The waning of the Renaissance, 1550-1640

Eminent historian William J. Bouwsma here examines the conventional view of the European Renaissance as the root and foundation of modern culture, arguing instead that while it had a beginning and a climax, the Renaissance also had an ending.

Bouwsma examines closely the waning of the Renaissance culture of freedom and creativity, and he offers an interpretation of the place of the Renaissance in modern culture.