History of Florence

HISTORY OF FLORENCE

Credit hours: 3--Contact hours: 45

Course number: HIST 383

Dept: Liberal Arts & Cultural Studies

Prerequisite: none

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Course Description:
Students will be presented with an interdisciplinary overview of the history of Florence until the end of the Renaissance and the beginning of Modern Era. The course will explore the history of Florence and analyze the birth of this world wide beloved city to understand the history of Italy, its contradictions and divisions, but also its great art, literature and political development. The most prominent characters of the Florentine history will be presented one by one through visits on site.
This is a course designed to help students to explore the historical background of Florence, its artistic riches and how the city grew and developed until it became one of the most important political centers of the Medieval world. Following a roughly chronological order, it will provide a deep analysis of local and national politics as well as theology, philosophy, economy and architecture of the time.
The name Florence comes from the Latin Florencia, city of the flowers. We will discover together why it was given this name.
The course is particularly recommended to all those students that want to gain an in-depth knowledge of the history of Florence, from every point of view and focused on the golden age of the city: the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Lorenzo de'Medici, the Magnificent (1449-1492)