Download Petrarch

Turning Point #2: The Renaissance 1300s – 1500s A.D.
NAME: ____________________________________________
DATE DUE: _____________________
PERIOD: ____________________
SCORE: _______/15
Essential Question for TP #2
How do DaVinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Petrarch represent the
ideals of the Renaissance as a “Movement in Europe beginning in the 14th
century marked by a humanistic revival of Greek and Roman learning (1),
an increase of interest in arts and literature (2), and by the beginnings of
modern science (3).” Give proof from this person’s work to show that he
is an example of the Renaissance.
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World Studies Daily Learning Targets and Entry Tasks- Score ________/5
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Notes Pages
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Ch. 15-1: The Italian Renaissance
An Era of Awakening (354)
In the early 1300s, a movement began in Italy that would alter how Europeans viewed themselves and their
world. The Renaissance was a movement in Europe beginning in the 14th century marked by a humanistic revival of
Greek and Roman learning, an increase of interest in arts and literature, and by the beginnings of modern science.
Medieval scholars had studied ancient history and tried to bring everything they learned into harmony with Christian
teachings. By contrast, Italian Renaissance scholars studied the ancient world to explore its great achievements. A new
emphasis on the power of human reason developed, and many advances were made in the arts and sciences.
Causes (355)
In many ways it was natural that the Renaissance would begin in Italy. Ruins of the Roman Empire reminded
Italians of Roman glory. The Crusades and trade had brought them into contact with the Byzantine civilization, whose
scholars had preserved Greek and Roman learning. In addition, trade with southwestern Asia and Africa helped Italians
learn of Arab and African achievements in science and medicine. Over time, these and other factors helped to
encourage curiosity and the search for new knowledge among some Italian thinkers.
Italian cities such as Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice had grown rich through trade and industry. Their
citizens included educated, wealthy merchants and bankers. In Florence, for example, the Medici (MED·ee·chee) family
grew rich, first as bankers and then as rulers of that city-state. As leader of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici used his wealth
to become a great patron of the arts. In Mantua, Isabella d'Este filled her palace with paintings and sculptures by the
finest Renaissance artists.
The Humanities
In the early Renaissance of the 1300s, Italian scholars turned to classical Greek and Roman literature to study
grammar, history, poetry, and rhetoric. These scholars were called the humanists. Renaissance humanists searched out
manuscripts written in Greek and Latin. Often, they found more than one copy of a work. If the copies differed, the
humanists compared them to determine which was the most authentic. In doing so, they displayed a critical approach to
learning and scholarship. That is, they sought to verify through investigation. Some Christian scholars also turned to
Jewish teachers to learn Hebrew, a language of the Bible. While there were still laws that restricted Jewish life, many
Jewish humanists continued to strive for knowledge and to develop new ideas.
As humanists studied classical manuscripts, they came to believe that it was important to understand how things
worked. This belief led humanists to emphasize education. They also maintained that a person should lead a meaningful
life. People should also become actively involved in practical affairs, such as supporting the arts.
Although fascinated by the classics, most humanists were Catholics who remained committed to Christian
teachings. For that reason, they sometimes felt a tension between their studies and their religion. Humanists viewed
life not only as preparation for the afterlife, but also as a joy in itself. Along with a belief in human dignity came an
admiration for individual achievement. Many individuals of this period displayed a variety of talents by being, for
example, both poets and scientists.
Italian Renaissance Writers (356)
One of the first humanists was Francesco Petrarch (PEE·trahrk), who lived from 1304 to 1374. Like many
humanists, Petrarch became famous as a scholar and a teacher. He also wrote poetry. His sonnets to Laura, an
imaginary ideal woman, are considered some of the greatest love poems in literature.
Petrarch's main influence grew out of his desire to continue the work of the classical writers. Petrarch believed
that the classical writers were committed to virtue in public and private life. He thought these writers could best be
imitated by studying their writings. The study of ancient Greek and Roman literature came to be called classical
education. Knowledge of classical Greek and Latin became the mark of an educated person. Petrarch thought it
important to lead a full and active life here on earth. He also worried that his desire for fame, a relatively common
ambition, might hurt his chances for salvation.
Other writers displayed less tension between spiritual and earthly quests. Niccolò Machiavelli
