Download The Renaissance (1300

The Italian Renaissance
(1300-1600)
Mrs. Chen
7th Grade World History
The Renaissance Begins in Italy
Essential Question: Why did the
Renaissance begin in Italy?

Renaissance: A
period of creativity
and rebirth of
Classical art and
learning
 The Renaissance
began in Italy and
spread to the rest of
Europe
Why Italy?
Italy was the center of the Roman Empire
so artists and writers didn’t have to go far
to find classical works
 Geographically, many trade routes went
through Italy causing the development of
many urban centers, cities like Florence,
Venice, and Milan.
 The independent cities allowed for a
quicker growth of a wealthy and powerful
merchant class.

Trade Routes
Florence, the cradle of the
Renaissance
Florence was a center of banking and
clothing production bringing the city great
wealth
 A wealthy and powerful merchant class
developed who actively supported the arts

– Many became patrons of the arts
– The Medici family was such a wealthy family
who patron the arts
Florence
Venice
Milan
Italian City-States
Life in the Italian city Italian businessmen had
states changed the way
offices in cities throughout
some residents viewed
Europe.
the world.
 Where ever they were
 Though very religious,
they lived in Italian
these residents
Renaissance style.
concentrated more on
 Other Europeans began to
this life than on heaven
appreciate the Italians’
or hell.
emphasis on wealth,
 In doing so they hoped
beauty, and personal
to understand people
achievement.
and their world
better.

The Medicis
Palazzo Medici
Think Pair Share
Answer the essential question as
thoroughly as possible, discuss this with
your elbow partner
 Essential question: Why did the
Renaissance begin in Italy?

Social Classes in Renaissance Italy
Essential Question: What was the social
structure in Renaissance Italy?
Only the wealthy had the resources and
time to study classical texts and
humanist ideas, so the Renaissance
mainly benefited the upper class
 Upper class = noble and wealthy
merchants

– Many upper class men strove to be a
“Renaissance Man” = someone who excels
in many academic subjects
The Upper Class
Other Classes…

Most people were not wealthy…
– Middle class citizens were mainly modest
trades people or merchants
– Lower class were poor people who were often
laborers
 Most of the poor were not well educated so the
ideas of the Renaissance did not reach them, but
the ideas did influence life in Europe and society
today
Peasants
Think Pair Share
Based on these images, explain the role of
women during the Renaissance.
Advances in the Arts & Sciences
Essential Question: In what areas did Renaissance
figures make notable achievements?
In sculpture and painting, ideal realism
achieved through new techniques, such as
perspective: appearance of 3 dimensions
 In architecture, large domes designed and
built for churches
 In science, new discoveries were made in
anatomy and medicine
 In literature, writers began to write in
vernacular, common language so that writing
became more accessible

Famous Artists

Leonardo Da Vinci
– Renaissance Man; painted
The Last Supper and the
Mona Lisa

Michaelangelo
– Painter and sculptor;
sculpted Moses and The
Pieta, painted the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel

Raphael
– Da Vinci’s student,
painted The School of
Athens
Try drawing any object of scene
using perspective
Scientific Discoveries

Ambroise Pare
– French doctor and
surgeon who started
to use bandages and
thread to close
wounds

Nicolas Copernicus
– First to suggest
revolution of the Earth
around the Sun
Think Pair Share

Can you think of any scientific discoveries that
would impact our world greatly today?
Italian Renaissance Writers

Dante Alighieri
– Wrote the long poem
The Divine Comedy
which focused on life
after death
– He was the first to write
in vernacular

Machiavelli
– Wrote The Prince, a
book about politics
The Printing Press & It’s Impact

During the 1400s,
Johann Gutenberg,
a German inventor,
invented a printing
press: a machine
that pressed paper
against a full tray of
inked movable type
Johan Gutenberg & the Printing Press
It reduced the cost of
printing so more people
could own books
 More common people
learned how to read
 It became easier for
scholars to gain access
to the work of others

Paper Manufacturing

In the workshops of Cordoba, craftsmen
developed the ability to make paper cheaply
The Renaissance Spreads
The dissemination of information began to
happen much faster
 By the 1400s, Renaissance ideas spread north to
France, Germany, Spain, and England
 The Elizabethan Age & William
Shakespeare in England

– Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) supported artists
and writers
– Shakespeare wrote many plays including Romeo &
Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet. His plays are so popular
because he showed a strong understanding of human
nature and relationships
Queen Elizabeth I
Othello
Hamlet
Romeo & Juliet
Think Pair Share
Explain the three factors that changed the
dissemination of information during the
Renaissance.
 How did this help spread Renaissance
ideas?
 Can you think of another, more recent, big
change to the dissemination of
information in our society?

Renaissance Hall of Fame
Group Roles
Leader: Time management, keeping the
group on task, leads the discussion about
poster content and layout
 Interpreter & Scribe: Interprets and
examines the written information from the
secondary source document(s), notes, and
textbook then synthesizes the information
into a written summary on the poster
 Artist: All the artwork on the poster is
relevant to the written content
