The Renaissance 1300-1600

1. The Renaissance 1300-1600 The West Rediscovers its Roots

2. The Renaissance • French for “rebirth” • A period of cultural and intellectual exuberance in Europe • Europeans rediscover ancient heritage left to them by the ancient Greeks and Romans • Renaissance affected different fields such art, science, and literature

3. Major themes in the Renaissance • Humanism • Focus on the present world instead of the afterlife • “Man is the measure of all things.” • Man is glorified instead of God • Greater emphasis on secular subjects like science, philosophy or literature instead of religion • Education means something more than just training priests

4. Major Themes in the Renaissance • Rediscovery of Antiquity • Ancient Greek and Roman literature studied again • Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. • Art: rediscovering ancient techniques • Architecture: Roman techniques studied again • Science: rediscovering how the body functions, and how the world works

5. Where did the Renaissance take place? • Renaissance started in Italy • Italian city-states 1300 • Florence, Venice, Milan, Rome, etc. • Renaissance spreads throughout Europe • The Netherlands • France • Germany • England • Spain

6. What made the Renaissance possible? • Rise of central government • Italian city-states • Formation of national governments • France, Spain, England • Rise in trade • Growing feeling of security prompt trade • Growing trade means more advanced economic systems • Growing urbanization • Growing number of educated middle class

7. What made the Renaissance possible? • Government support of the arts • By European rulers in Italian city-states and new national governments • The Roman Catholic Church • The Printing Press • Invented by Johannes Gutenberg • Information becomes more accessible • Bookmaking becomes much cheaper • Literacy rates increase

8. Who’s Who in the Renaissance • Art • Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Boticelli, Vermeer, • Made paintings lifelike, realistic • Examples • Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel • David • The Birth of Aphrodite

9. Who’s Who in the Renaissance • Literature • Dante Alighieri • The Divine Comedy, the first work in the modern Italian language • Giovanni Boccaccio • The Decameron, 100 stories that portray human nature • Baldassare Castiglione • The Courtier, a book on manners and human nature • William Shakespeare • English playwright whose writings explore human nature

10. Who’s Who in the Renaissance • Philosophy • Erasmus of Roterdam • In Praise of Folly, criticizes the Catholic Church and hypocrisy of his society • Sir Thomas More • Utopia, work about a fictional country that criticizes contemporary society • Niccolo Machiavelli • The Prince, a book that explains politics as it really was • The goal of rulers is to stay in power, and they will do anything to keep it. • Heavily criticized because he told it like it was

11. Results of the Renaissance • Europeans gain a new and broader understanding of their world • Rediscovery of ancient knowledge forms foundation for new knowledge • Did the Renaissance affect everyone? • No. Huge majority of Europeans still illiterate and lived feudal lifestyle • But Renaissance sets the stage for greater participation by everyone