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Bellwork
• What was the positive affect of the Crusades
on Europe?
World History
Section 5, Unit 2
The Renaissance
Objectives
• Describe the changes in European society
during the Renaissance and compare these
changes to those of the Romans and Greeks.
• Examine the changes in art, literature, and
technology during this time.
• Connect the Crusades to the Renaissance.
• Examine how the weakening of the Church
lead into the intellectual revolution
• Describe the effects of the printing press on
Europeans
Life in the Middle Ages
• During the late Middle Ages, Europeans
suffered from war and plague.
• Those who survived began to question the
Church- which hadn’t protected them from
plague- and questioned structures in
society that had blocked social
advancement.
Renaissance
• The years 1300-1600 saw an explosion of
creativity in Europe, called the Renaissance or
“rebirth”– in this case of art and learning.
• The Renaissance started in northern Italy
around 1300 and spread north.
Renaissance
• Italy was able to reap the benefits of the
Renaissance before Europe because:
1. France and England were in the Hundred Years
War
2. Italy had thriving cities with trade– through
trade, they learned more information from
Muslim scholars who preserved Greek and
Roman texts.
3. Italy had a bustling merchant class
4. The country contained the classical heritage of
Greece and Rome
Renaissance
• Overseas trade, spurred by the Crusades,
had led to growth of large city-states in
northern Italy.
• The region also had many sizable towns and
so Italy was urban while the rest of Europe
was primarily rural.
• Since cities tend to be a place where people
exchange ideas, they became a breeding
ground for an intellectual revolution.
Renaissance
• As well, the plague also
made it so that the
leftover work force–
around 40% of the
original populacecould demand higher
wages.
• With higher wages,
people could pursue
other interests, such as
art.
Essentially, with more money,
Europeans could now focus more
on the arts (or humanities) rather
than agriculture or manufacturing.
Renaissance
• Throughout Italy, citystates formed and
worked independently.
• Because they were
relatively small, the
citizens in these citystates often were
involved in political
life.
The various Italian city-states, ruled
by individual rulers (Medici in
Florence, Pope in Rome, etc.). They
were often involved in constant
warfare.
Renaissance
• An enduring feature of
the times, however, was
that social class was no
longer inherited.
• Merchants often were
the wealthiest citizens
and represented a new
growing class of people
who deserved power and
wealth because they
worked for it, rather
than having been born
into it.
Renaissance
• Around 1434, a major change occurred in
Italy.
• The city-state of Florence came under
power of the Medici, a powerful family who
made their fortune in banking and trade.
• The head of the family, Cosimo de’ Medici,
essentially became a dictator by influencing
members of the ruling council with loans.
Renaissance
• While Cosimo de’
Medici died in 1464,
his family retained
power.
• His grandson, Lorenzo
de’ Medici, came into
power in 1469 and,
while a essentially a
dictator, became a
patron– financial
supporter- of the arts.
Renaissance
• Thanks in part to the Medici, Renaissance
scholarship began to grow.
• Renaissance scholars looked down on
Medieval art and literature and looked to the
Classic works for inspiration.
• These scholars studied ancient Latin and
Greek manuscripts that came into their
possession after Constantinople fell in 1453–
manuscripts the Italians thought were lost
forever.
Renaissance
• As scholars studied
these works, they
became increasingly
influenced by classical
ideas.
• These ideas led them to
embrace a new belief
system, called
humanism- a philosophy
which focused on
human potential and
achievements.
Humanism
• Instead of trying to make classical texts
agree with Christian teachings, humanists
focused on trying to understand Greek
values.
• Humanists influenced artists and architects
to carry on classical traditions, rather than
fit them into the Christian belief system.
– Humanists popularized the study of subjects
such as history, literature, and philosophy–
subjects commonly known as the humanities.
Secularism
• In the Middle Ages, some religious peoples
proved their piety by living harsh lives.
• However, humanists pushed forth the idea
that one should enjoy life– i.e. enjoy the
material goods like food, luxuries, and
music.
Secularism
• While most people remained devout
Christians, the basic spirit of Renaissance
society was secular– worldly and concerned
with the here and now.
Question: How is this different from the previous
world view during the Middle Ages?
Secularism
• Because people
began to seek
pleasure,
Renaissance popes
began to beautify
Rome.
• They became
patrons of the arts
and funded new
sculptures and
paintings for the city
to enjoy.
Question: What is a “Renaissance man”?
Renaissance Men
• Renaissance writers began to introduce the
idea that some people were artistic
geniuses.
• Though a true genius was rare, all educated
people were expected to create art and
attempt to master every area of study.
• Those who were successful were praised as a
“universal man” or “Renaissance Men”.
Renaissance Women
• Upper-class women were
expected to know the
classics and be charming.
However, they were not
expected to seek fame.
• As well, women were not
to create art, just inspire it.
