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The Renaissance
Chapter 5 Section 1
Italian Renaissance
• Renaissance means rebirth
• Italian Renaissance occurred
between 1350 and 1550 AD.
• The rebirth was of the ancient
Greek and Roman worlds.
City States
• Italy of the Renaissance was largely an
urban society.
• The powerful city-states of the Middle
Ages became political, economic, social
centers.
• A secular, or worldy, viewpoint developed
in this urban society as wealth increased.
Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci: The Renaissance Man
• Well-rounded, universal people were capable of
achievements in many areas of life.
• Da Vinci was a…
• Painter
• Sculptor
• Architect
• Inventor
• Mathematician
Da Vinci continued…
Italian States
• Northern and Central Italian city states of
Milan, Venice and Florence played
crucial roles in the Italian politics of the
time.
• Florence rose to be a major city-state
thanks to the leadership of Cosimo de
Medici in 1434 AD.
• Florence became the cultural center of
Italy under the rule of the Medici Family.
The Italian States
• Milan – Francesco Sforza conquered the
city with his mercenaries – soldiers for
hire.
• Strong centralized state with an efficient
tax system.
The Italian States
• Venice – link between Asia & Western
Europe.
• Small group of wealthy merchants ran the
city.
• It became an international power.
Map of Italy
Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli and The Prince
• Machiavelli wrote The Prince
which became one of the most
influential works on political power
in the Western World.
• The book stresses that “the end
justifies the mean
Renaissance Society
• Nobles were expected to fulfill certain
ideals. The Italian Baldassare
Castiglione expressed these in The Book
of the Courtier.
• Nobles were expected to have talent,
character and grace.
• Nobles were to develop two skills: perform
military/physical exercises and to gain
classical education.
Baldassare Castiglione
Renaissance Society continued…
• Peasants made up 85% to 90% of the
total European population (the low
class).
• Townspeople (workers and the
unemployed) made up the 2nd class.
• Less than 1% of the population were
apart of the Noble Class.
Renaissance Society continued….
• To maintain the family, parents
arranged marriages, often to
strengthen family or business ties.
• The marriage was sealed with a
dowry- a sum of money the
bride’s family paid to the groom.
Review
• What were the key developments of the
city states?
• What did the Medici Family do?
• Who was the Renaissance Man?
• What was the point of Machiavelli’s book
The Prince?
• Who wrote on the Nobility’s traits and
skills?