Download Chapter 15: The Renaissance

Chapter 15: The Renaissance
The Italian States
Renaissance Italy
The Major Italian States
• Economics and Politics
– 5 major Italian regions: Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples, and
Rome(Papal States)
– Milan
• 14th century Visconti Family
• Connected Alps to rest of the Italian trade cities
• 1447: Francesco Sforza conquered Milan
– Did it for the money
– Established a strong central government
– Established a tax system for the government
The Major Italian Cities
• Venice
– Served as the commercial link between Asia and Western
Europe
– Established as a republic with a doge as its leader
– Reality is that the aristocrats/wealthy merchants ran the
city
– International power due to its large trading ports
The Major Italian Cities
• Florence
– Established as a republic in the Tuscany region
– Started off as a small city but grew through military conquest
– 1434: Cosimo de Medici
• Established the de Medici family as the leaders of Florence
• Led Florence to become cultural center of Italy
– As cities gain more power, the Church loses power
• Girolano Savonarola (Preacher)
– Spoke out against the corruption of the Medici family
– Drove them to be exiled from Florence
The Major Italian Cities
• Papal States
– Included Rome
– Controlled by the Catholic Church
• Naples
– Only major state that was a monarchy
• Conflict in Europe
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Italian prosperity led to the French attacking the city states
1494: took control of Naples
Italy called for help from Spain
1527: Rome ransacked by all
Machiavelli’s The Prince
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Most influential work on politics of the time
Main idea: How does one gain and maintain power?
Set of rules as to how to govern
Morality is unrelated to politics
Must act on behalf of the state
Must be willing to do both good and evil
Renaissance Society
• 3 classes within society: Clergy, Nobility, Peasants
• Nobility
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Expected to live up to the standards of the Renaissance
Nobles were born not made
Required, character, grace, and talent
The aim was to serve the prince in an effective and honest
way
– This made a perfect noble
Renaissance Society
• Peasants
– Patricians
• Money from banking, trade, and industry
– Burghers
• Shopkeepers, artisans, and guild masters
– Workers
• Unskilled workers
– Unemployed
Family and Marriage
• Marriage
– Arranged between family
– Designed to strengthen families and business ties
– Dowry was given by wife’s family for marriage
• Family
– Husband/father was center of family
– Absolute authority over all in family
– Mother supervised household and children
Chapter 15: The Renaissance
Ideas and Art of the Renaissance
Italian Humanism
• What is Humanism?
– Intellectual movement based on the study of the
humanities (grammar, history, philosophy, etc.)
– Based on the study of Greek and Roman literature
– Use of classical values to revitalize culture
– Francesco Petrarch
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Father of Italian Renaissance humanism
Use of classical Latin
Establishment of libraries
Emphasized Cicero and Virgil
Life of Humanists
• To many, the humanist movement was to be a solitary
movement
• No need for family
• By 15th century, movement went into politics
• In order to spread movement, vernacular language
used even though they pushed Latin only
– Dante: The Divine Comedy written in Italian
• Soul’s journey to attain Paradise
Renaissance Education
• Affected by the humanist movement
• Less of a push for religion in education
• Areas of study
– History, grammar, public speaking, logic, poetry,
mathematics, music, and ethics
• Wanted to produce individuals of virtue and wisdom
• Wanted to create well-rounded citizens
• Physical education important as well
• Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized education and how
knowledge was passed into society
Italian Renaissance Art
• Frescoes
– Painting done on fresh wet plaster with water based paint
– Tommaso di Giovanni (Masaccio)
• Started this period of art
• The Tribute Money (Story of the life of Peter)
– Used perspective to create 3D images
Italian Renaissance Art
• Two Major Developments in Painting
– 1. Importance of the technical aspect of painting
• Understanding perspective
• Organization of outdoor space
• Light through geometry
– 2. Investigation of movement and human anatomy
• Realistic portrayals of individuals
• Greater use of human nudes
Example: David (Michelangelo)
Renaissance Sculpture
• Donatello
– Studied Greek and Roman Statues
– Free standing statues
Renaissance Architecture
• Inspired by the classical architecture of Greece and
Rome
• Brunelleschi
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Classical columns
Rounded arches
Large exterior domes
Open airy spaces
Example-Church of San Lorenzo
The High Renaissance (1490-1520)
• Leonardo da Vinci
– The “Renaissance man”
– Artist, inventor, scientist
– Master of realistic painting
• Mona Lisa
The High Renaissance (1490-1520)
• Raphael Sanzio
– Well known for madonnas (paintings of Mary)
– School of Athens
• Balance, harmony, and order (what Greek and Roman art stood for)
The High Renaissance (1490-1520)
• Michelangelo
– The Sistine Chapel