The Renaissance

Explain how and why the Italian Renaissance came to be and why the city-states were so important to the Renaissance.

Renaissance• In Italy the growth of wealthy trading cities and new

ways of thinking helped lead to a rebirth of the arts and learning. This era became known as the Renaissance.

• 3 characteristics:– Italy was an urban society– It was an age of recovery– A new view of human beings emerged

• 1300, Black Death, starvation, warfare had overtaken Europe

• Catastrophic events, enormous loss of life may have led to changes of the 1300s

• Decrease in population led to:– Increase in food production– Decline in food prices– More money to spend– Specialization in products

Changes in Society• Urban areas specialized,

particularly in Italy• Italy divided into several large

city-states in north, various kingdoms, Papal States south

• Catholic Church, nobles, merchants, artisans dominated society in city-states

• Many sought to display new wealth with knowledge of arts

The Rise of City-States

The Beginning of the Renaissance

Milan• Milan, west of Venice, based economy on agriculture, silk, weapons• Milan=one of the richest city-states in Italy• Milan had an efficient tax system

Florence• Florence, to south, famous for banking, cloth• Monarchs appealed to Florentine bankers for money to fund wars• Medici family took control of city• Bankers, merchants created city to rival any in Europe

Venice• With access to sea, Venice built economy, reputation on trade• Had long history of trading with other ports on Mediterranean Sea• Shipbuilding prospered, sailors traveled to Near East• Wealthy Venetian merchants built unique city, “work of art”

The Italian States

As the economy and society changed, new ideas began to appear. This period of interest and developments in art, literature, science and learning is known as the Renaissance, French for “rebirth.”

• Venetian ships carried goods for trade and Greek scholars seeking refuge

• Scholars brought ancient works thought to be lost

Inspiration from the Ancients • Italians who could

read looked for more information

• Read Arabic translations of original texts

• Searched libraries, found lost texts

New World of Ideas

• As they read, began to think about philosophy, art, science in different ways

• Began to believe in human capacity to create, achieve

Different Viewpoints

Renaissance Ideas

• Roots traced to work of Dante; work contained glimpses of what would become focus on human nature

• Historians believe Renaissance began with two humanists who lived after Dante—Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarch

• Both wrote literature in everyday language not Latin

• Advances were made in medicine, as well as astronomy

Roots• Interest in ancient Greek,

Roman culture• Characteristics of good

education• Scholastic education gave way

to classics: rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, Latin, Greek

• Subjects came to be known as humanities, movement they inspired known as humanism

• Humanists emphasized individual accomplishment

HumanitiesHumanism

• Early 1500s life in Italy seemed insecure, precarious• Church no longer served as source of stability, peace• Form of humanism developed from Petrarch’s ideas; focus was secular,

worldly rather than spiritual

• Humanists argued that individual achievement, education could be fully expressed only if people used talents, abilities in service of cities.

Service

• Ideal Renaissance man came to be “universal man,” accomplished in classics, but also man of action, who could respond to all situations.

• How to act= The Courtier• How to rule=Machiavelli

Renaissance Man

Secular Writers

Machiavelli• The Prince is one of the most influential

works on political power• Machiavellian advice seemed to

encourage harsh treatment of citizens, rival states

• Describes men as “ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers”

• Advises rulers to separate morals from politics– Power, ruthlessness more useful than

idealism– Ruler must do whatever necessary to

maintain political power, even if cruel

• Machiavelli’s theory that “the end justifies the means” deviated from accepted views of correct behavior

• Idea that state an entity in itself, separate from its ruler, became foundation for later political philosophy

Renaissance Society

• 3 social classes (different from the Middle Ages)

• Nobles-dominated society (2-3% of population)

• Expected to fulfill certain ideals– The Book of the Courtier– A noble was born, not made– Had to develop 2 basic skills (military

skill and education)– Needed to follow a certain standard of

conduct– Serve the prince in an effective and

honest way

Renaissance Society Cont.

• Peasants/townspeople=85-90% of population• Serfdom decreased – By 1500, more and more peasants became legally

free• Townspeople-more diverse than in MA– Top=patricians-trade, industry, and banking– Middle=burghers-shopkeepers, artisans, guild

masters, and guild members– Bottom=workers-lived pitiful lives

Family and Marriage• Source of security• Arranged marriages• Most important part of

marriage=dowry– A sum of money given by the wife’s

family to the husband upon marriage• Father/husband was the center of

Italian family– Gave name, managed finances, and

made the decisions• Mother supervised the household• Adulthood came to children when their

fathers went before a judge and formally freed them

Video

• Medici

Renaissance• In Italy the growth of wealthy trading cities

and new ways of thinking helped lead to a rebirth of the arts and learning. This era became known as the _________________.

