The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

References

The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

work by Burckhardt

Also known as: “Die Kultur der Renaissance in Italien”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) is a foundational work in cultural history. It analyzes Renaissance Italy by focusing on key themes such as the discovery of the world and man, the development of individuality, the state as a work of art, and the emergence of a modern sense of humor. Burckhardt's work highlights the shift from medieval values to a new awareness of the individual and a renewed interest in classical antiquity. While he emphasized the distinctiveness of the Renaissance, he also noted the continuity with medieval achievements. The book's influence lies in its comprehensive approach to cultural history, treating literature, art, politics, and society as interconnected elements of a historical period.12345

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Jacob Burckhardt
…of art and culture, whose Die Kultur der Renaissance in Italien (1860; The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, 1878, reprinted 1945) became a model for the treatment of cultural history in general.
Read More
…of art and culture, whose Die Kultur der Renaissance in Italien (1860; The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, 1878, reprinted 1945) became a model for the treatment of cultural history in general.
Read More

historiography
History of the arts
>The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, begins with a chapter called “The State as a Work of Art” and argues that artistic production in the Renaissance is of a piece with politics and statecraft. Giambattista Vico’s idea of the poetic tropes of an age…
Read More
>The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, begins with a chapter called “The State as a Work of Art” and argues that artistic production in the Renaissance is of a piece with politics and statecraft. Giambattista Vico’s idea of the poetic tropes of an age…
Read More

Karl Gotthard Lamprecht
…upon him of Jacob Burckhardt’s Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, with its emphasis on psychological characteristics of certain historical epochs, was evident in one of Lamprecht’s earliest essays, also published in 1878, “Individuality and Its Comprehension in the German Middle Ages,” which first stated his critique of exterior factual…
Read More
…upon him of Jacob Burckhardt’s Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, with its emphasis on psychological characteristics of certain historical epochs, was evident in one of Lamprecht’s earliest essays, also published in 1878, “Individuality and Its Comprehension in the German Middle Ages,” which first stated his critique of exterior factual…
Read More

Italy
The early Italian Renaissance
…the Swiss Jacob Burckhardt (whose The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy was first published in German at Basel, Switz., in 1860) began to write of the Renaissance as a period of time.
Read More
…the Swiss Jacob Burckhardt (whose The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy was first published in German at Basel, Switz., in 1860) began to write of the Renaissance as a period of time.
Read More

history of Europe
Enlightenment scorn and Romantic admiration
Jacob Burckhardt published his The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, a work as widely read and influential as that of Michelet. Despite Romantic nostalgia and increasingly disciplined scholarship, the work of Michelet and Burckhardt served to fix the opposition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the…
Read More
Jacob Burckhardt published his The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, a work as widely read and influential as that of Michelet. Despite Romantic nostalgia and increasingly disciplined scholarship, the work of Michelet and Burckhardt served to fix the opposition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the…
Read More