• While Renaissance women
were far more educated
than medieval women,
they tended to have less
influence than medieval
women.
Catherine of Siena- an influential
woman of the church at the time
and who had several works
published.
Changes in art
• As the Renaissance
advanced, artistic styles
changed.
• Medieval artists tended
to use religious subjects
and tried to convey a
spiritual ideal.
– While Renaissance artists
focused on the same
subjects, how they
presented the art tended
to take a more classical
form.
Michelangelo’s Pieta
Changes in art
• There became a new emphasis on the
individuals and painters followed by
painting prominent citizens.
• Their realistic portraits revealed what was
interesting about each person.
• In addition, some artists glorified the
human body.
Changes in art
• Donatello, a
Renaissance artist,
made the earliest steps
in sculpture by carving
natural poses and
expressions that
revealed personality.
• He also revived classical
form by carving the
statue David, which was
the first free-standing
nude since ancient
times.
Changes in art
• Other Renaissance
artists, like Masaccio
(muh-sah-chee-oh)
rediscovered
techniques, such as
perspective, which
indicates three
dimensions.
Question: How does this image
show perspective?
Marriage of a Virgin
(1504)-- Raphael
Changes in art-perspective
Medieval art
tended to make
more important
people larger,
regardless of
their location in
the image.
Medieval
Changes in Art
Renaissance
art focused
more on
perspective
Changes in art
• Michelangelo inspired
later artists by creating
figures that were
forceful with heroic
grandeur and power
(much like the classic
works).
• In this, he helped
Renaissance artists
explore the theme of
human potential, a
concept quite popular in
Hellenistic Greek art.
Changes in art
• Other Renaissance
men, like Leonardo da
Vinci, focused not only
on art, but also on
science.
• Da Vinci filled his
notebooks with new
inventions and
incorporated much of
his findings in his art.
A sketch of a proposed
vehicle by da Vinci.
Changes in art
• Aside from being a
brilliant inventor, da
Vinci was an amazing
artist.
• Aside from painting one
of the most recognizable
portraits in the world,
the Mona Lisa, he also
focused much of his
time on anatomical
studies and oil paints
that would inspire later
artists.
Changes in art
• Of those inspired by
Michelangelo and
Leonardo was Raphael, a
younger Renaissance
artist.
• Learning from their
works, Raphael painted
various famous
paintings, which often
focused on calm, gentle
expressions.
Women Artists
• Although Renaissance
society generally
restricted women’s
roles, a few Italian
women did become
painters.
Sofonisba Anguissola
Women Artists
• Sofonisba Anguissola
was the first woman who
gained international
reputation after she
painted portraits of
prominent people, such
as King Philip II of
Spain.
• Others, such as
Artemisia Gentileschi
(gen-teel-les-ske),
painted strong, heroic
women.
Literature
• While Renaissance art
grew, literature
expanded during this
time.
• Many new writers
during this time
focused on issues that
were relevant during
their time and began
using techniques still
used today.
Literature
• Many began to follow in the footsteps of the
Italian writer Dante and began writing in
vernacular, their native language instead of
Latin.
• Many of these writers began to write for
self-expression or to portray their
individuality.
Question: why might writing in vernacular be
better than writing in Latin?
Literature
• Early writers, due to
their subscribing to new
humanist ideals, began
to write about things
that brought them
pleasure.
• Boccaccio (boh-kahchee-oh) for example
wrote the Decameron,
which was a series of offcolor stories in which
the humor was cutting.
He presents the follies of
his characters with some
sarcasm.
Quick Review
Directions: As part of your notes, answer the following questions in your
notebook. You have 5 minutes to answer as many as possible.
1. What were some of the artistic techniques
rediscovered?
2. How was the rights of women in the
Renaissance compared to those in the Middle
Ages?
3. What was humanism and how was it different
from the previous world view?
4. Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?
Renaissance Spreads
• While all these changes occurred, by the
end of the 15th century, the Renaissance
began to spread.
• Through trade and increased contact,
Renaissance ideas had spread to France,
Germany, and England.
Renaissance Spreads
• By 1453, the Hundred
Years War had ended
and France and England
were recovering.
• As well, they were also
seeing economic growth
as urban centers began
to grow and allowed
urban merchants to be
able to sponsor artists.
Renaissance Spreads
• Unlike Italy, which was a collection of citystates, France and England were unified under
strong monarchs.
• These rulers often supported the arts, which
led to a rise in Renaissance works outside of
Italy.
• As these ideas spread north, they mingled with
new traditions. As a result, the northern
Renaissance developed its own characteristics,
such as increased religious values in art.
Renaissance Spreads
• In 1494, a French king claimed the throne in
Naples in southern Italy and launched an
invasion through northern Italy.
• To protect themselves, Italian artists and
writers fled to northern Europe and with
them came the styles and techniques of the
Renaissance.
Northern Artists
• Many of these northern
artists focused much on
painting realistic
portraits and landscapes.