(mahk·yah·VEL·lee), a Florentine diplomat and historian, lived from 1469 to 1527. In 1513 he wrote the essay The
Prince. Machiavelli sought to describe government not in terms of lofty ideals but in the way it actually worked. He
argued that a ruler should be concerned only with power and political success. Today some people refer to ruthless
behavior to get ahead as "Machiavellian."
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Machiavelli can be considered a humanist because he looked to the ancient Romans as models. The lack of
concern for conventional morality in The Prince, however, sets him apart from other humanists of the time.
Baldassare Castiglione (kahs·teel·YOH·nay), an Italian diplomat, lived from 1478 to 1529. In 1528 he published
what was probably the most famous book of the Renaissance, The Book of the Courtier. The setting for the book is the
court at Urbino, an Italian city-state where Castiglione lived for many years. In his book, Castiglione used real people
engaged in fictional conversations to explain how gentlemen and gentlewomen should act in polite society.
Italian Renaissance Artists (358)
Like literature, art flourished during the Italian Renaissance. During this era Italian artists produced some of the
world's greatest masterpieces. Medieval paintings had stressed the world beyond everyday life. They used formal
figures to express religious concerns. Renaissance artists, in contrast, created realistic scenes and images. They
depicted lifelike human figures in their paintings. Even the backgrounds of Renaissance paintings differed from those of
medieval paintings. Earlier artists had often portrayed the Holy Land. Renaissance painters showed the rugged Italian
countryside they knew so well.
Renaissance painters used a technique called perspective to make their paintings more lifelike. They made
distant objects smaller than those in the foreground of the painting. This technique created the illusion of depth on the
flat canvas. Giotto (JAWT·oh), who lived from about 1276 to 1337, was a magnificent early realist painter. According to
legend, a fly in one of Giotto's works looked so real that an observer tried to brush it off the painting. Another
important early realist was Masaccio (mah·ZAHT·choh), who lived from 1401 to 1428. Masaccio used light and shadows
to create a powerful sense of depth in his paintings.
Scholars often call the late 1400s and early 1500s the High Renaissance. There were many great painters during
this period. Four made particularly outstanding contributions to the arts.
Leonardo da Vinci (dah·VEEN·chee), who lived from 1452 to 1519, was a true Renaissance Man, meaning he was
a man of many talents. He was an architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and scientist. He made sketches of plants and
animals, as well as detailed drawings of a
flying machine and a submarine. Da Vinci's
science improved the quality of his
paintings. His studies in anatomy helped
him draw realistic human figures. He used
mathematics to organize the space in his
paintings. People throughout the world still
marvel at his mural The Last Supper.
Perhaps his most famous painting is the
portrait called the Mona Lisa.
Another master of Renaissance art,
Michelangelo (mee·kay·LAHN·jay·loh),
lived from 1475 to 1564. Michelangelo was
a brilliant painter. Millions of people have
visited the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican,
the residence of the pope in Rome, to view
the frescoes Michelangelo painted on the
chapel ceiling. His sculptures of biblical
figures such as David, which was unveiled in
1504 A.D., also continue to be admired. In
addition to his art, Michelangelo wrote
poetry and helped to design St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome.
Rafael (RAF·ee·el), who lived from 1483 to 1520, became so popular in Florence that the pope hired him to help
beautify the Vatican. Rafael painted frescoes in the papal chambers. He is also known for his madonnas, paintings of the
Virgin Mary.
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Titian (TISH·uhn), who lived from about 1488 to 1576, spent most of his life in Venice. His works, such as The
Assumption of the Virgin, are known for their sense of drama and rich colors. The Holy Roman emperor was a patron of
Titian. In fact, Titian was one of the first painters to become wealthy from his work.
Citation: World History: The Human Journey. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 2005.
Ch. 15-1: The Italian Renaissance
Score: ________/3
Key Terms: Define each term using the Ch. 15-1 reading above
1. Renaissance –
2. Humanists –
Short Answer:
3. What were the MAIN causes of the Renaissance?
4. What did many Christian humanists try to learn to get a better understanding of the Bible?
5. Using the definition above, what makes Machiavelli a prime example of the Renaissance?
6. Why did Renaissance painters start using the technique of perspective in their paintings?
7. Using the definition above, what makes Leonardo DaVinci a prime example of the Renaissance?
8. Using the definition above, what makes Michelangelo a prime example of the Renaissance?
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Art Appreciation Day
Score: ________/2
Renaissance Art Response
Please respond to one of the pieces of art shown on the slides in class. What do you think of this piece of art? Give at
