Download Renaissance & Reformation - Lesson # 1 Introduction

The Renaissance
Introduction
Unit # 4 – Lesson 1
Unit # 4 Lesson #1 – Italian
Renaissance
◦ Bell Ringer: Is it better for a leader to be
feared or loved? Explain your reasoning by
justifying your response with an example.
◦ Objective: Analyze how wealth and status
lead to the growth of arts and literature
◦ Notes: Italian Renaissance, Machiavelli
◦ Homework: Find a cultural reference from a
song that you currently listen to. Write down:
 Author, Title of Song, lyric, and what it is referencing
What we remember from last unit…

Feudalism declining
◦ Migration into cities/towns
◦ Rise of city-states

Trade and commerce increasing
◦ Cultural diffusion throughout Europe

Christianity evolving
◦ Church and Crown vying for power

Population devastated
◦ Black Death, famine, and warfare
In your notebook, answer the
following question…

Question: Which of these factors is
going to most greatly affect life during the
Renaissance? Justify using an example
previously discussed in class (think about:
people moving, sharing from other
cultures, religion, wars)
THE ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE
Renaissance: a rebirth of ancient Greek and
Roman culture
◦ A new culture emerges in southern Europe,
starts in Italy
 Italy was largely an urban society with
powerful city-states
◦ Intellectuals and artists believed they were part
of a new Golden Age
 They wanted to separate themselves from
“backwardness” of the Middle Ages, or Dark
Ages
 Economic growth laid the material basis for the
Renaissance
◦ The Italian city-states were involved in trade
due to their geography and served as the
economic center of Europe

The Italian City-States

Italy was divided into several large citystates in the north and various kingdoms in
the south
◦ Florence,Venice, Milan, and the Papal
States were some of the strongest citystates
 Florence was controlled by the rich
de’Medici family and the Renaissance
started in this city-state
 Rome became the center of the High
Renaissance when it declined in Florence
Politics and War
Maintaining the balance of power
◦ If one city-state seems to get too powerful, the
others ally together against the major threat
◦ Try to create an alliance against foreign powers,
but the breakdown of the alliance will lead to
the domination of Italy by foreign powers
 Invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France
◦ Attracted by the riches of Italy, Charles leads an
army of 30,000 men into Italy in 1494

◦ For the next 30 years, France and Spain make
Italy their battle ground
◦ 1527 – thousands of Spanish troops along with
mercenaries (hired soldiers) arrive at Rome to
protect it
 They had not been paid for months and
demand money
 The leader lets them sack Rome as their
payment
◦ The sacking of Rome ends the wars and leaves
Spain a dominant force in Italy
 It will also bring an end to the High
Renaissance
Characteristics of the Renaissance
Secular society
◦ People were becoming more concerned with
the material world, had more of a worldly focus
◦ Still deeply religious, however they
concentrated on the here and now, not on life
after death
 Individualism
◦ People sought to receive personal credit for
their achievements
 Personal quest for glory – people want money
and success

 This went against the medieval ideal of all
glory going to God and contrasted with
Church teachings that individuality and
achievement were unimportant
◦ The Renaissance Man – a person who could do
many things well
 The ideal Renaissance man = Leonardo da
Vinci

Humanism
◦ “new learning” – interest in and study of the
Latin classics to learn what they reveal about
human nature
◦ Petrarch is considered to be the father of
humanism
◦ Civic humanists = used their humanist
education to serve the city governments
 Also revived the Greek language
Renaissance Intellectuals

Machiavelli
◦ Wrote The Prince, which is the most widely
read and studied Renaissance book
◦ The subject is about how a ruler should gain,
maintain, and increase political power
 Concludes that humans are “ungrateful, fickle,
liars, and deceivers”
 Decides that it is better for a ruler to be
feared than loved
Renaissance Art
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The Renaissance made its greatest impact in the
area of art
New artistic styles: use of oil painting, freestanding sculptures, portraits, nudity, and singlepoint perspective
Many people sponsored the arts to glorify
themselves and their families
Two major periods:
◦ Early Renaissance – takes place in Florence
◦ High Renaissance – takes place in Rome
Four major artists of the Renaissance:

