The Renaissance began in northern Italy around 1400 with a rediscovery of classical antiquity and a new interest in our place in the natural world. As it spread across Europe it took many forms; more a state of mind than a fixed programme, it brought vast political, religious and social change. This superbly illustrated book focuses on 94 individuals - from Leonardo to Luther, and Catherine de' Medici to Copernicus - each of whom embodied and spread a facet of Renaissance culture.