Download UNIT OUTLINE: The Renaissance

Global Studies I
Mr. Mintzes
UNIT OUTLINE: The Renaissance
Renaissance – means rebirth. Term and period of history refer to the rebirth of culture,
commerce and education in the years following the Middle Ages.
Early Renaissance
Renaissance began in northern Italy – Venice, Milan, Florence, Genoa
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Trade and commerce that began after the Crusades brought wealth to these cities
Ideally located at the junction of sea routes to and from the Middle East and overland
routes from interior Europe.
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Trade and commerce brought wealth to these cities as new merchant class arose.
Merchants/Bankers used riches to gain political power and influence.
Decline of Byzantine Empire – fall of Constantinople to Turks in 1453 – resulted in
Byzantine artists, sculptures, writers, etc. to flee to the west – to northern Italy. Brought
many of the old classics (Greek, Roman, etc.) with them.
Florence became an important financial and cultural center in 15th century. Lorenzo and
Cosimo de’ Medici were political leaders as well as patrons of the arts.
Italy as a battleground: from 1494 – 1527 France and Spain fought each other for control of
Italy. In 1527 Spanish troops captured Rome and sacked the city.
Renaissance Political Thought and Society
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Niccolo Machiavelli wrote the Prince. Contains advice and how to attain and keep
power. He wrote that a leader’s attitude towards power should be based on the realization that
people are self interested.
Machiavelli wrote that leaders should act for the benefit of the state and in order to retain
power, and not worry about ethics and morality. The Prince became a guide for absolute
monarchs for the next few hundred years.
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Castiglione wrote The Book of the Courtier, in which he described the role and duties of
the noble or the aristocrat.
Nobles were supposed to have talent, grace, and character. They were to get military
training but also receive a classical education and have an appreciation of the arts and culture.
Like the code of chivalry in the Middle Ages, nobles were “required” to follow a code of
conduct. The Book of the Courtier was followed by nobles for centuries.
• Renaissance most affected the noble classes, rather than the 95% of the population which
was comprised of peasants.
Renaissance Humanism and Literature
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Humanism and Humanists stressed the study of the Greek and Roman classics. Petrarch
led a movement to recover forgotten Latin (Roman) writings, mostly in monastic libraries, where
they had been preserved during the Middle Ages.
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Many writers of the early Renaissance began to write in the vernacular, the language of
their region (French, Italian, English, Spanish, German, etc.) rather than Latin. Famous writers
were Dante (The Divine Comedy) and Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales)
Education:
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Goal of education was to attain wisdom and develop virtue & create complete citizens.
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Liberal arts was at the core of Humanist education – history, philosophy, grammar, logic,
astronomy, poetry, music, etc. were taught, as well as physical education and dancing.
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Most formal schooling was for boys and men. Girls was still expected to become “good
Christian wives” whose role was to manage the household and raise the children.
Artistic Renaissance
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Perspective became the signature of Renaissance painting – giving depth and realism to
paintings of everything from human anatomy to landscapes to paintings of buildings.
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Statues were also more realistic and celebrated the human form.
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Brunelleschi (architect) created a new style of architecture based on classical Roman
designs – also improved on the Roman dome – created the cathedral in Florence – Il
Duomo, with largest dome in world.
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Greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance gained fame in the High Renaissance (14901520) included Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo.
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da Vinci was an artist, engineer and inventor. Painted The Mona Lisa and The Last
Supper, designed a bridge over the Bosporus, drew early blueprints for a bicycle, a
helicopter and a tank. His drawing of the human anatomy demonstrates a knowledge
of understanding of the human form.
Michelangelo was an accomplished painter, sculptor an architect. His sculpture
David has been studied as an example of Renaissance sculpture and his painting of
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is one of the finest works of art in
history.
Seven Values of the Renaissance:
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Individualism: Individual over the group. Uniqueness of each individual emphasized.
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Rationalism: A person can solve problems using their brain and reasoning.
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Secularism: A focus on worldly pleasures and material possessions rather than being
worried about going to heaven. Concern for this life, not the next.
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Classicism: A renewed interest in the classic art, sculpture and culture of ancient Greece
& Rome, including the study of the writings of Aristotle and Plato.
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Skepticism: Doubting the knowledge that had always been taught, questioning
authority, especially the authority and power of the church.
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Naturalism: The realization by “thinkers” of the Renaissance period that nature can
only be understood by scientific investigation rather than by religious explanation.
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Humanism: an attitude and belief that emphasizes the dignity and worth of the
individual. A belief that people possess within themselves the capacity for truth
and goodness.
The Renaissance was not just a rebirth in art and culture, but in thinking, questioning and
analyzing.