Tip: Press ctrl and F (or apple and F on a Mac) to perform a keyword search of this page. To keyword search all Best of History Web Sites pages use the search engine located on the home page. This page was last updated June 8, 2007.
Renaissance Exploring Leonardo
A great site for students (grades 4-9) by the Boston Museum of Science, Exploring Leonardo is organized into four major learning areas and a resource center and offers engaging lessons in science, art, history, and language arts. Inventor's Workshop focuses on some of Leonardo's futuristic inventions, Leonardo's Perspective introduces Leonardo's way of looking at the world and explores Renaissance techniques for representing the 3D world on 2D surfaces, What, Where, When? is a concise biography of Leonardo da Vinci, and Leonardo: Right to Left explores Leonardo's penchant for writing in reverse. Cool interactive elements help students explore Size and Distance, Linear Perspective, Aerial Perspective and Gadget Anatomy. The site also has five lesson plans for hands-on classroom activities and three opportunities for students to communicate their ideas electronically.
World Cultures to 1500: Early Modern Italian Renaissance
This online course by Professor Thomas Hooker, based at Washington State University, offers a terrific overview of Ancient and Medieval History, including the Renaissance. It offers clear and informative lecture notes, maps, a photo gallery, timelines, links to relevant sites, and more. The Early Modern Italian Renaissance topics include: The Idea of the Renaissance, The Backgrounds to the Italian Renaissance, Humanism, Renaissance Neo-Platonism, Pico della Mirandola, Niccoló Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Architecture and Public Space. Resources include: A Gallery of the Italian Renaissance, A Timeline of the Italian Renaissance, An Atlas of the Italian Renaissance, Italian states and cities, Readings in the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci: "The Painter," Niccoló Machiavelli: The Prince, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Selected Poetry, Pico della Mirandola: "Oration on the Dignity of Man," A Glossary of the Italian Renaissance, and Internet Resources on the Italian Renaissance
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
The Internet History Sourcebooks are wonderful collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use by Paul Halsall. The site and its documents are well organized and the breadth of materials is impressive. The Sourcebooks include: an Ancient History Sourcebook, a Medieval Sourcebook, and a Modern History Sourcebook. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook contains thousands of sources in dozens of categories. Subjects covered include the Late Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, and the Early Reformation, as well as dozens of other topics.
Renaissance
This informative Annenberg/CPB site introduces the visitor to the intellectual, political, technological, and economic forces that drove cultural rebirth in Europe, and in Italy in particular. There are five sections: Out of the Middle Ages, Exploration and Trade, Printing and Thinking, Symmetry, Shape, Size, and Focus on Florence. Out of the Middle Ages covers the plague, a new middle class, and the resurgence of cities. Exploration and Trade discusses the beginning of trade in the period and the impact of explorers. Printing and Thinking focuses on the demand for books, the emergence of humanism, and how thinking changed in the Renaissance. Symmetry, Shape, Size covers proportions in architecture, as well as painting and music. This interactive site also has a role-playing trade game and a learning module. Related Resources include web links and book recommendations.
Renaissance Secrets
Renaissance Secrets is an interactive BBC Web site that explores select events of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance and discusses the process and art of writing history. The four main topics covered at the site include Venice as a "second- hand" city, Renaissance hospitals, an assassination attempt on Elizabeth I, and Gutenberg's movable type printing.
Visitors examine essays about historical evidence and knowledge and learn more about the historian's craft. An excellent site for students to learn how to "do" history.
Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies
Hosted by the University of Toronto, the CRRC is a research center with a library devoted to the study of the period from approximately 1350 to 1700. Its web site contains links to sites useful for researchers working in the Renaissance and the Reformation and more. It offers FICINO, an international electronic seminar and bulletin board for the circulation and exchange of information about the Renaissance and Reformation. There are also exhibitions from its Rare Book collections, such as Music in Medieval and Early Modern Europe and Textual Conversations -- interactions between Renaissance authors, printers, readers and texts. There are even two fully-searchable databases containing information from approximately 170 prompt-books for productions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Investigating the Renaissance
This interesting Harvard University Art Museum site uses digital imaging techniques to examine three Renaissance paintings: Portrait of a Man, The Virgin and Child, and The Last Judgement. The site explains and demonstrates how Infrared light, ultraviolet light and X-rays can provide valuable information on a painting's condition, on earlier stages of its production, and on later alterations.
Turning the Pages
Turning the Pages is an award-winning interactive display system developed by The British Library to increase public access and enjoyment of some of its most valuable treasures. Visitors are able to virtually "turn" the pages of manuscripts in an incredibly realistic way, using touch-screen technology and animation. There are currently 15 treasures on display in Turning the Pages, including the Leonardo Notebook. Most of the pages in the Notebook were written by Leonardo in 1509, but cover much of his career and range in topics from mechanics to the flight of birds.
Mr Dowling's Electronic Passport: Renaissance
Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport helps kids browse the world in his virtual classroom. He introduces students to many civilizations with clear explanations, engaging graphics for kids, and "cool links". His study guides, homework assignments and exams are free and available for you to print or to edit. Renaissance topics are: The Dawn of a New Age, Humanism, Gutenberg, City-States in Italy, The Medicis, Social Levels, Renaissance Art, The Renaissance Spreads, Machiavelli, Exploration and Magellan.
