HOW ARE THE MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PERIODS DEFINED?

The Middle Ages began in late Roman antiquity, conventionally with the rule of the Emperor Constantine (AD 324-337), and continued up to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The Renaissance overlaps the later Middle Ages, beginning as early as the fourteenth century in Italy and as late as the early sixteenth century in northern Europe. Scholars generally agree that in most parts of Europe the Renaissance was supplanted by the Baroque no later than the mid-seventeenth century. Although modern scholars have traditionally divided this long era into two distinct periods, it makes better sense to study them jointly in one program. First, there is no clear historical dividing line that is equally valid for all areas of Europe and the Middle East. Second, many scholars have argued that the cultural continuities between these two periods are just as significant as the cultural discontinuities.

WHERE CAN I GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE PERIODS?

Although the University Library is one of the best places on campus to go for research, with a large collection of books on the Middle Ages and Renaissance (you can search their catalog online at http://www.library.unomaha.edu/), there are also several internet resources worth looking into:

Primary Sources
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1.html : The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is an excellent collection of primary sources on diverse topics.
http://omacl.org/ : The Online Medieval & Classical Library allows you to search for primary sources, or browse through them by author, title, genre, or language.

Secondary Sources
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/index.html : An easy-to-read and navigate introduction to life in the Middle Ages, covering Feudalism, religion, homes, clothing, health, arts, and urban life.
http://www.the-orb.net/ : An extensive website, the On-Line Reference Book for Medieval Studies is largely composed of secondary sources.
http://womenshistory.about.com/library/bio/blbio_list_medieval.htm : An A-to-Z collection of biographies on some of the Medieval and Renaissance periods' most notable women.

Fun Stuff
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medfilms.html : Brought to you by the same people as the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, this is a rather comprehensive and annotated guide to films about the Middle Ages, from Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky to Ridley Scott's Gladiator.
http://www.medievalmap.net/ : An interactive map of Europe from AD 362 to AD 1483, showing shifting political boundaries, the migration and invasion patterns of tribes and nations, the growth and development of towns, historic battles, and links to websites for learning more about the topics involved. Requires Flash.
http://www.the-orb.net/non_spec/fiction.html : A list of fiction books set in ancient and medieval times, from the On-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies.

More Resources
http://www.besthistorysites.net/Medieval.shtml : If you're still not sated, the Best of History Web Sites' section on Medieval History has even more webpages for you to explore.
http://www.besthistorysites.net/EarlyModernEurope.shtml : While its page on Early Modern Europe has a number of Renaissance-related sites for your perusal.

Website Credits
Site Credits : The website design and image credits.