I'm writing a book set at the turn of the sixteenth century spanning the years 1480-1530 and I would be very grateful for advice on good detailed history books to help my research. It's a transition period that falls at the end of most medieval histories and too early for most early modern histories so it usually gets a little neglected. I'm not looking for general overviews of the political events of the period, but I want to get a deeper understanding of how the people of the period lived, thought, worked, and fought. What did they wear, what did they eat, what did they believe? I want to move away from anglo-centric history, and look at the clash of different cultures. I am also very interested in the wars of religion, and the disputes of the early reformation, up to and including the wide-scale devestation of the Thirty Years War (even though it occurs after my specific period of interest).
I'm primarily looking for the best microhistory and ground-level histories to help me understand what it was like to be in this fascinating time when the medieval world was just ending and the modern world was still on the horizon. Any advice greatly appreciated.
I've got a few good examples for you of books on minority experience in the Iberian world in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries:
The Handless Maiden, by Mary Elizabeth Perry, on the experience of moriscos, former Muslims converted to Christianity (and their descendants), post-Reconquista
In the Shadow of the Virgin, by Gretchen Starr-Lebeau, on the experience of marranos or judio-conversos, the Jewish equivalent of moriscos
A Nation Upon the Ocean Sea by Daviken Studnicki-Gizbert, on the "Portuguese Nation," the Portuguese-identified diaspora of merchants spread throughout the Spanish Empire and the world
Inquisitorial Inquiries edited by Richard Kagan and Abigail Dyer, a collection of really interesting inquisitorial transcripts (i.e. primary documents describing the questions to and answers from several people whose religious orthodoxy was under fire), plus a little context and analysis for each
I'm sure I can think of more if you'd like.