The Digital Michelangelo Project
Researchers from Stanford University and the University of Washington are attempting to advance the technology of 3D scanning and place this technology in the service of the humanities by creating a long-term digital archive of some important cultural artifacts. The project focuses on some of Michelangelo's sculptures, including the famous David statue. Check out two photographic essays about a physical replica of the David, and download ScanView, a program that lets you "fly around" models of Michelangelo's statues.
Art History Resources on the Web
Professor Chris Witcombe of Sweet Briar College has perhaps the best organized collection of art history links on the Web. His Renaissance links are divided into two sections, 15th-Century Renaissance Art and 16th-Century Renaissance Art.
Topics includes: Examples of Renaissance art, Special Topics (via the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Timeline of Art History), and Artists in 14th, 15th, and 16th Century Northern Europe, Spain and Italy (via the Web Gallery of Art). A good starting point for research.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents Timeline of Art History
This interactive timeline is a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Each timeline page includes representative art from the Museum's collection, a chart of time periods, a map of the region, an overview, and a list of key events. The timelines, accompanied by world, regional, and sub-regional maps?, provide a linear outline of art history, and allow visitors to compare and contrast art from around the globe at any time in history. Europe 1400-1600 includes coverage of Renaissance Florence and central Italy, Renaissance Venice and northern Italy, Rome and southern Italy, and the Low Countries. First launched in 2000, the Timeline now extends from prehistory (20,000 B.C.) to the present day.
Web Gallery of Art
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods (1150-1800), currently containing over 15,400 reproductions. Biographies, commentaries, and guided tours are available. Furthermore, a search engine allows you to find pictures in the collection using various search criteria. The guided tours make it easier to visit the Gallery and to understand the artistic and historical relationship between the artworks and artists included in the collection.
Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
This PBS site shows how the Renaissance unfolded through key dates of the Medici family, the Church, politics and culture. There is an overview of the Renaissance, profiles of the Medici leaders, a chart of the Medici family tree, an interactive timeline, an interactive tour of Florence, a quiz to see which Renaissance figure you most resemble, a reading list, and links.
You can also see great art from the Renaissance. Engaging and useful site for high school students in particular.
The Medici Archive Project
Under the guidance of The Medici family, Grand Dukes & Duchesses of Tuscany from 1537 to 1743, Florence became an international home to painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, scientists and writers. The Medici Archive Project aims to provide worldwide public access to the historical data in the Medici Granducal Archive by way of a fully searchable on-line database. The Project hopes to place many of its almost three million letters online. The creators have already begun placing select holdings online, some supported by an essay explaining the importance of the document. A valuable site for researchers.
Leonardo da Vinci: Master Draftsman
This site by the Metropolitan Museum of Art accompanies an exhibit of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. The drawings can be examined closely with the zoom feature and the site includes audio commentary, a scholarly bibliography, an introductory essay, and even a discourse of da Vinci's left-handedness.
Luminarium: 16th century Renaissance English Literature
Luminarium contains searchable texts and supplemental materials for Medieval, Renaissance, and seventeenth-century British literature. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Sixth Edition, has been the main authority consulted for accuracy of dates and details. There is a list of authors and for each author there is a set of links (mostly external) that lead to biographical information, secondary sources, texts, and more. A guestbook, a powerful search engine, and a book store are but the newest additions to assist the visitors to the site. A valuable resource to anyone interested in Renaissance literature.
Renaissance Connection
The Renaissance Connection, the Allentown Art Museum's interactive educational web site, explorers Renaissance visual arts and innovations. There is a collection of online activities and resources for middle school students and teachers to help visitors design their own innovations, investigate Renaissance artworks in depth, and discover how past innovations impact life today. Fun, educational site for students.
Treasures in Full: Gutenberg Bible
At this British Library site you can learn about Gutenberg, how he produced the Bible, and the texts he printed. The Texts section allows you to view the digital versions of two slightly different copies for comparison. Other resources include a timeline, a links section, a glossary, and further reading in References.
Treasures of the World: Mona Lisa
Part of the PBS Treasures of the World Series, Mona Lisa is cast as a masterwork of art in an engaging story of crime and discovery. The section revolves around the Mona Lisa's disappearance in 1911, but its true focus lies in Leonardo's technique and the myth of Mona Lisa. Visitors, particularly students, should gain a greater appreciation of the Da Vinci masterpiece.
Michelangelo Buonarroti
This biographical resource on the Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti discusses his life and achievements and offers links to many of his great works. The site has three major sections: Early Life, Mid Years, and Final Days and each section highlights key events of Michelangelo's life as well as his most important works. A concise and useful overview aimed at high school students.
Creating French Culture: Path to Royal Absolutism
Creating French Culture: Treasures from the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (via the Library of Congress) traces the political and cultural history of France from Charlemagne to Charles de Gaulle through more than 200 "treasures" from the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The choice of items "was dictated as much by their historical importance as by their artistic value in the hope that they will provide insight into, and spark curiosity about, the complex history of the United States' oldest ally." The Path to Royal Absolutism: The Renaissance and Early 17th Century, scans the political and cultural history of France from 1498 to 1661, from Louis XII's accession to the throne to Louis XIV's assumption of power.
