The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy 1860 is a work of art history by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt. Recognized today as the founder of modern art history and as one of the key thinkers of the nineteenth century Burckhardt changed not only the way we think about the Renaissance in relation to European and world history but the value placed on art as a tool for understanding historical developments.The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy begins with a section on the historical events which sparked the Renaissance focusing especially on the frequent military conflicts which marred the era as well as on the constant political upheavals undergone by such Italian regions and cities as Rome Venice and Florence. Burckhardt then moves to a philosophical discussion of the development of individuality in Italian culture arguing that the political circumstances of those living in the Republics enabled such thinkers as Dante and Petrarch to create art that corresponded with that newfound sense of individuality.