Including the most recent scholarship on the history of the Renaissance, this book examines politics, society, identity, gender, religion and science, and focuses on not only Italian developments in this crucial period of change, but also on aspects in Germany, France and England.With contributions from the most highly regarded scholars in the field, the book studies humanists, artists and people and explores how how these people and places helped shape modernity.From the history of the body, to the new ways of thinking about the relation of culture to power, students of the Renaissance will find this an essential addition to their reading lists.