Download European Renaissance - A Cultural Approach

The European Renaissance
SSWH9:a-c.
Time and Geography
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INTELLECTUAL
The Renaissance
• Renaissance, “rebirth”, had two distinct facets
– Change in economic and social conditions
– Artistic and cultural movement based on that change
• Italian city-states
– Began in Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa – all rich from
trade, finance
– Led the way in innovations: scientific, artistic,
economic
– Were oligarchies
• Government run by wealthy aristocrats, headed by prince
• Huge gap between rulers and the people
Renaissance Attitudes
• Individualism
– Wealthy wanted to separate from masses
– Encouraged new pride in human potential
Renaissance Attitudes
• Secularism
– Focus of attention from eternal to worldly
affairs
– Saw life as opportunity for glory and pleasure
– Man is the measure of all things
Renaissance Attitudes
• Revival of Classical Values
– Greeks and Romans became focus of interest
– Not anti-Christian as much as pro-humanity
– Collecting, editing of ancient texts
• Devoted to self-realization of human
beings whose earthly lives were the only
sure ones they had
Northern Renaissance
• Rather different character: more reformist,
less self-centered
• Humanism
– Humanists were scholars aware of corruption
of society, wanted changes
– Reawakened sense of Christian duties and
responsibilities
– Confidence in power of the intellect to find
truth: use reason, not dogma
Northern Renaissance Thinkers
• Thomas Moore’s Utopia
– Written as satire of society
– People in Utopia looked out for others; were totally
equal; lived by reason
– Saw society as reason for problems of the world, not
individual sinners
Sir Thomas More,
by Hans Holbein the Younger,
1527
Northern Renaissance Thinkers
• Erasmus and Praise of Folly
– Indictment of world, plea for return to
simple virtues
– Two basic themes: inner nature of
Christianity, importance of education
– Important forerunner of Protestant
Reformation
Erasmus in 1523, by
Hans Holbein
POLITICAL
Political Economy of
Renaissance Europe,
Theory of the State
• State was political organism independent of ruler
• State has three essential attributes: legitimacy,
sovereignty, territory
• Royalty only the servant, protector of the state
• New style of monarchy with only one goal:
power
• Machiavelli and The Prince – power as it is in
fact, not as it “should” be
Title page of a 1550 edition
Royal Governments
• France
– Recovered quickly from Hundred Years War
– Charles VII created first truly royal army
– Louis XI gained middle class support, expanded area
of royal control
Hundred Years’ War
Royal Governments
• England
– Magna Carta – doctrine held that
monarchy was bound to obey laws
just like everyone else
– Royal power weakened;
Parliament strengthened by war
– War of the Roses
– Henry VII rebuilt royal power,
avoided foreign wars
Painting by Henry Payne in 1908
of the scene in the Temple
Garden from Shakespeare's
play Henry VI, Part 1, where
supporters of the rival
factions pick either red or
white roses
Royal Governments
• Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
–
–
–
–
Central power totally destroyed
Emperor was elected
No bureaucracy, royal army, national parliament or power to tax
Austrian Habsburg Dynasty became major ruling family
Hapsburg coat of
arms
Royal Governments
• Russia
– Principality of Kiev had close relations
with Christian Europe
– After Mongols arrived, Russia became
isolated, “Mongol Yoke”
– Russian church played particularly
important role
– Became known as the Third Rome
– After Mongols defeated, prince of
Moscow took over, was called “tsar”
– Tsars had more power than any other
European rulers
AESTHETIC
Art and its Patrons
Michelangelo's Last
Judgment
•
•
•
•
•
Tremendous creative outburst in Italy
Northern art, architecture more overtly religious
Art was supposed to show artistic skill, experimentation
Mastery of perspective
Sculpture – saw human body as beautiful
Michelangelo's David
Art and its Patrons
• Michelangelo and architecture
• Artist now seen as respected, powerful member of
society
• Patrons used art to display their wealth, treated artists as
equals
• Artistic genius, the “divine spark”
Leonardo Davinci’s Mona
Lisa
RELIGIOUS
Renaissance Church
• Literate attacks were against late medieval
church personnel, not doctrines
• Clergy behavior was scandalous
– Illiteracy, ignoring vows of poverty, chastity
– Political, financial interests more important
than moral authority
• Noble families controlling the papacy were
involved in political struggles
SOCIAL
Family Life
• Men still married late, women much younger
• Large families, especially among wealthy
• Women
–
–
–
–
–
Expected to run household expertly
Upper class women’s position declined
Middle class women had greater responsibility, nearly equal role
Wives of artisans, merchants often partners in business
Working class women still in male-dominated society
• Women’s work
– Spinning, weaving, care of livestock
– Did same jobs as men
Children
• Children of the wealthy
– Cared for by wet-nurses and mother
– Father had little to do with them
– Young children’s only value was as
continuation of family line
Wealthy children
Children
• Children of lower classes
– Probably got little attention when young
– Represented potential labor for family
INTELLECTUAL
Education
• Education of Men
– Educated for careers in commerce or crafts
– Literacy was common in urban populations
A male graduate
Education
• Education of Women
– Study in home
– Focused on literacy, music, domestic arts
– Intellectual women had more outlets to
express themselves, but not taken seriously
A female graduate
Discussion Questions
1.
2.
One often hears the term “secular humanist” used
today. What does it mean in its modern setting? What
was meant by the terms “humanist” and “humanism”
during the Renaissance? Are the meanings the same,
or, if not, what are the differences?
Political theory underwent radical change during the
Renaissance with the new model of the State. How
was this new theory different from medieval political
organization? How do nations today fit the
Renaissance model? How would you compare
Machiavelli’s ideal prince to modern rulers?