Four Medici Popes shape history during their reigns: Pope Leo X, Pope Clement VII, Pope Pius IV, and Pope Leo XI. Centered in Florence,...

The Italian or Roman Inquisition is established 1542 by Pope Paul III, largely as a response to the Protestant Reformation. Reformers...

Lady Isabella Cortese is born in the 16th century into a wealthy family in Italy. In Venice, she transcends conventional norms to shine...

Lucrezia Borgia is an enigmatic figure of the Italian Renaissance (c. 1350 - 1550 AD). This period sees revival of art, culture and...

Powerful Medici, Borgia, Sforza, Gonzaga and Este families rise to prominence in the Renaissance. Behind the vast artistic innovations...

The Ottoman-Venetian Wars are seven major conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice from the late 14th to the 18th...

Venice during the Renaissance emerges as a vibrant center of art, culture and commerce, influencing the broader European scope. The...

In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...

The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...

Guido Bonatti  (d. 1296 - 1300) is a renowned Italian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Highly respected for his astrological...

The malaria parasite P. falciparum has existed for up to100,000 years. Its numbers rise c. 8000 BCE with the Neolithic Revolution....

Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...

During the late sixteenth century, the Roman Inquisition is influential in shaping perspectives on different forms of divination and...

Writing inside eggs is invented by Naples polymath Giambattista della Porta. In the 16th century he uses this method to smuggle messages...

Convents play a crucial role as centers of research and innovation during the alchemical Renaissance in Naples. The religious...

Caterina Sforza (1463-1509) is a remarkable figure of the Italian Renaissance, leading a colorful and controversial life. Alchemy is...

The powerful Medici family of Italy, like many ruling courts, patronize and practice alchemy. In the Renaissance alchemy is a topic of...

Pope John Paul XII bans the practice of alchemy for the falsification of metals in 1317. In the Middle Ages, alchemy is a mysterious...