Four major artists of the Renaissance:
◦ Michelangelo – painted the Sistene Chapel,
sculptural masterpiece = David
◦ Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa and the Last Supper
◦ Raphael – famous for his madonnas (images of
Jesus and Mary)
◦ Donatello – sculptor, lived during the Early
Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance
Christian Humanism
◦ Christian humanists believed they could achieve
this higher understanding by studying early
Christian works along with the Latin classics
◦ Often criticized the Church
 Erasmus
◦ Criticized the Church and wanted to reform it,
but not leave it

The Elizabethan Renaissance
The greatest achievement in the arts in northern
Europe took place in England
◦ Most of what is referred to as the Elizabethan
Renaissance actually occurred during the reign
of James I
 Geoffrey Chaucer
◦ The Canterbury Tales consists of a collection of
stories told by a group of 29 pilgrims journeying
to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket at
Canterbury


William Shakespeare
◦ Wrote many plays that reveal an unsurpassed
Renaissance

Rebirth
◦ Revival of interest in arts and literature
◦ Emphasis on humanity
◦ People were CURIOUS!
In your notebook, answer the
following question…

Question: What are you most curious
about? …. Why do you learn? What is
the purpose?
Renaissance
Task: Create your
own C/E (like we
did during the
Unit # 3 Review)
Yes – you must
include the C/Es
C
A
U
S 
E 
S
Increased trade with Asia
Growth of wealthy city-states
Rise of rich merchants
Revival of interest in arts and literature
Increased desire for scientific learning
E
F
F
E
C
T
S
Creates wealthy city-states
Wealthy merchants arise
Merchants have money to spend
Artists are commissioned to create works of art
Invention of new technologies that help spread Renaissance ideas
Construction of universities within towns to educate more people
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
In your notebook, complete the
following task…

Task: Create a diagram to illustrate the
causes/effects of the Renaissance
Task: Make a
prediction – What
impact is
humanism going
to have on
religion?

Humanities
◦ Emphasis on good education studying
“classics” – rhetoric, grammar, poetry,
history, Latin (Rome) and Greek

Focused on individual
accomplishments
◦ Potential of human mind is limitless
In your notebook, answer the
following question…

Question: Is humanism going to have an
impact on religion?
Humanist Writers
•
Made possible by
technology
• Printing press made
books inexpensively
•
Founding fathers
• Boccaccio and
Petrarch
Humanist Writers
•
Secular Writers
• Wrote about non-church topics
• Castiglione – The Courtier: behavioral guide for how
gentlemen/women should act
• Think – are there any behavioral guides for
men/women now?
Humanist Writers
•
•
They were also writing about
injustices…government…problems in
society…
Who else likes to talk about problems in
society?
In your notebook, complete the
following task…

Task: List 5 people that you know
(outside of reporters) who make
commentary on society.
What does this have to do with the
Renaissance?

There is a lot going on at this time
◦ Revival of antiquities
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Art
Philosophy
Rhetoric – that’s talking about things
Science
And more and more and more…
People who were proficient in several of
these disciplines were called…
Mrs. Lewis…What does Tupac have
to do with the Renaissance?!
•
Funny you should ask
•
Makaveli
It’s actually not Makaveli…it’s Machiavelli
•
•
•
And he was a writer…
In the 16th century
And no, he’s not doing
a gang symbol
The Real Machiavelli
Real name: Niccolò
Machiavelli
 Wrote “The Prince”
in 1513
 Spoke about
injustices in
government
 “It is better to be
feared than it is to
be loved”

People have been doing that for years…
This was a priest
This lady was the
Duchess of Traetto
This guy worked for
the government
On the sheet being provided,
complete the following task…
Task: Translate the quote
 Assign it to Tupac or Machiavelli
 Determine whether you agree or
disagree with the statement.
 Explain why or why not.

Renaissance Men

Term given to men during this period
who were considered experts in many
different disciplines
◦ Ex: Leonardo DaVinci was a painter, sculpture,
scientist, inventor, engineer

Can you think of anyone today who
excels in a variety of disciplines?
In your notebook, complete the
following task…

Task: List 5 people that you know who
qualify as Renaissance men/women.
You don’t know as much as you
thought you did…do you?!
Shawn Carter…aka Jay-Z…aka HOV
Task: Make a list
of all of the
cultural references
you hear in the
song