Danish Middle Ages and Renaissance

Medieval and Renaissance are two related concepts, both formulated during the Renaissance, when the Middle Ages were regarded as that dark and somewhat inconsequential period following the demise of the ancient world. The Renaissance however, came to denote a period of Western European interest in the culture and art of Classical Rome and Greece. In Southern and Western Europe, the Middle Ages are reckoned to begin much earlier than in Denmark, where the Viking Period (800 - 1000) is seen as a bridge between prehistoric and historic times inducing Christianity, ending by the Reformation in 1536. The later time boundary for the exhibition is 1660, when absolute monarchy became a reality. During the whole period, Denmark suffered no lack of international awareness, thanks to the Europe-wide organisation of the Church. The book is partly chronologically, partly thematically constructed and can be read as a preparation for a visit as well as a brush-up on the Danish Middle Ages and Renaissance.