Download Ch - San Diego Unified School District

Ch. 1 Section 1
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
I.
Italy’s Advantages
A. Time period 1300-1600’s A.D.
1. Began in Northern Italy then spread through the rest of Europe
2. 3 reasons: Thriving cities, wealthy merchant class, and Greek and Roman
heritage
B. City-States
1. Italy’s cities were the original urban cities.
2. This was a result of the Crusades where merchants made lots of money
C. Merchants and the Medici
1. Merchants became wealthy which enhanced their political power
2. Medici family became the most powerful banking family in Florence
D. Looking to Greece and Rome
1. Renaissance scholars returned to the learning from the old Greek and Roman
manuscripts
2. As they did this they rejected the old Middle Ages philosophy of suffering
II.
Classical and Worldly Values
A. Classics Lead to Humanism
1. An intellectual movement focused on human potential and achievements
2. Popularized the subjects of history, literature, and philosophy which are
called the humanities
B. Worldly Pleasures
1. Prior to the Renaissance people lived to suffer
2. The Renaissance taught people that you could enjoy life without offending
God
3. Became more “secular” meaning more worldly and less religious
C. Patrons of the Arts
1. Church leaders began to beautify Rome and other cities with the arts
2. They became “patrons” of the arts: Financially supporting artists
D. The Renaissance Man
1. A man who excelled in many fields was praised as a “universal man”
2. He could do anything and strive to do everything
E. The Renaissance Woman
1. Should know the classics and be charming
2. Should inspire art but rarely create it
III.
The Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
1. Renaissance painters used the technique of perspective which shows three dimensions
on a flat surface
A. Realistic Painting and Sculpture
1. Artists such as Michelangelo and Donatello created realistic sculptures and
paintings
B. Leonardo, Renaissance Man
1. Painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist
2. Known for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper
C. Raphael Advances Realism
1. His favorite subject was the Madonna and child
2. Learned his style by studying Michelangelo and Leonardo
D. Anguissola and Gentileschi
1. Two famous female Renaissance artist who expressed emotions in their writing
IV.
Renaissance Writers Change Literature
1. Vernacular means to write in one’s own language
A. Petrarch and Boccaccio
1. Petrarch was one of the earliest humanists called the father of the Renaissance
2. Wrote sonnets in Italian and Latin Languages
3. Boccacio is most famous for writing the Decameron
B. Machiavelli Advises Rulers
1. Wrote the famous book for rulers called The Prince
2. Began with the idea that people are selfish, fickle, and corrupt
3. As a result the ruler needed to rule with absolute power and not concern themselves
with what is morally correct but with political effectiveness
4. Leaders must sometimes mislead his people and lie to his opponents in order to
maintain power.
5. It is better to be feared then to be loved
C. Vittoria Colonna
1. A female writer who gained influence with her writings and poetry