The Cervantes Project
The Cervantes Project is headed by Professor Eduardo Urbina at Texas A&M University and aims to present the work of Cervantes in online editions. Along with a biography of Cervantes, the Cervantes Digital Library enables visitors to read full-text searchable versions of his works and there are both Spanish and English language versions of Don Quixote. The Don Quixote dictionary will help visitors reading the work in English with the classical Spanish terms.
Renaissance and Baroque Architecture: Architectural History 102
Professor C. W. Westfall's course on Renaissance and Baroque Architecture at the University of Virginia features a collection of over 500 topically-organized images. Section include: Italy in the 15th Century--Introduction, Brunelleschi's Legacy and Beyond, Florence in the 15th Century, The Sixteenth Century--Bramante and Roman Architecture, and many more. Teachers, scholars, students, and the general public are free to use these images for educational purposes.
Art and Artists in the Renaissance
Professor Chris Witcombe of the Art department at Sweetbriar College provides background information and examples on Renaissance arts and artists for classroom viewing and discussion. His brief essays address the questions What is Art? and What is an Artist? and discuss The Renaissance and the Rise of the Artist and Renaissance art and "grazia."
Artists by Movement: The High Renaissance
This site provides an overview of famous Renaissance artists, most from the Italian Renaissance. See a list of famous works, and the museums in which they appear, and then study the images.
Reformation & Discovery World Cultures to 1500: Discovery and Reformation
This online course by Professor Thomas Hooker of Washington State University offers a terrific overview of Ancient and Medieval History, as well as the Reformation. It offers clear and informative lecture notes, maps, a photo gallery, timelines, links to relevant sites, and more. Topics include: Reformation The Northern Renaissance, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Protestant England, Counter-Reformation, and Religious Wars (Thirty Years War). Resources include: Readings in Reformation Culture, A Glossary of Reformation Terms and Concepts, Reformation and Northern Renaissance Gallery, and Internet Resources on the Reformation.
BBC: The Tudors
Formerly organized as Church and Reformation, this clear, engaging, and interactive BBC section provides a nice introduction to the Protestant Reformation in England and offers some unique features. You can learn about Henry VIII's need for an heir that triggered the English Reformation and chart the legacy of Henry's split with Rome. (British visitors can also discover how to trace the history of their local church.) Professor Andrew Pettegree then reviews the events which lead up to the introduction of a simpler Protestant faith and Bruce Robinson answers questions such as: What happened after Henry decided Rome was unnecessary? What might it have been like to live through the Reformation? So what exactly happened, and What lasting impact did the Reformation have? Finally, learn about the Reformation in Scotland. In all there is plenty of related background information of the Reformation and related links, as well as special galleries devoted to English cathedrals. You can even join a discussion board. Ideal site for students.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
The Internet History Sourcebooks are wonderful collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use by Paul Halsall. The site and its documents are well organized and the breadth of materials is impressive. The Sourcebooks include: an Ancient History Sourcebook, a Medieval Sourcebook, and a Modern History Sourcebook. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook contains thousands of sources in dozens of categories. Reformation topics include: Protestant Reformation, Precursors and Papal Critics, Luther and Lutheranism, Calvin and Calvinism, Radical Reformers, English Reformation, Scottish Reformation, John Knox, Catholic Reformation, The Council of Trent, Other Catholic Reformers, and The Society of Jesus.
Redefining the Sacred in Early Modern England
This site is drawn from the experiences of sixteen college teachers who gathered at the Folger Shakespeare Library in 1998 for a collaborative investigation of the conflicted histories of the Reformation in England. They began with the premise that the texts of the period could not be taught successfully without a working knowledge of the religions beliefs and controversies of the period and an array of strategies for bringing that material to life in the classroom. Thus, the participants culled the images found here so that they might share with their classes examples of the experience of religion in the early modern period. Those examples include some of the many books, manuscripts, and images reviewed in the summer institute.
Voices of the Powerless
This BBC site follows a long historical exploration of the Routes of English with Voices of the Powerless, in which Melvyn Bragg explores the lives of the ordinary working men and women of Britain at six critical moments across the last 1,000 years. This particular audio-episode deals with the upheavals and turmoil of the sixteenth century that transformed many aspects of religious life.
The Reformation Guide
This Reformation Guide is intended to provide easy access to Internet information available on the Reformation period. The extensive external links at this site are organized by topics such as: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Zwingli, Radical Reformation, English Reformation, Scottish Reformation, Counter Reformation, Reformation Gallery - People, and
Reformation Gallery - Places. There is also an excerpt from David Hall's book, Savior or Servant? entitled "Reformation
to Revolution: 1500-1650."
Martin Luther: The Reluctant Revolutionary
Martin Luther is the tale of the great Protestant revolutionary who challenged the all-powerful Catholic Church and reshaped Europe. In this interactive PBS you learn about Luther's confrontation with the great powers of Europe
and meet characters from his time. Among the interesting parts of the site are Luther trivia, 10 Things You Didn?t Know, Day in the Life of a Monk, and Martin Luther v. Martin Luther King. There are two lesson plans as well.
Project Wittenberg
Project Wittenberg is a site for works by and about Martin Luther and Lutherans and attempts to bring Luther to life for those who have not had the opportunity to meet him in the pages of history. Included are commentaries, statements of faith, theological treatises, biographies, links, and more. Project Wittenberg documents are posted in their original languages, in English translation and other languages as they are available. Excellent research site.
