1.The Background of the Renaissance The Problem of the Renaissance The Conservative Elements in Medieval Civilization:Feudalism The Conservative Elements in Medieval Civilization:The Church The Dynamic Elements in Medieval Society:Commerce,Money Economy and the Towns The Rise of Centralized Territorial States The Decline of the Feudal Nobility Decline of the Medieval Church 2.The Renaissance in Italy The Economic Evolution of the Italian Cites The Political Evolution of the Italian States The Evolution of Urban Society and Culture in Italy The Growth of Secular Elements in Italian Culture The Literature of the Italian Renaissance:The Four-teenth Century The Literature of trhe Italian Renaissance:The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries The Art of the Italian Renaissance 3.The Renaissance in the North The Economic Evolution of the North in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries The Age of Discovery and the Changing Fortunes of the European States The Evolution of Northern Society and Culture The Growth of Secular Culture and Lay Piety in the North Humanism in the North The Vernacular Lieratures in the North The Art of the Northern Renaissance Conclusion