The Renaissance and Exploration

1. The Renaissance and Exploration 1300 - 1600 C.E.

2. The Renaissance • Began in Northern Italy around 1300 while England and France were in the Hundred Years War • Why Italy? • Urban region, trading cities such as Genoa, Venice and Florence • Lots of powerful merchants who focused on trade – took pride in their achievements • Focus on merit of the individual • Patrons sponsored art

3. Famous men who led the way • Giotto – developed fresco painting, painting on wet plaster • Human figures looked lifelike and 3 dimensional, interacting with one another and showing emotion • Dante – wrote the Divine Comedy, poem in which real people and dead friends guide him through hell and heaven • Combined religious ideas of Middle Ages with secular concerns of Renaissance – dealt with individuals and personalities • Petrarch – poetry and letters • Inspired by a female muse, Laura (who died of the plague) • Strove to revive classical ideas of beauty

4. New Values Shape the Renaissance • Celebration of the individual – people wanted recognition and credit for their work, not doing it all for the glory of God • Portraits and autobiographies are written • Love of classical learning • Looked down on Medieval times as the “Dark Ages” • Humanists – studied classical texts, history and language arts – thought all people should study this • Enjoyment of worldly pleasures is ok-Humanists say no more poverty vows!

5. The Renaissance Man • Strove to master almost every art • The Courtier – told people how to become worthy of admiration • Well educated in the classics • Charming, polite, witty • Dance, sing, play music and write poetry • Physically graceful and strong, skilled rider, wrestler, and swordsman

6. The Renaissance Woman • Upper class women are as well educated as men • Charming, know the classics, write well, make music, paint, and dance (but don’t seek attention for it!) • Expected to inspire poetry rather than create it • Women are better educated than in the Middle Ages, but are actually less influential in politics, economics and social affairs

7. Florence Led the Way • In the 1400’s the Medici were a wealthy banking and trading family who dominated politics • Cosimo de Medici made sure all city counsel members were loyal to him • Spent money on beautifying the city with art – created first free public library, his son and grandson continued this tradition while maintaining political control of Florence

8. Artists Beautify Florence • Lorenzo Ghiberti took 50 years to create door for the Baptistry of the local cathedral – likened to the gates of paradise

9. Ninja Turtle or Artist? • Donatello – sculptor, wanted to show the human form in perfection, like the Greeks • On Right, The David

10. Masaccio • Developed perspective in painting to give objects the appearance of distance from the frame • “Father of modern painting”

11. Machiavelli wrote about politics • When Piero Medici surrendered without a fight to invading French armies, Florentines were outraged and drove the Medici into exile • Florence’s golden age ended • During political upheaval, Machiavelli wrote “The Prince” • Why does one ruler succeed while another fails? • Not concerned with what is morally right, but what is politically effective – the end justifies the means • Rulers may have to deceive enemies and their own people to be good leaders in a wicked world • Today Machiavelli’s name is associated with trickery

12. The High Renaissance • While Florence’s golden age had ended, Rome was bringing the Renaissance to a new height • The Popes became Patrons – Renaissance Popes

13. Michelangelo • Lived with the Medici during his apprenticeship • Peita and the Sistine Chapel are two of his most famous works, and were both commissioned by the Papacy in Rome • Also made many other famous sculptures, paintings and architectural works, such as “The Last Judgment” and the dome of St. Peter’s Church

14. Raphael • Artist, learned some things from Michelangelo • “The School of Athens” – Plato and Aristotle in discussion with other famous figures from both classical Greece and from the Renaissance, (including himself and Michelangelo) • Did a lot of work for the Church

15. Leonardo • Both a scientist and artist – a genius • Invented many machines for many purposes, from making metal screws to making man fly • Painted “The Last Supper” and “The Mona Lisa”

18. Northern Europe’s Renaissance • Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo all showed interest in classics, curiosity about the world and an interest in human potential – Renaissance spirit • Germans such as Durer created woodcuts and engravings, and Holbein who painted with extreme realism sold their work all over England and Germany • French kings recruited Italian artists • Flanders became the Renaissance capital of Europe

19. The end of the Renaissance • New styles became popular in the 1600’s • Ideals of Renaissance thought continue to influence Western ideas today about the importance of the individual • Gives rise to more democratic ideas

20. Age of Exploration Explorers Discover New Lands

21. New Spirit of the Renaissance • How did the new ideas and values of the Renaissance lead to the Age of Exploration? • During Leonardo’s time, Portuguese sailors charted the coast of Africa and others discovered new continents

22. The Individual • Explorers wanted to obtain individual glory, they were curious, ambitious, and confident just like Renaissance artists

23. Factors that encouraged exploration • Search for spices and profits • Crusades led to demand for more goods from Asia • Italian merchants controlled Eastern Mediterranean, had a monopoly on the spice trade, could make them $$ • Wanted a route free of Turks – religious hostilities were high

24. More Factors in Exploring • Wanted to spread Christianity • New Technology helps! • Caravel – ship with triangular sails for tacking into the wind, square ones for running before the wind • Astrolabe – used stars to decipher where on the earth one was in relation to the equator • Compass – indicates your direction

25. Portuguese exploration • 1420 – Prince Henry create a school for navigation – He was a patron of exploration • First successful expeditions brought gold and slaves from Africa, later ivory as well • Gold Coast at Ghana • This encouraged further exploration – want to reach the Indies

26. Explorations around Africa • Bartholomeu Dias – reached Cape of Good Hope, southern most tip of Africa • Vasco da Gama – 1497, he took 4 ships to India, first to round the Cape of Good Hope • Led to Portuguese domination of trade on Indian Ocean, gave them a direct sea route to India, China and Spice Islands

27. “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” • Columbus convinced Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain to sponsor his quest across the Atlantic to reach India • he estimated this would only be 2,000 miles • Thought the world was round, wanted to reach Japan too • Nina, Pinta and Sana Maria • Landed in the Bahamas, didn’t find the spices, but found natives and exotic birds and fruit

28. So why do we give him such credit? • Viking voyages had landed in the Americas first! • Columbus’s exploration led to lasting and permanent settlements… • What else did it lead to?

29. Amerigo Vespucci • Proclaimed this a new continent after exploring coastline of Brazil, its not Asia! • Leads to more explorations in a frenzy • Vasco Nunez de Balboa – slashed through Panama and discovered the Pacific Ocean • Pope divides new lands between Spain and Portugal, (because they didn’t already belong to someone else?), at the Line of Demarcation

30. Ferdinand Magellan • Portuguese sailor sailed round the world, funded by Spain with 5 ships and crews • The trip took 3 years and cost most their lives, not an easy trip! • Proved the Americas were separate continents. • Proved the world was much larger than anyone had thought.