Discoverers Web
A great starting point for learning about the Age of Exploration, the Discovers Web is a collection of links to sites on the 15th and 16th century voyages of exploration and discovery. In addition, there are a large number of biographies and links on single explorers or subjects, a special page for multi-page sites on voyages of discovery, an alphabetical list of explorers, and "exploring is risky business," a list of explorers who died during their voyages. Many links and a strong mix of primary and secondary sources.
Columbus and the Age of Discovery
Created by Millersville University, this site is part of text retrieval system that contains over 1100 text articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, speeches, official calendars and other sources relating to various encounter themes. Library of Congress 1492 Expo offers brief essays on What Came To Be Called "America," The Mediterranean World, Inventing America, Christopher Columbus: Man and Myth, and Europe Claims America. There are primary sources, artifacts, drawings, maps and more
Conquistadors
The Conquistadors On-line Learning Adventure resource is geared towards middle and high school classrooms to help teach about the Spanish Conquistadors in the New World and the legacy of their contact with Native Americans. There are lesson plans for teachers and in-depth online content for students available in both English and Spanish.
Tudor History
History enthusiast Lara E. Eakins runs this broad and frequently updated site. Sections incude: The Tudor Monarchs, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Who's Who in Tudor History, Topics in Tudor History, Chronologies of People and Events, Architecture, Electronic Texts, Genealogical Trees, Glossaries of Words and Terms, Reference Maps,
Bibliography, Image Gallery Index, Ask or Help Answer Questions, Student Help, and Links of Interest.
Le Poulet Gauche
Le Poulet Gauche is a detailed guide to the history, culture, and daily life of 16th century France. Most of the site deals with social issues, but the Wars of Religion section outlines how such conflict "destroyed a generation." Features a map of the territorial divisions of France along religious and political lines.
Internet Archive of Texts and Documents
A creation of faculty and students in the History Department of Hanover College, The Internet Archive of Texts and Documents makes public domain primary texts and secondary sources on the internet available to students and faculty for use in history and humanity classes. Reformation topics include: Lutheran Reformations, Reformed Reformations, Radical Reformations, English Reformation, Scottish Reformation, Secondary Sources, Resources.
Site was last updated July 1, 2000 so links are not actively maintained.
Christian Classics Ethereal Library: John Calvin
Offers a concise but useful introduction to one of the most important figures of the Reformation as well as translations of the theologian's writings.
The Spiritual Program: The Protestant Reformation
A "personal journey" by a teacher, pastor, systems analyst and even a carpenter, this site provides a brief, clear and well organized introduction to the Protestant Reformation -- from a Christian perspective. Sections include: Early Efforts at Reform of the Church, Growing Conditions for Reform, Luther precipitates the challenge, the Catholic Counter Reformation, The Wars of Religion (The Thirty Years War), the Puritan Revolution in England, and more.
Elizabeth I
Part of the Luminarium site, this section offers much information on Elizabeth I. There is an introduction to The Life of Elizabeth I by Britannia.com, The Works of Elizabeth I, Essays and Articles, an Image gallery, Additional Sources
and Elizabeth I in the Bookstore. See also the section on Henry IV.
The Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia strives to give its readers full and authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. It omits facts and information which have no relation to the Church but is not limited to the ecclesiastical sciences and the activities of churchmen. Use their search engine for "Reformation" and "Counter Reformation" for a concise Catholic perspective on these events.
Reformation Ink
This site serves to make important and hard to find primary source Reformation documents readily accessible. The Classics section includes articles and links from authors spanning from the Reformation to the early twentieth century.
Oliver Cromwell's Internet Portal
The Cromwell Association and the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon has organized material under the following headings: Calendar of Key Events, Oliver Cromwell's Antecedents, Oliver Cromwell as Politician, Oliver Cromwell's Military Career, Oliver Cromwell's Views on Religion, Words Said About Oliver Cromwell, Words Said By Oliver Cromwell, English Civil Wars, and Cromwell: A Select Bibliography of Books and Articles. There is also a picture gallery.
The Thirty Years War
The website provides a concise summary and year-by-year history of the Thirty Years War. It covers, in varying degrees of detail, the military and diplomatic developments of the Thirty Years War. There is discussion of various phases (Bohemian, Palatinate, Danish, Swedish, and French) of the Thirty Years War as well as the The Peace of Westphalia.
Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and French Revolution Exploring the French Revolution
This great site is a collaboration of the Center for History and New Media (George Mason University) and the American Social History Project (City University of New York). It serves as a useful and lively introduction to the French Revolution as well as a repository of many key documents from the era. Among its offerings are numerous essays, 245 images, 338 text documents, 13 songs, a timeline, a glossary, and short audiovisual lectures from leading historians. The site should help visitors understand the causes of the French Revolution and the reasons for its radicalization. Furthermore, there are commentaries on the French Revolution by Thomas Jefferson and other prominent Americans of the time. In all, Exploring the French Revolution is an engaging resource for learning and teaching about the French Revolution.
