Download Chapter 10: Renaissance and Discovery

Chapter 10: Renaissance and
Discovery
Sec.1.1: The Renaissance in Italy
Introduction
• Late 15th century, Europe recovering form three
crises
• 1. demographic
• 2. political
• Great loss in population
• Rulers imposing new political order
• Patrons of government and education formed
• Trading of ideas
The Renaissance in Italy (13751527)
• Prototype of the modern
world (Burckhardt)
• Adopted a rational
approach to reality
• Transition from medieval
to modern Europe
• Characterized by growing
national centralization
• Organized commerce
Causes
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Economics was primary cause
Northern Italy: wealthy from the silk trade
New banking system
Money to support artists
Struggles between papacy
Governments became stronger
Italian cities built on ancient Roman ruins
Renaissance
• More secular
• City-life dominated
• Classical past- Greece and Roman in
years between 500 and 476bc
• Humanist- study of writings and ideals of
the classical past (200bc)
• Individualism: behavior that emphasizes
each person as contrasted with community
Cont.
• Virtu: essence of being a man by the
display of courage in speech, art, politics,
etc…
• Platonic Academy: Medici (leading
Florentine family; scholars who initially
studied the works of Plato in Greek;
leading members were Marsilio Ficino and
Pico della Mirandola
• Platonic concepts: perfection of the circle
Cont.
• Two events that coincide with the
Renaissance: death of Petrarch (father of
humanism) and Giovanni Boccaccio
• Decameron (Boccaccio) in 1375
• Humanist culture spread
• Creative expansion stopped when Spain
looted Rome in 1527
Petrarch
Petrarch
• created the model for modern Italian
• Petrarch is credited for perfecting the sonnet,
making it one of the most popular art forms to
date
• Petrarch was born in Arezzo the son of a
merchant, and spent his early childhood in the
village of Incisa, near Florence. His father, Ser
Petracco, had been exiled from Florence in 1302
by the Black Guelphs
• father two children by a woman or women
unknown to posterity. A son, Giovanni who died
of the plague
Italian City-State
• Merchant cities of late medieval times
• Always had a cultural advantage over rest
of Europe because it was located alone
trade routes
• Venice, Genoa, Pisa
• Became powerful city-states
Growth of City-States
• Remained free from kings to expand
• Assimilating nobility into new and old rich
• Five major sates formed: Milan, Florence,
Venice, Papal, and Naples States
• Competition for political power
Social Class and Conflict
• Old vs. new rich for political power
• Great peasant revolts 1/3 of populations
had no wealth
• Social anarchy from the Black Death
Despotism
• Cosimo de’ Medici: wealthy
Florentine
• Controlled the city from behind
the scenes
• Council: elected from powerful
guilds governed the city
• Cosimo was able to keep
councilors loyal to him
• Lorenzo (Granson of Cosimo)
ruled Florence from 14781492)
• Brother was assassinated in
1478 by a rival family (Pazzi)
plotted with the pope
• Lorenzo was cautious
Cont.
• Despotism: hired strongmen to prevent
social conflict
• Hazardous job
• Most city-states est. resident embassies
(1400’s)
• Became watchful eyes and ears
Humanism
• Long debated: some say birth of modern times,
others philosophy stressed the dignity of human
kind, others thought it was an educational
program built on ancient rhetoric and scholarly
works
• First humanists were poets
• Studied classic theologians of Greece and Latin
• Period between classical civilization and a dark
middle age