Download The Renaissance

What was the Renaissance?
 Renaissance means ‘re-birth’.
 During the Renaissance there was a re-birth of
learning and art.
 People took a new interest in Ancient Rome and
Ancient Greece.
 People questioned old beliefs and tried out new ideas.
 Historians see the renaissance as the end of the Middle
Ages and the beginning of the modern world.
Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy?
 Roman ruins inspired Italians to learn more about their
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past.
Italy was very wealthy. Merchants were rich from trading
spices and silks from far east. They used their wealth to
fund works or art
The collapse of the Byzantine Empire led to a flood of
Greek scholars escaping to Italy. They brought a knowledge
of Ancient Greece with them.
Italy was at the crossroads of the world. Trade led to
encounters with Arabs, Africans and Chinese. This led to
new ideas and attitudes.
Italy was not a united country. It was made up of city states
(Florence, Genoa, Milan, Venice) that competed with each
other to produce quality works of art.
Why Italy?
Inspired by Roman ruins
Why Italy?
Italy at crossroads of world
Why Italy?
Competition between city states
Why Italy?
Wealthy sponsors (patrons)
Lorenzo de Medici
Cosimo
de
Medici
Pope
Julius II
Pope Leo X