World Cultures to 1500: The European Enlightenment
The Enlightenment is commonly dated to the middle of the eighteenth century and the activity of the philosophes, the French rationalist philosophers who fully articulated the values and consequences of Enlightenment thought. Professor Thomas Hooker argues that the Enlightenment should be dated to the new natural science of Isaac Newton, the social and political theories of thinkers such as Hobbes, the empirical psychology of John Locke, and the epistemological revolutions of Blaise Pascal and René Descartes. This online course created by Professor Hooker at Washington State University offers a terrific introduction to the Enlightenment. It provides clear and informative lecture notes, a photo gallery, links to relevant sites, and more. Topics include: Pre-Enlightenment Europe, The Case of England, Seventeenth Century Enlightenment Thought, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, The Scientific Revolution, The Eighteenth Century, The Philosophes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Women: Communities, Economies, and Opportunities, Absolute Monarchy and Enlightened Absolutism, and
The Industrial Revolution of the Eighteenth Century. Resources include a Gallery of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Visual Culture, Enlightenment Reader, A Glossary of Enlightenment Terms and Concepts, and Internet Resources on the European Enlightenment.
The Galileo Project
Hosted by Rice University, the Galileo Project provides information about Galileo's family, career, and scientific inquiries. Included are a list of Galileo Project texts, an overview of the scientific community in the 16th and 17th centuries, Internet resources, a glossary, a bibliography, maps, a timeline, and even college projects.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Scientific Revolution / French Revolution
The Internet History Sourcebooks are wonderful collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use by Paul Halsall. The site and its documents are well organized and the breadth of materials is impressive. The Sourcebooks include: an Ancient History Sourcebook, a Medieval Sourcebook, and a Modern History Sourcebook. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook contains thousands of sources in dozens of categories. Subjects covered in the French Revolution section include Responses to the Revolution, Napoleon, and Napoleonic Wars. Subjects covered in the The Scientific Revolution include: Traditional Aristotelianism, New Medieval Analyses of motion, The Challenge: Astronomy in the 16th Century, Galileo Galilei: The Turning Point, Philosophy of Science: Induction/Deduction, The Creation of Classical Physics, New Medical Theories, and
Scientific Institutions.
The Scientific Revolution
Professor Robert A. Hatch of the University of Florida has created a diverse and engaging introduction to the Scientific Revolution. He provides an overview and background to the Scientific Revolution, bibliographic essays, outlines, timelines, a glossary, biographies of major sources, well organized links to primary and secondary sources, manuscript and archive sources, and books on-line.
Europe in Retrospect: The French Revolution
This Britannia Internet Magazine sites provides useful information on the history of Europe during the past two hundred years and, in this chapter, the ideology of the French Revolution.
Napoleon
A visually appealing and informative PBS site on Napoleon. The site offers concise summaries and expert commentary on the following topics: The Man and the Myth, Napoleon and Josephine, Politics in Napoleon's Time, and Napoleon at War. There are also interactive elements that students should find interesting, including the Interactive Battlefield Simulator: Could you win the battle of Waterloo? and video clips from the television series that this site supports. Teachers are provided with four lesson plans: Napoleon Becomes a Man of Destiny, Napoleon: Hero Or Tyrant? The Laws Live On, and Church and State. Finally, there is a discussion forum offering varied perspectives on Napoleon.
Napoleon.org
Napoleon.org is produced by The Fondation Napoleon which has as its mission the encouragement of the study of and in interest in the history of the First and Second Empires. The website is bilingual (French/English), updated daily, and includes: a weekly newsletter, - Essential Napoleon, Fun stuff (Napoleonic postcards, music, recipes, jigsaws, quizzes, wallpaper, screensaver), The Magazine (Napoleonic 'What's On' events diary, Napoleonic press and book review pages, six Napoleonic itineraries, a guide to more than 100 Napoleonic 'Museums and monuments etc., interviews, Napoleonic Directory.), a Reading Room (20 articles in English, about 200 in French, Bibliographies, Timelines, Biographies) , a Gallery including an image database (900 images) and two filmographies, a special dossier section with four 'minisites' , a collectors' Corner, a general forum, a full-text search engine, and Foundation details.
NapoleonSeries.org
A useful research site, NapoleonSeries.org is dedicated to the study of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Napoleonic Era, and the French Revolution. This site provides access to contemporary documents and serves as a vehicle for historians to share their work.
Catalog of the Scientific Community
in the 16th and 17th Centuries
This site offers is a collection of 631 detailed biographies on members of the scientific community during the 16th and 17th centuries. The information was compiled by the late Richard S. Westfall, Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. There are key facts about each individual and their contributions to science. The information is concise and very well organized.
Modern Britain Spartacus Internet Encyclopedia
This Spartacus Educational resource concentrates mostly on British history from the medieval era. Contains overviews, essays, images and subtopics such as: British History 1700-1900, Slavery 1750-1870, RR 1780-1900, and Emancipation of Women 1750-1920. Offers a Tudor Encyclopedia, Biographies: 1485-1600, an Encyclopedia of British History, 1700-1900, an Encyclopedia of the English Civil War, an Encyclopedia of Politics in Britain: 1750-1950, Chartism Encyclopedia, Journalists and Newspapers 1700-1945, Parliamentary Reform 1700-1832, Peterloo Massacre, history timelines, online lessons, web site reviews, two free online newsletters, and more.
Britannia: British History
The internet's "most comprehensive" treatment of the Times, Places, Events and People of British History. This Britannia site features narrative histories of England, Wales, Scotland and London, timelines, biographies, glossaries, bibliographies, historical documents, and much more. Well organized, clear, and detailed but some content is for Brittania's "British History Club" members only. (Cost is $20/yr.)
