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Sylvia Rose
Oct 9, 20244 min read
The Four Medici Popes: Controversial Connections
Four Medici Popes shape history during their reigns: Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, Pope Pius IV, and Pope Leo XI. Centered in Florence,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 9, 20245 min read
Roman Inquisition: Power, Prayer & Politics
The Italian or Roman Inquisition is established 1542 by Pope Paul III, largely as a response to the Protestant Reformation. Reformers...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 9, 20246 min read
Isabella Cortese: Renaissance Writer, Alchemist, Entrepreneur
Lady Isabella Cortese is born in the 16th century into a wealthy family in Italy. In Venice, she transcends conventional norms to shine...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 4, 20245 min read
Lucrezia Borgia: Exploring the Enigma
Lucrezia Borgia is an enigmatic figure of the Italian Renaissance (c. 1350 - 1550 AD). This period sees revival of art, culture and...
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Sylvia Rose
Sep 3, 20244 min read
Titans of the Renaissance: Powerful Italian Families
Powerful Medici, Borgia, Sforza, Gonzaga and Este families rise to prominence in the Renaissance. Behind the vast artistic innovations...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 27, 20247 min read
Renaissance Wars: Venice vs. Ottoman
The Ottoman-Venetian Wars are seven major conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice from the late 14th to the 18th...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 27, 20244 min read
Venice Italy: Jewel of the Renaissance
Venice during the Renaissance emerges as a vibrant center of art, culture and commerce, influencing the broader European scope. The...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20246 min read
Elixir Vitae: Giambattista della Porta
In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 19, 20245 min read
Guelphs & Ghibellines: Blood of the Renaissance
The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 18, 20244 min read
Guido Bonatti: Medieval Astrology Star
Guido Bonatti  (d. 1296 - 1300) is a renowned Italian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Highly respected for his astrological...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 17, 20245 min read
Malaria: Roman Fever & Renaissance Plague
The malaria parasite P. falciparum has existed for up to100,000 years. Its numbers rise c. 8000 BCE with the Neolithic Revolution....
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 16, 20244 min read
Cosimo de' Medici & the Italian Renaissance
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 29, 20243 min read
Alchemy, Demons & the Roman Inquisition
During the late sixteenth century, the Roman Inquisition is influential in shaping perspectives on different forms of divination and...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 29, 20243 min read
Writing Inside Eggs Italian Renaissance
Writing inside eggs is invented by Naples polymath Giambattista della Porta. In the 16th century he uses this method to smuggle messages...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 29, 20247 min read
Naples Renaissance: Holy Alchemy
Convents play a crucial role as centers of research and innovation during the alchemical Renaissance in Naples. The religious...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 27, 20244 min read
Caterina Sforza: Renaissance Alchemy
Caterina Sforza (1463-1509) is a remarkable figure of the Italian Renaissance, leading a colorful and controversial life. Alchemy is...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 25, 20243 min read
Medici & Alchemy: Italian Renaissance
The powerful Medici family of Italy, like many ruling courts, patronize and practice alchemy. In the Renaissance alchemy is a topic of...
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Sylvia Rose
Jul 25, 20244 min read
Pope vs Alchemy 1317 AD: Falsification
Pope John Paul XII bans the practice of alchemy for the falsification of metals in 1317. In the Middle Ages, alchemy is a mysterious...
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Sylvia Rose
Jan 9, 20245 min read
Terramare Culture - Bronze Age Italy
The Terramare (Terramara) culture of Bronze Age Italy develops in the fertile black earth of the Po Valley c. 1700 - 1150 BCE. The term...
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