The Medici Rise
A family of bankers takes over Florence, funds the Renaissance, and produces three popes and two queens of France. All from interest.
Greek Scholars Flee West
After Constantinople falls, refugee Greek scholars pour into Italy carrying ancient manuscripts. The Renaissance suddenly has rocket fuel.
Gutenberg Prints the Bible
A German tinkerer builds the printing press, mass-produces the Bible, and accidentally invents mass communication, science, and revolution.
Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities
A Dominican monk takes over Florence and burns books, art, and makeup in a giant pile. Then Florence burns him.
The Borgia Popes
A Spanish family buys the papacy and uses it to commit poisoning, incest rumors, and political assassinations. Cesare Borgia inspires Machiavelli.
Leonardo da Vinci
Paints the Mona Lisa, designs flying machines, dissects corpses, writes backwards. One man casually invents the future in his spare time.
Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel
He hates painting, hates the Pope, and lies on his back for four years anyway. Result: the most famous ceiling on earth.
Machiavelli Writes The Prince
A fired Florentine bureaucrat writes a how-to manual for ruthless rulers, hoping to get his job back. Five centuries later it's still required reading.
Galileo's Trial
He says the Earth orbits the Sun. The Church says recant or die. He recants, mutters 'and yet it moves' on the way out, and gets house arrest forever.
Newton's Apple
A young Cambridge student goes home during plague lockdown and basically invents calculus, optics, and gravity in 18 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stories are in the The Renaissance collection?
The The Renaissance collection includes 10 stories: The Medici Rise, Greek Scholars Flee West, Gutenberg Prints the Bible, Savonarola's Bonfire of the Vanities, The Borgia Popes, and 5 more. All available as immersive audio on History Tea.
Can I listen to The Renaissance stories for free?
Yes! All 10 stories in the The Renaissance collection are completely free to listen to on the History Tea app. Download on iOS and start listening today.
What time periods does The Renaissance cover?
The The Renaissance collection spans 1397 CE, 1453 CE, 1455 CE, 1497 CE and more. Each story is a fresh, cinematic retelling with immersive narration.
More Collections
Start Here
8 stories
The greatest hits of human history. Start your journey.
Empires Rise & Fall
12 stories
Every empire thinks it will last forever. None of them do.
Wars That Changed Everything
14 stories
The battles that redrew the map of the world.
Revolutions
12 stories
When the people decided enough was enough.
Inventions & Discoveries
10 stories
The breakthroughs that built the modern world.
Plagues & Disasters
10 stories
When the world fell apart — fire, water, and pestilence.
Ready to Listen?
Download History Tea and listen to every story in The Renaissance with immersive narration.
Download for iOS