BBC: History
BBC's History section offers an impressive array of exhibitions, activities, games, photo galleries and other resources. Major Sections of interest include: Ancient History, Archaeology, Church and State, Science and Discovery, Society and Conflict, War and Culture, and Historic Figures. There are also sections entitled Multimedia Room, Historic Figures, Timelines, Programmes, Reading Room, Talk History, For Kids, and History Trails. Great site for students.
The Victorian Web
George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art History at Brown University, directs this broad and comprehensive resource for courses in Victorian literature. This award-winning site is full of material on Victorian era sub-topics (Political, Social, Gender, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Technology, Visual Arts, Entertainment, etc.) and each section typically features a concise essay, some images, and internal links that lead to much more information. Furthermore, Victorian Web offers bibliographies, many related external links, and visitors are encouraged to contribute materials.
Victorian Research Web
The Victoria Research Web, created in 1996 on the Indiana University server and recently moved to its own domain, is a wide-ranging guide to research for students, teachers, and scholars pursuing interests in 19th-Century British history and culture. Victorian Research Web is not an encyclopedia of the period, but a valuable set of tools for researchers. The archives feature over nine years' worth of scholarly discussion by Victorianists around the world, while other features include a portal to dozens of reviews of books of 19th-century interest and tips for planning a trip to Britain.
Monuments and Dust:
The Culture of Victorian London
Monuments and Dust is the work of an international group of scholars assembling a complex visual, textual, and statistical representation of Victorian London. The project relates not only the social and cultural life of London, but also the historical transformations during the reign of Victoria. Available are Texts, Data, Models, Maps, and Online Publications.
The site includes extracts from Victorian editions of The Times and information on various cultural issues of the time. There is also a 3-D model of Crystal Palace, site of the Great Exhibition. An excellent research site.
Queen Victoria's Empire
Discover Queen Victoria with this PBS site. Learn about her family and the people and places that shaped her reign. Features lesson plans and a game and is a helpful introduction for students to Queen Victoria.
Power, Politics, and Protest
This interactive UK National Archives Learning Curve exhibition investigates the political changes that took place during the 19th century. It contains eight different investigations of the political history of Britain between 1800 and 1914 (Radicals, Luddites, Captain Swing, Peterloo, Great Reform Act, the Chartists, White Slavery and the Suffragettes). Students learn of the role of key individuals in each investigation and how their actions impacted British history.
The Workshop of the World
This BBC website by Professor Pat Hudson introduces you to the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Using models, it covers The Rocket, a Paddle Steamship, and a Spinning Mill.
British Empire in 1815
Britain was firmly established by 1815 and along with France, Russia, Ottoman Turkey, and China, was one of the world's great imperial powers. This BBC essay by Professor Andrew Porter explains how Britain achieved preeminance and features color maps, related articles, links, and more.
18th Century History
This site is about the eventful 18th century and covers the period from approximately 1660 through 1840. It contains articles and resources that are useful for students and teachers. It also includes an e-text archive of various classic works available for download in text and pdf format.
British Civil Wars
An impressive site that includes timelines, twenty-four biographies of leading figures in the conflict, and descriptions of sixty-two battles and sieges. Sections include: Time Lines: chronological listings of events during the period 1640-60, Biography: who's who in the Civil Wars and Commonwealth, Military: military history of the Civil Wars and Commonwealth. There are links to websites and online articles relevant to this period and a Booklist of the main reference books used in creating this site.
Victorian Britain: Fair or Foul?
Was Victorian Britain fine or not? This UK National Archives Learning Curve website, written by teachers about aspects of life in Victorian Britain, debates this issue. Features documents, photographs, video and sound recordings.
EuroDocs: History of the United Kingdom - Primary Documents These links connect to Western European (mainly primary) historical documents and shed light on key historical happenings. The sources on the United Kingdom cover various chronological periods, such as 1689 to 1815 and 1816 to 1918.
English History and Heritage Guide Key periods in English history are covered here through concise essays. Topics of interest include: The Tudor Era, Stuart Britain, Georgian Britain, The Victorian Age, and Timeline of English Monarchs. See also British Battles for accounts of some of the most influential battles fought on British soil. Each battle profile contains facts about the battle: who was involved and why, account of the battle, and results.
History Learning Site Student-oriented resources are on offer here on many different historical periods and people, such as Tudor England,
Stuart England, Britain 1700 to 1900.
British Empire
This site analyzes and describes the Empire and includes timelines, maps, photos of colonies, descriptions of battles, and more. Note that it is more of a "personal journey" than a rigorous academic site.
Wales
At the Cymru's Virtual Teachers' Center there are Key Stage 3 digital materials grouped under: Wales and Early Modern Britain 1500-1760 (Tudor Wales), and Wales and Industrial Britain.
General Resources Internet Modern History Sourcebook
The Internet History Sourcebooks are wonderful collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use by Paul Halsall. The site and its documents are well organized and the breadth of materials is impressive. The Sourcebooks include: an Ancient History Sourcebook, a Medieval Sourcebook, and a Modern History Sourcebook. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook contains thousands of sources in dozens of categories. Subjects covered in the Interrnet Modern History Sourcebook include: the Late Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, the Early Reformation, Protestant Reformation, Catholic Reformation, Women and Reformation, The Early Modern World System, The European "Age of Discovery," Structures of Life in the West, Everyday Life, From Popular to Mass Culture, The Enlightenment, Religion in an Age of Reason, Responses to the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and more.
