Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume 1 by James Dennistoun is a classic history of one of the most cultivated courts of Renaissance Italy. It illustrates the arms, arts, and literature of Italy from 1440 to 1630 through the story of the Montefeltro and della Rovere dukes who made Urbino a centre of humanist civilisation.
Dennistoun combines dynastic narrative with rich detail on patronage, war, and learning, painting a portrait of princely power at its most refined. This first volume opens the saga of a small state whose influence on European culture far exceeded its size. This free EPUB download presents the complete opening volume.