least a 3-4 sentence response as to how the piece of art makes you feel and why you think it was important in the time.
Drawing Perspective
Use the following activity to draw your own scene using perspective on the following page.
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Printing and Thinking in the Renaissance
When Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1450, he forever changed the
lives of people in Europe and, eventually, all over the world. Previously, bookmaking
entailed copying all the words and illustrations by hand. Often the copying had been
done onto parchment, animal skin that had been scraped until it was clean, smooth,
and thin. The labor that went into creating them made each book very expensive.
Because Gutenberg's press could produce books quickly and with relatively little effort,
bookmaking became much less expensive, allowing more people to buy reading
material.
The Demand for Books Grows
In the Middle Ages, books had been costly and education rare; only those in the
church had been regular readers and owners of books. Most books had been written in
Latin which was considered the language of scholarship. In the Renaissance, the
educated middle classes, who could now afford books, demanded works in their own
languages (vernacular). Furthermore, readers wanted a greater variety of books. Almanacs, travel books, chivalry
romances, and poetry were all published at this time. Simultaneously, a means of printing music was also invented,
making music available at a reasonable cost. As the demand for books grew, the book trade began to flourish
throughout Europe, and industries related to it, such as papermaking, thrived as well. The result of all of this was a
more literate populace and a stronger economy.
Humanism Emerges
Books also helped to spread awareness of a new philosophy that
emerged when Renaissance scholars known as humanists returned to the
works of ancient writers. Previously, during the Middle Ages, scholars had
been guided by the teachings of the church, and people had concerned
themselves with actions leading to heavenly rewards. The writings of
ancient, pagan Greece and Rome, called the "classics," had been greatly
ignored. To study the classics, humanists learned to read Greek and ancient
Latin and they sought out manuscripts that had not been disturbed for
nearly 2,000 years.
The humanists rediscovered writings on scientific matters,
government, rhetoric, philosophy, and art. They were influenced by the
knowledge of these ancient civilizations and by the emphasis placed on
man, his intellect, and his life on Earth.
The Humanist Philosophy
The new interest in secular life led to beliefs about education and
society that came from Greece and Rome. The secular, humanist idea held
that the church should not rule civic (city/government) matters, but should
guide only spiritual matters. The church disdained the accumulation of wealth and worldly goods, supported a strong
but limited education, and believed that moral and ethical behavior was dictated by scripture. Humanists, however,
believed that wealth enabled them to do fine, noble deeds, that good citizens needed a good, well-rounded education
(such as that advocated by the Greeks and Romans), and that moral and ethical issues were related more to secular
society than to spiritual concerns.
Rebirth of Classical Studies
The rebirth of classical studies contributed to the development of all forms of art during the
Renaissance. Literature was probably the first to show signs of classical influence. The Italian poet Petrarch
(1304-1374) delighted in studying the works of Cicero and Virgil, two great writers of the Roman age, and he
modeled some of his own writings on their works. Although he often wrote in Latin, attempting to imitate
Cicero's style, Petrarch is most renowned for his poetry in Italian. As one of the first humanists, and as a writer
held in high esteem in his own time, he influenced the spread of humanism--first among his admirers, and later
throughout the European world.
Citation: "Printing and Thinking in the Renaissance." Learner.org. Annenberg Media. Web. Jan. 2012.
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Score: _______/2
1. How were books created before the printing press?
2. What were two results of an increase in the number of books in circulation?
3. Instead of focusing on God, on what did the Humanists place their emphasis?
4. Why was wealth important to a Humanist?
5. Using the definition of the Renaissance, what makes Petrarch a prime example of the
Renaissance?
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A True “Renaissance Man”
Score: ________/3
Use the internet and the sources provided for you to research a specific individual from the Renaissance. These notes can be
used directly on your written response tomorrow.
Renaissance Man
Accomplishments
Niccolò
Machiavelli

To which part of the “Renaissance” definition do his accomplishments relate? Why?
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Petrarch

To which part of the “Renaissance” definition do his accomplishments relate? Why?

To which part of the “Renaissance” definition do his accomplishments relate? Why?
Michelangelo
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Leonardo
DaVinci

To which part of the “Renaissance” definition do his accomplishments relate? Why?
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