Attending to Early Modern Women: Gender, Culture, and Change
Compiled by an Arts and Humanities team at the University of Maryland Libraries, this site provides annotated links to useful resources for the study of women in early modern Europe (and the Americas), particularly those between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The site offers searchable full-text resources, images, and sound recordings, though some resources are not free.
Early Modern Resources In 2000 a Ph.D student began Early Modern Resources, a gateway site for the early modern period (c.1500-1800). It contains a wide range of links. Subject themes are Old and New Worlds, Material and symbolic cultures, Society, economy, and demography, Politics, rebellions and revolutions, Women, gender, and sexuality, Crime, law, and disorder, Religion, science, and philosophy, Literature, art, and performance, and Medicine and illness. Also includes links to General Resources, E-tests, E-journals, and more.
The Garden, the Ark, the Tower, the Temple: Biblical Metaphors of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe
This Oxford University site describes how the Biblical stories of the Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the Temple of Solomon provided explanations for the human condition and seemed to offer plans for escape into a better world. The searchable site aims to provide a broad picture of the role of biblical interpretation in early modern Europe and shows how stories from the Bible were used by early scientists and Reformation leaders as a story of the growth and decline of knowledge. Mostly text with a few hyperlinks, but there are some engaging images.
World Civilizations: An Internet Classroom and Anthology
World Civilizations is an interactive reading environment that combines materials of two World Cultures courses taught at Washington State University using web-based materials since Fall of 1994. Although designed for university freshman students, World Civilizations' texts, glossary, and learning modules are intended to be usable for high school level students and advanced undergraduates. In order to increase usability for advanced undergraduates, bibliographies of works consulted are being assembled for textbook entries, glossary entries, and learning modules.
The End of Europe's Middle Ages
The University of Calgary's End of Europe's Middle Ages is designed to assist those students studying the Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern studies who lack a background in medieval European history. Intended to provide a overview of the conditions at the end of Europe's Middle Ages, the site is presented in a series of well-organized chapters that summarize the economic, political, religious and intellectual environment of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Section titles are: Economy, Feudal Institutions, New Monarchies, Holy Roman Empire, Italy's City-States, Eastern Europe, Ottoman Turks, The Church, Literature, Intellectual Life, Visual Arts, and Music. In each section there are useful internal links to definitions of historical terms as well as external links to supplemental primary sources.
History of the Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an ambitious Web site chronicling the history of the Netherlands from 50BC through the present. The site is broken up by time period into a series of short, readable essays that Chronicle the rise of one of Europe's great naval powers and empires. The essays are illustrated with works of art and photography, and the entire site would be a fine reference work for anyone beginning research into the Dutch and their impact on Europe and the world.
Labyrinth: Medieval Resources
This Georgetown University site features bibliographies, a searchable index, links to special topics, and full-text versions of medieval works
Printing: Renaissance & Reformation
Printing: Renaissance & Reformation is part of "An Exhibit for History 101: European Civilization I," a course offered at the University of South Carolina. Originally exhibited fall 1995 at the Thomas Cooper Library, the items in this exhibit of early printing are more than four hundred years old and each is accompanied by concise explanatory text.
History Learning Site
This site covers many UK Key Stage 3 topics and contains a complete Modern World History course, together with numerous GCSE and Advanced Level History and Politics courses.
Course Models: The French Revolution
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course that includes: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessments, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic sites. Grade 10.
Course Models: The Enlightenment and the Rise of Democratic Ideals
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course that includes: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessments and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic sites. Grade 11.
The World's History: Political Revolutions in Europe and the Americas, 1688-1850
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat, web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.
BBC History Trail: Victorian Britain
Victorian Britain experienced dramatic economic growth but at great social cost. Discover more about the winners and losers in the race to prosperity. Find out how heroic cartoons and the novels of Charles Dickens can help the historian piece together a picture of the past.
Tudor Hackney
This UK National Archives Learning Curve and Hacknet Archives site enables you to explore the world of 1601 through a virtual reality reconstruction of the Rectory House, which once stood on the west side of Hackney's Mare Street. The site uses video drama and virtual tours to provide an insight into Tudor life in general, and how court and country could come to be linked in the web of intrigue and politics of the latter days of Elizabeth I.
Did God Really help the English Defeat the Spanish Armada?
At Key Stage 3 this work fits into the unit on the Making of the United Kingdom and could be used as a straight account of events, illustrating English foreign relations. It could also be used to explore the role of propaganda in Elizabeth's reign. From the National Archives Learning Curve
Ye Olde Renaissance Map
This site was developed as a ThinkQuest project by teachers and students at Twin Groves Junior High School in Illinois. It is an interactive Renaissance museum that helps visitors discover towns, universities, cathedrals, and more. Try the Guild Hall project and start an apprenticeship or browse around to meet various Renaissance inhabitants of "Virtual Renaissance." Fun, engaging activity for students grades 5-9.
19th Century People: What Can We Tell From this Photograph?
?Who were these people? What were they called?? The exercise aims to give pupils the opportunity to use two historical sources to answer these basic questions. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 2-3.