• These paintings, inspired
by the Italians, were
almost photographic in
detail.
Northern Artists
• However, one of the
most important
achievements of the
northern Renaissance
artists was the
“discovery” of oilbased painting, which
could be blended with
other colors more
easily.
A section from “The Garden of
Earthly Delights” by Bosch
Northern Artists
• A Flemish artist, Jan
van Eyck developed a
oil-based technique
that created extremely
vibrant colors (as seen
to the left).
• Thanks to his works,
Italian artists began to
paint in oils.
Humanists
• While the Italians
tended to take on a
more secularist
viewpoint, northern
Renaissance ideas
were influenced more
by religion.
• These people tended
to be called Christian
Humanists.
One particular change in Christian
humanism is that it began to
emphasize the humanity of Jesus.
Humanists
• Some, like Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas
More, studied the world from a Christian
viewpoint.
• Erasmus came to the conclusion that
Christianity is a religion of the heart, not of
ceremonies.
• More, being concerned with society’s flaws,
developed the modern concept of a utopia–
peaceful world. The purposes of this was to
show the world a better model for living.
– i.e. a world without greed, war, crime, or even
money
Writers
• Of this time,
Renaissance writers
revered the classics.
• Many of them, like
William Shakespeare,
were inspired by these
classics.
– Shakespeare went so far
as to even write about
the assassination of
Julius Caesar.
Question: What language did Shakespeare write in?
William Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare
wrote in Renaissance
England.
• In the late Renaissance
period- late 1500’s- he was
writing various poems and
plays.
• Some of these included:
– Romeo and Juliet
– A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
– Macbeth
– Hamlet
– King Lear
Many of his stories focused on human
flaws.
Printing
• One major creation that
helped spread Renaissance
ideas was an invention
adapted from Chinese
technology.
• The Chinese had invented
block printing, in which a
printer carved a Chinese
symbol into a wooden block
that would then be dipped in
ink and pressed to paper.
– However, the Chinese had too
many characters for this to be
practical.
Printing
• In time, however, the block-printing
concept reached the Europeans to create
whole pages.
• However, this process was quite slow to
satisfy the Renaissance demand for
knowledge and books.
Question: Who developed the printing press?
Printing
• Around 1440, Johann
Gutenberg reinvented
moveable type, which
was practical because
European languages
had few letters in their
alphabets.
• Gutenberg then
created the printing
press.
Printing
• The printing press
worked by pressing
paper against a tray full
of inked movable type,
as seen to the right.
• These words (or letters)
would just be
rearranged and pressed
against paper.
– With this, people
working with the
machine could produce
thousands of pages a day.
Keep in mind that the press can only
produce the same two pages per block
of movable type, but that they can
produce so many that it would take
much shorter time to produce the
books.
Effects
The Gutenberg Bible–
only 49 exist and the last
time they sold, one sold
for $7 million (adjusted
for inflation).
• Printing had a
tremendous effect on
European society.
• For the first time,
books were cheap
enough for people to
buy them.
• By 1500, the presses in
250 cities had
produced between 910 million books and
continued to spread.
Effects
• New ideas spread more quickly than ever
before.
• At first, printers only created religious
works, but soon they began to create travel
guides and medical books. The availability
of books caused people to want to read and
caused a tremendous rise in literacy in
Europe.
Effects
Question: How might the increase in reading affect
Christianity?
• However, the printing press had an adverse
affect on Christianity.
• People could read and interpret the Bible
and became more critical of the priests and
their behavior. This would eventually lead
to religious reform.
End of the Renaissance
• Throughout Europe, the Renaissance
spurred a burst of creativity.
• While the Renaissance ideas began to fade
by the late 1600s, the new ideas and styles
that had appeared continued to influence
European thought.
Closure
• In your notebooks, write down what you
think the effects of the Renaissance was on
society.
Review Objectives
• Describe the changes in European society
during the Renaissance and compare these
changes to those of the Romans and Greeks.
• Examine the changes in art, literature, and
technology during this time.
• Connect the Crusades to the Renaissance.
• Examine how the weakening of the Church
lead into the intellectual revolution
• Describe the effects of the printing press on
Europeans
Questions?
• If you have any questions, please ask now.
Next lesson
• In the next lesson, we are going to discuss
the Reformation era in Europe.
Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What was the effect of the printing press on a) literacy
rates, b) spread of knowledge, and c) Christianity?
What is secularism and how is secularism different
from the world view Europeans held during the Middle
Ages?
How were women during the Renaissance different
from Medieval women?
How do you think the use of vernacular (i.e. writing in
ones native language) helped make the printing press
more effective at spreading knowledge?
Recall: How could the plague have helped push Europe
towards the Renaissance (consider the changes in
religious belief, population, and work)?
Describe two (2) reasons why the Renaissance began in
Italy.
In your opinion, why might the printing press be one of
the most significant inventions in human history?