Andrew Fisk rather stumbled and repeated himself - I really, really enjoyed his style in the end. I suspect repeating the same point is simply good teaching.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Monking.
Any additional comments?
Heartily recommended. Not the best history, but a superb way to get into the subject.
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- Chris
- 11-14-16
Detailed and Fascinating
This course covers (loosely) Western European history from the 14th-16th century. The central theme of the course is the reformation and the birth of protestantism and the fallout from this.
The first section of the course deals with a brief overview of the medieval period and the state the continent was in at the start of the renaissance. The renaissance lectures were like a scaled down version of the Great Courses on the Italian renaissance so I would suggest following up with that if you find it interesting. These lectures deal with humanism and are important for understanding the context of the reformation.
The main bulk of the course is the reformation. This means that some time is spent on the history of the Catholic church and the papacy, before going on to the various protestant sects that emerge around the continent. This is amazing stuff, well written and detailed without ever being dull. The descriptions of both the theology and the religious wars that follow are interesting and equally well laid out. There was no dull theology at all, all of the theology was kept simple and relevant.
A couple of times the course spends a few lectures on each of the major protestant European powers and how the reformation affected them. This was good but did not really live up to the 'birth of nations' in the title. If you want an understanding of the development of the theory of the nation state this course will leave you wanting.
The final section deals with the scientific revolution. This was a real change of pace but still fascinating and well worth knowing. It feels like it should probably have been a separate course and made longer though.
The lecturer is great, the writing is great, the content is great. Wholeheartedly recommend.
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- Nell
- 10-22-14
Below standard
If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?
Someone with little grasp of any history and who enjoys a very homespun delivery with limited analysis.
What could The Great Courses have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
These courses could have been better written, the context better understood and conveyed to the listener. Analysis needed to reach a higher standard. There were a number of historical howlers and was very poor on the English Reformation.
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Professor Andrew C. Fix?
Not applicable for this work.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Very few.
Any additional comments?
Suggest the lecturer go back to basics and rewrite the whole thing.
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- Arrie
- 05-14-21
Gratifying
24 hrs of splendour insight of human history. This remarkable european achievment is worth to be read.
Narration of Andrew C. fix was perfect.
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- Fatmusketeer
- 01-03-21
Good overview of a key period
The course covers the period between the end of the Middle Ages to the end of the 17th century. It is a key period in the development of the modern world, and a period that I was quite ignorant of. The sections on the history of Europe in the reformation and 17th century I found particularly illuminating. The course covers a lot of ground and as consequence is quite high level, but it is very clear and easy to follow. The lecturer I thought took a bit of time to get into his stride but gets the points across well.
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- amazoncustomer
- 06-17-19
Very worthwhile.
Clearly explained throughout. Enjoyable and deeply interesting. Definitely worth listening through more than once. Human history is characterised by power, religion and war, war, war!
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- Dr D Bissett
- 06-12-19
A very good attempt to run through an enormous historic period
I have listened to this while studying early modern history with the Open University. It provides much additional information which has been instructive to follow, and although some of the terms used inaccurate (Thomas Cromwell certainly not Henry VIII's Prime Minister) and Americanised, it has been well worth the time spent hearing the lectures.
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-13-17
Read like a bedtime story
Would you try another book written by The Great Courses or narrated by Professor Andrew C. Fix?
No. He lectures as if addressing idiots; whilst using non-technical language is usually seen as a benefit to understanding, Prof. Fix takes this to extremes. There is little doubt (given his CV) that he has a deep knowledge and understanding of his topic but he imparts that with such a pedestrian delivery and using language and terminology that is simplistic. He demeans his listeners.
Has The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations put you off other books in this genre?
Certainly not.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Each lecture could have been delivered in a quarter of the time if Prof. Fix had used more concise and appropriate language.
Was The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations worth the listening time?
Yes but annoyingly so.
Any additional comments?
The Teaching Company does a disservice to its reputation by engaging lecturers who cannot lecture. I have heard a number of outstanding examples, e.g. Prof. Jonathon Steinberg, but Fix's bumbling approach limits the benefits that can be had from such a fascinating historical period.
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- Catlyn
- 10-09-16
An interesting overview
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The lectures give a good overview of what happened and why. Some aspects are obviously simplified but a lot of ground is covered.
What aspect of Professor Andrew C. Fix’s performance might you have changed?
It takes some time to get used to the professor's voice, a bit of Bill Clinton. But after a while, it feels good.
The professor feels strongly about his subject an knows a lot about it but the references to modern times fall flat and are sometimes inaccurate. Still, the era in question is covered well.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
As the lectures are a total of 24 hours, not a one-off book but I do recommend more than one lecture at a time as some lectures are closely related to each other and should be listened to in one sitting.
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- PJG
- 07-20-15
Over simplification, inaccuracies & annoying style
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Better quality material in the lectures and a better presentation style.
Would you ever listen to anything by The Great Courses again?
Possibly
What didn’t you like about Professor Andrew C. Fix’s performance?
I did not like the style of his presentation, it was far to 'chatty' and often used inapropiate modern words or comparisons which I think give at times a misleading impression of the period of history he was covering. Though I did not mind to much I expect some will also find his american pronunciation of the papacy annoying.
Any additional comments?
In the parts of the history covered that I know something the over simplification of what was happening often lead to in my opinion an inaccurate impression of the period what is worse I also noticed quite a lot of things that I think where simple wrong.
Of course not everything was wrong and part of the problem was undoubtedly trying to cover to big a span of history in to short a time but I still feel that Andrew Fix grasp of the style and grasp of the subject matter was not good enough.
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- Robert Udovicich
- 08-08-20
Epic effort
A very good presentation. Interesting and a good voice to listen to. Highly recommended
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-25-18
Fantastic listening
Fascinating insight into the broad trends that defined the rise of nations. The narrater does a great job of keeping the course engaging, even with what I previously thought of as dry content.
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- tom
- 06-30-16
enormously engaging to the last lecture
a masterful precis of a vast and important span of history. the modern world can be seen more clearly and meaningfully in light of this impressive series of lectures.
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- David
- 01-19-16
Great set of lectures
Really enjoyed the thought and research. Challenged me on some assumptions and old ways of thinking. Well worth a listen.
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- Karen
- 02-01-15
Really easy to listen to and very informative
Prof Fix is a really entertaining to listen to and I really enjoyed the course. It was a period of history that I didn't know much about and he really brought it to life. It was more than a list of facts which other courses have been, he told a story and I found that I could listen to him for hours. My only negative is that is was more about the reformation then the renaissance, but still well worth listening too. I would highly recommend this course and out of the 13 great courses I have listened to this one was one of the best.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-29-18
Undergraduate Quality
B-
Need to work harder. Better quality references please. I know you have so much more potential.