Past Pleasures: How Did the Victorians Have Fun?
Photographs and posters from Victorian Britain help students understand how leisure time was spent. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 2-3.
The Romantic Chronology
An attractive site featuring an interactive chronology of the Romance period.
Napoleon: Church and State
Study historic and present-day examples of the interplay between religion and government. Based on the PBS video, Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.
Hero or Tyrant?
Debate Napoleon's legacies and leadership style to determine if he was a hero or a tyrant. Use your view to produce a newspaper from 1815 which assesses Napoleon's career. Based on the PBS video, Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.
Napoleon Becomes a Man of Destiny
Ask students to consider what has influenced their own lives and whether or not they believe in "destiny." Explore how the French Revolution, family, personality, historical events, and other factors influenced Napoleon's rise to power. Based on the PBS video, Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.
How Did the British React to July 1789?
Students look at primary source material from 1789, including a London newspaper report and personal letters, and then the examine the British reaction to the events that started the French Revolution. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 3
The Laws Live On
Compare Napoleon's Civil Code with the U.S. Constitution and explore how guiding documents evolve over time. Based on the PBS video, Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.
Course Models: The Industrial Revolution
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course that includes: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessments, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic sites. Grade 10.
English Civil War Game
In this ActiveHistory interactive contest you try to keep your head as King of England in the crisis-ridden years of the 1630's and 1640's. You must be a paying member of ActiveHistory in order to access the site.
A Victorian News Magazine
Students will create a special feature news magazine that highlights Queen Victoria and her reign over England. Students will include stories about key events, people, and politics of the time. They will use proper writing techniques when creating news and feature stories as well as editorials. Magazines will focus on different decades of Victoria's life from 1819 to 1901. PBS, High School.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Meet the wives, get a portrait of life in Tudor times, explore Henry VIII and his fascinating life, access lessons and
play matchmaker for the monarch himself with a fun interactive game.
The Western Heritage: Lesson Plans
Focus Lessons for The Western Heritage highlight important ideas and concepts in each chapter as well as the relevant sections in the program's ancillaries. The Focus Lessons, written by an experienced AP teacher, suggest strategies for assessing how well your students understand the important points in each chapter and also provide test-taking tips that will help your students prepare for and take the AP European history test successfully.
The World's History: The Industrial Revolution, 1740-1914
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat, web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.
Inventions That Changed the World
Students will create small group projects that illustrate the positive and negative impacts of the inventions of the Industrial Revolution, the ways this revolution shaped Victoria's reign as Queen of England, and the ways this invention contributed to the idea of a world economy. PBS, Middle School
The World's History: The Unification of World Trade, 1500-1776
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat, web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.
The World's History: Demography and Migration, 1500-1750
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat, web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.
Course Models: The Italian Renaissance
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which includes: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessments, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic sites. Grade 7.
AP European History Web Links and Primary Source Documents
Historyteacher.net offers 1000s of links to great web sites and primary source documents. Just pick a topic and go to that page where you will find a large number of links that can be used for research and study. You will also be directed to in-depth, detail-linked class assignments on several topics.
BBC History Games: Battle of Waterloo
Play the game and take sides in the Battle of Waterloo. Then find out more about the battle, the tactics employed, and the consequences for Europe.
BBC History: Kings and Queens Through Time
In this animated timeline you put the kings and queens of England, and later the United Kingdom, in their proper place. There are four periods to explore. The Plantagenets and the Houses of Lancaster and York are featured in the first period, the Tudors and Stuarts in the second, and the House of Hanover in the third. The timeline concludes with the Windsors.
BBC History: Stephenson's Rocket Animation
Play the animation to operate the Rocket, considered by many to be the forerunner of all steam locomotives, and a key factor in the advance of the Industrial Revolution.
BBC History: The Great Fire of London Animation
View the animation to see contemporary etchings of the London skyline, showing the extent of the devastation. Afterwards, you could view the changing designs for St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt in the aftermath of the fire by Sir Christopher Wren.
BBC History: The History of European Map Making Animation
Explore the changing European view of the world in the animated history of maps across the centuries. The Map Animation features images that are reproduced courtesy of the British Library.
BBC History: The Endeavour Virtual Tour
Captain Cook set sail on the Endeavour, a refitted Whitby coal ship, in 1768. The Endeavour was to sail to Taihiti to watch the 'transit of Venus', and then on to the South Pacific to complete a top secret mission. Cook went on to chart New Zealand and the previously uncharted east coast of Australia in what has now become a legendary voyage.
BBC History Games: The Gunpowder Plot
Guy Fawkes was among a gang of Roman Catholic conspirators who wanted to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate King James VI of Scotland and I of England. As part of their plan, they stored gunpowder kegs in the cellars of the House of Lords. You must find those kegs before the fizzing fuse causes disaster!
National Curriculum in Action: ICT in History
The UK National Curriculum in Action website includes examples of pupils' work with ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in History, with teacher commentary on how ICT enhanced learning in the subject.
"The most hands-on, practical, and cutting-edge workshop I have ever attended." Carlo Palusci, Zurich International School
"The most effective professional development class I have ever attended."
Robert Morrison, Fenn School, Concord MA
"Your examples showed how we can maximize student participation in every class activity, and thus have them take ownership of their own learning."
Margartia Curtis, Head of School, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA
