Download The Renaissance “Movement of creativity in art, writing, and thought”

The Renaissance
“Movement of creativity in art, writing, and
thought”
• Means rebirth and lasted from 1300-1600
• Bring back the classic culture of Greece
and Rome
• Instead of “bringing back” a culture the
Renaissance created a new way of life
• Creating new art, literature, architecture
and an emphasis on the individual
• Celebration of the individual
Why did the Renaissance Start?
• The Black Plague
People wanted to celebrate life and the
human spirit
• Questioning institutions during the Middle
Ages, especially the Church, feudalism
• Fall of Constantinople last link to Greece
and Rome
• Rise of Italy the center of the Renaissance
Rise of the Renaissance
Italy’s Role
• Northern Italy becomes the center of the
Renaissance
• Large population of people came from
Constantinople to live in Italy
• The people brought culture from classical
Greece and Rome into the area
• Plague kills off the back bone of the feudal
system in Italy, the peasant population
Renaissance in Italy Continued
• Trade during the Crusades led to growth
of large city-states in Italy
• Cities allowed people to meet and share
ideas
• Early 1300’s plague hits Europe killing 60
to 75 percent of the population
• Very high merchant class in Italy
• Rich history of Greece and Rome in Italy
Rise of the merchant class and the
Medici family
• Small city-states in Milan and Florence allowed
more people to be involved in political life
• Merchants believed in individual merit not
entitled to nobility because of wealth or family
• The Medici family was a powerful banking family
that could fund a revival
• Medici family Controlled Florence’s government
• Medici family valued ancient Greece
manuscripts and thought and in turn created a
new way of life
• Petrarch considered the father of the
Renaissance