Download The Renaissance

The Renaissance
A Divide from the Middle Ages
Renaissance - Defined
►Describes
the cultural achievements of
the 14th century through the 16th
century; those achievements rest on
the economic and political development
of earlier centuries.
►Translated – “The Rebirth,” but of
what?
Italy Leads the Way
► Seafaring
cities (Venice and Genoa) profited
from the Crusades, oversea trade, ship
building.
► Milan – Trading crossroads from East to
West.
► Florence – became the official bank of the
Pope.
Italian Society
► Communes
or the mercantile aristocracy
married the Feudal Nobility and created a
new class: The Urban Nobility.
► The Urban Nobility ruled the “popolo” as
republics. (only by name)
► “Signori” and “Oligarchies” ruled the citystates (Sforza in Milan, Medici in Florence,
merchant aristocrats in Venice)
The Sforza Family
The Medici’s
*Intellectual Changes*
► The
New Golden Age, “Revival” of Roman culture
► Individualism: stressed personality, uniqueness,
genius, and full development of one’s capabilities
and talents.
► Humanism: the study of the literary culture
needed by anyone who would be considered
educated and civilized.
► Secularism: the concern with the material world
instead of with the eternal world of spirit.
Individualism
► Renaissance
people believed in individual
will and genius.
► Underlined the other “isms” of the time
period.
► Best example of Individualism: Renaissance
Artists (Di Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello,
Brunelleschi…)
Humanism
► Collected
ancient manuscripts and
monuments, and copied the ancient Roman
lifestyle.
► Emphasis on Human Beings
► Pagan Authors + Classical Authors +
Christian thought = Human understanding.
► ‘no end to human accomplishment’
► Ancient Latin was better than Mid-Latin
Secular Sprit
► Concern
with money and pleasure
► Lorenzo Valla: ‘pleasure of the senses as the
highest good’
► The church did little to combat the secular
world.
ART