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The Renaissance: Overview and Intellectualism

Dive into the Italian Renaissance with its rebirth of culture, social changes, and intellectual advancements, including humanism, Neoplatonism, and Hermeticism.

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The Renaissance: Overview and Intellectualism

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  1. The Renaissance: Overview and Intellectualism Florence, Italy

  2. Review: Meaning and Characteristics of the Italian Renaissance • Renaissance = Rebirth • Jacob Burkhardt, Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) • “Birthplace of the modern world” • Rebirth of Greco-Roman culture • Perfecting the individual (or idealizing humanity) • Secularism • Urban Society • Age of Recovery • Black Death, Political Disorder, Economic Recession

  3. Review: Social Changes in the Renaissance • The Nobility • Aristocracy: 2 – 3 percent of the population • Baldassare Castiglione (1478 – 1529) • The Book of the Courtier (1528) • Service to the prince • Ideal of the well developed person • Good character • Grace • Classical education • Draw and paint • Play a musical instrument

  4. Review: Peasants and Townspeople • Peasants • Peasants: 85 – 90 percent of population • Decline of manorial system and serfdom • Urban Society • Patricians • Petty burghers, shopkeepers, artisans, guildmasters, and guildsmen • The Poor and Unemployed • Slaves

  5. Family and Marriage in Renaissance Italy • Arranged Marriages • Father-husband head of family • Wife managed household • Childbirth • Mothers 10% death rate • Sexual Norms • Extramarital relationships • arranged marriage and age gap between husband and wife • Prostitution • a “necessary evil” and regulated by the government

  6. Italian States in the Renaissance

  7. Italian States in the Renaissance • Five Major Powers • Milan • Venice • Florence • The Medici • The Papal States • Kingdom of Naples • Independent City-States • Mantua • The Role of Women • Isabella d’Este- ruled Mantua • Made Mantua a center for art and learning in the Renaissance • Amassed one of the finest libraries in Italy

  8. The Battle of Pavia, unknown Flemish artist, 16th century Italian Wars • Modern diplomatic system- Began the use of ambassadors • France and Spain fight over the Italian peninsula • Powerful monarchies in France (Valois Dynasty) vs. Spain & Holy Roman Empire (Habsburg Dynasty) • Italy a battle ground for power struggle between the two states • Attracted to wealth in Italy • Lack of unity among Italian states made invasions possible

  9. Challenge Question #1 What made France and Spain want to invade Italy and what made their invasions possible?

  10. Challenge Question #2 What was the major result of the Italian Wars?

  11. The Intellectual Renaissance in Italy

  12. The Intellectual Renaissance in Italy • Two characteristics of Italian Renaissance • Individualism- interest in the unique traits of each person • Secularism- an emphasis on material and worldly things as opposed to religious things • Italian Renaissance Humanism • Humanism based on Greco-Roman literature • Studied the humanities subjects- grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, ethics • Petrarch (1304 – 1374)- father of Humanism • Characterization of Middle Ages as “darkness” • Interest in secular classics to remedy this period of darkness • Ransacked monastic libraries in search of forgotten Latin manuscripts

  13. Humanism in Civics Bust of Cicero, Roman philosopher and politician • Civic Humanism – Florence • Leonardo Bruni (1370 – 1444) • New Cicero- fusion of the intellectual and political action • Duty of the intellectual to live an active life for one’s state • Humanists served as chancellors, councilors, and advisors

  14. Challenge Question #3 Q: Describe a civic humanist A: Someone who is involved in both intellectual and political pursuits

  15. Humanism and Philosophy • Neoplatonism • MarsilioFicino (1433 – 1499) – Sponsored by Cosimo Medici • Translated Plato’s dialogues • Neoplatonism- synthesis of Christianity and the new awareness of the writings of Plato. • Hierarchy of substances: physical matter (plants)  Humans  God • Humans were the link between the physical world (body) and spiritual world (soul) • Hermeticism • Intellectual movement of the 15th century that taught divinity is embodied in all aspects of nature. • Ficino translated a Greek manuscript Corpus Hermeticumat the request of Cosimo Medici • Hermetic manuscripts stressed occult sciences (astrology, alchemy, magic) • Pantheism- seeing divinity in all aspects of nature. • Hermetic Revival of the Renaissance • Renaissance intellectuals believed human beings were created as divine beings that freely chose to enter nature. • Humans could rediscover their divinity through a purification of the soul and become sages or magi.

  16. Challenge Question #4 • Q: How do Hermeticism and Neoplatonism emphasize the Renaissance ideal of perfecting the individual (idealizing humanity)? • A: Close link between Humans and divinity • Neoplatonism- Humans link between God and physical World • Hermeticism- believe humans are divine

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