• 3 characteristics:– – –

• 1300, Black Death, starvation, warfare had overtaken Europe

• Catastrophic events, enormous loss of life may have led to changes of the 1300s

• Decrease in population led to:– – – –

Changes in Society• Urban areas specialized,

particularly in _____________• Italy divided into several large

city-states in north, various kingdoms, Papal States south

• Catholic Church, nobles, merchants, artisans dominated society in city-states

• Many sought to display new wealth with knowledge of arts

The Rise of City-States

The Beginning of the Renaissance

Milan• • Milan=one of the richest city-states in Italy• Milan had an efficient tax system

Florence• • Monarchs appealed to Florentine bankers for money to fund wars• Medici family took control of city• Bankers, merchants created city to rival any in Europe

Venice• • Had long history of trading with other ports on Mediterranean Sea• Shipbuilding prospered, sailors traveled to Near East• Wealthy Venetian merchants built unique city, “work of art”

The Italian States

The Italian Wars• Florence-in 1400’s experienced an economic decline– _____________ began to condemn the Medici family– The Medici family turned Florence over to him

• People tired of his ________________• He was sentenced to death

– The Medici family __________________• French attacked ____________________– Italians asked for help from the ____________– – Italians and Spanish fought off the _____________– Spain was a dominant force in Italy after

Machiavelli

• _______________ is one of the most influential works on political power

• Machiavellian advice seemed to encourage harsh treatment of citizens, rival states

• Describes men as ____________________________________• Advises rulers to separate morals from politics

– Power, ruthlessness more useful than ________________– Ruler must do whatever necessary to maintain political power, even if

cruel

• Machiavelli’s theory that ______________________ deviated from accepted views of correct behavior

• Idea that state an entity in itself, separate from its ruler, became foundation for later political philosophy

Renaissance Society

• ____ social classes (different from the Middle Ages)

• __________-dominated society (2-3% of population)

• Expected to fulfill certain ideals– – A noble was born, ____________– Had to develop ______________

(military skill and education)– Needed to follow a certain standard of

conduct– Serve the prince in an

____________________________

Renaissance Society Cont.

• Peasants/townspeople=_________ of population• Serfdom ______________– By 1500, more and more peasants became

_________• Townspeople-more diverse than in MA– Top=___________-trade, industry, and banking– Middle=____________-shopkeepers, artisans, guild

masters, and guild members– Bottom=____________-lived pitiful lives

Family and Marriage• Source of security• • Most important part of

marriage=_________– A sum of money given by the wife’s family

to the husband upon marriage• Father/husband was the

______________________________– Gave name, managed finances, and made

the decisions• Mother supervised ______________• Adulthood came to children when their

fathers went before a judge and formally freed them

As the economy and society changed, new ideas began to appear. This period of interest and developments in art, literature, science and learning is known as the Renaissance, French for ________________.

• Venetian ships carried goods for trade and Greek scholars seeking refuge

•

Inspiration from the Ancients • Italians who could

read looked for more information

• Read Arabic translations of original texts

• Searched libraries, found lost texts

New World of Ideas

• As they read, began to think about philosophy, art, science in different ways

•

Different Viewpoints

Renaissance Ideas

• Roots traced to work of Dante; work contained glimpses of what would become focus on human nature

• Historians believe Renaissance began with two humanists who lived after Dante—Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarch

•

• Advances were made in medicine, as well as astronomy

Roots•

• Characteristics of good education

• Scholastic education gave way to classics: rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, Latin, Greek

• Subjects came to be known as humanities, movement they inspired known as ___________

• Humanists emphasized ________________________

Humanities

Humanism

• Early 1500s life in Italy seemed insecure, precarious• • Form of humanism developed from Petrarch’s ideas; focus was secular,

worldly rather than spiritual

• Humanists argued that individual achievement, education could be fully expressed only if people used talents, abilities in service of cities.

Service

• Ideal Renaissance man came to be “universal man,” accomplished in classics, but also man of action, who could respond to all situations.

• How to act= _______________• How to rule=______________

Renaissance Man

Secular Writers