The fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries were a transitional time in history, a gradual and turbulent shift from the entrenched mysticism of the Medieval period to the emerging secularism of the Renaissance. The few advocates of reason fought a long and difficult struggle against the established powers of faith and force.

Mr. Lewis identifies the clash of cultural products of the early Renaissance: the legacy of medieval religion and politics against the new ideas and practices made possible by Aquinas's liberation of reason. The course examines the changing nature of the arts and politics in mainland Europe as the increasingly corrupt Catholic Church struggled to maintain its stranglehold on life in Europe.

While this course overlaps and integrates with earlier courses: The Foundations of the Renaissance and The History of England (part 3), it focuses on political and cultural events in Europe.

Part 2 was delivered at OCON 2009