These sweeping, lavishly illustrated biographies of influential Renaissance figures draw on the most recent and authoritative scholarship available. The dawn of the Renaissance reintroduced classical learning, advanced scientific thought. and humanist ideals to a Europe that had been plagued by war, disease, tyranny, and superstition. Driven by the rediscovery of Greek and Roman texts lost during the barbarian invasions of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance era was characterized by tremendous artistic, scientific, economic, and political development. All of these astonishing developments influenced the leaders and artists of the time. The six books in this extraordinary series provide a solid and fascinating survey of the Renaissance and bring the creative environment of that time to life. Philip II, king of Spain, was a study in contrasts. Deeply religious and committed to the Catholic cause, he was also shockingly violent and ruthless toward his enemies. Leader of millions, he was a solitary and reclusive man who avoided contact with most people. This beautifully illustrated book attempts to examine and explain this fascinatiJ1g enigma. The dramatic gulf between the violence of European political life and the nobler aspirations of art and progress was embodied in the man himself. This is the enthralling story of the life and times of Philip II, truly a product of his troubled and glorious age.