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Explore the economic and cultural foundations of the Renaissance in Italy. Learn about the artistic, political, and philosophical developments that shaped this period of rebirth in European history.
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April 22nd Today in History: 1509 -Henry VIII ascends to the throne of England upon the death of his father 1861 - Robert E. Lee is named commander of Virginia forces 1955 - Congress orders all U.S. coins to bear the motto “In God We Trust.”
Objectives Students will be able to… • Explain the economic and cultural foundations of the Renaissance. • Describe the artistic, political, and philosophical developments of the Renaissance.
Agenda • Announcements • Warm-up (Kahoot SOL Review) • Power-point – Renaissance in Italy • Trade in Renaissance Europe Worksheet
European Renaissance and Reformation Chapter 17
Renaissance • The years 1300 to 1600 saw a rebirth of learning and culture in Europe called the Renaissance (rebirth). Vitruvian Man
Europe emerged from the economic stagnation of the Middle Ages and experienced a time of financial growth.
The Renaissance was an age in which artistic, social, scientific, and political thought turned in new directions.
Renaissance • When? • 14th– 17th century • What was it? • Rebirth (Of what?.... of Europe) • Rediscovery of Greco-Roman Civilization • A period of creativity and change in many areas (political, social, cultural, and economic) • Education, art, literature…
Emphasis • Emphasized reason, a questioning attitude, experimentation, and free inquiry • Glorified individual and approved worldly pleasures • Focused attention on worldly matters Where? • Italy • Northern Europe
Middle Ages • Faith, authority, and tradition • Feudalism & Manor Systems • Focus on Roman Catholic Church and religious affairs • The Plague • The Crusades
As incidence of the plague decreased in the late fifteenth century, populations swelled, creating a new demand for goods and services.
Lives of merchants, bankers, and trades people improved, they had more than enough money to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. They traded with Muslim merchants who controlled the flow of goods through much of the Middle East.
How did it start? • The effect of the Crusades • Re-learning of Greco-Roman ideas from interaction with the Muslims • Increased demand for Middle Eastern products • Stimulated production of stuff to sell in the Middle East • Trade • Banking
Banking and Credit • For long-distance trade • Barter is inefficient • So is carrying gold and silver • Instead, carry a letter of credit • Bank promise that you have the money • Banks work out the details later
Other Economic Ideas • Interest: the price you pay to borrow money • Church calls this a sin (usury) • Traders become more secular • Bookkeeping • Hard to do with Roman numerals • Arabic numerals introduced (though invented in India)
Italian Renaissance • Starts in Italy. Why? • Competitive city-states, governed as republics • Dominated trade routes between Middle East and northern Europe • Lived on top of Roman culture, stole Greek culture from Constantinople
Genoa Venice Florence
City-State Politics • Initially republics, but wealthy families came to dominate • Control trade, then control government • Liked to spend their money on art to show off – patrons
Florence and the Medicis • Florance was an outstanding city of the Italian Renaissance • Unlike several other important cities of Italy that had noble families as their most prominent citizens (Mantua and Ferrara, for example), the Medici family, made their wealth as business people and used that wealth to become the leading citizens of Florence. • (merchant family that expanded into banking) patrons of the arts
The Beginning of Trade • The Crusades had started a renewal of interest in trade from Africa and Asia. • The effects of the Mongol Empire & Re-establishment of the “Silk Road” of trade. • Although navigation was still an imprecise science, sailors were able to go farther than they had before.
Tools developed in the Middle Ages for exploration continued to be used and improved during the Renaissance. • Astrolabe, a portable device used by sailors to help them find their way. By measuring the distance of the sun and stars above the horizon, the astrolabe helped determine latitude. • Magnetic compass, which had been invented in the twelfth century, was improved upon during the Renaissance
Maps, too, became more reliable as Portuguese map makers, called cartographers, incorporated information provided by travelers and explorers into their work.
Shipbuilding also improved during the Renaissance, as large ships called galleons became common. These ships were powered by sail rather than by men using oars.
For traders, sailing proved to be a better option than traveling by land, as the network of roads that crisscrossed Europe was poor, and the few good roads that did exist were frequented by thieves.
Also from the East came precious gems and fine silk, a fabric especially sought after for women's clothing. These trading voyages were often paid for by investors.
Renaissance Explorers • Some men were drawn to the seas out of a curiosity to discover more about the world. One such man was Prince Henry of Portugal, known as Prince Henry the Navigator.
With the help of mathematicians, astronomers, cartographers, and other navigators, Prince Henry started a navigational school and sent expeditions to explore the west coast of Africa. These explorations led to trade for gold and ivory and, soon after, slaves.
Later, Portuguese sailors discovered the route around the southern tip of Africa that would take them to India entirely by sea.
Renaissance Spirit • Humanism • Study of classics, focus on human potential and achievements • Shift of values from Christianity • Petrarch (humanist poet) • Secular • Worldly focus, even for church leaders • Have pretty, expensive stuff on earth
Humanism • Concerned with themselves, not with religious matters, but with every day human problems • Drew inspiration from classical civilizations (Greece and Rome) • Revived interest in literature and writing
Petrarch • Considered the “Father or Humanism” • Art Form – poet/humanist • Responsible for the recovery of manuscripts and works of Greek and Roman writers such as Cicero, Virgil, and others that had been lost in monastery libraries. • He wrote romantic poetry and gave up the Priesthood when he fell in love with a woman – Laura (mysterious woman) “Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.”
Leonardo da Vinci • 1452-1519 • Art Form – painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, mathematician, etc… • Example – Mona Lisa & Last Supper
Michelangelo • 1475 – 1564 • Art Form – painter, sculptor, poet, architect, etc… • Example – Statues of David and Moses + Sistine Chapel
Raphael • 1483 – 1520 • Art Form – painter & architect • Example – School of Athens
Renaissance Writers ChangeLiterature How did literature change during the Renaissance?
Renaissance writers also achieved greatness. Several wrote in the vernacular. This means they wrote in their native languages. It was a change from the Middle Ages, when most writing was done in Latin.
Writers also changed their subject matter. They began to express their own thoughts and feelings. Sometimes they gave a detailed look at an individual. Dante and others wrote poetry, letters, and stories that were more realistic.
Niccolo Machiavelli took a new approach to understanding government. He focused on telling rulers how to expand their power. He believed rulers should do what was politically effective, even if it was not morally right.
Machiavelli’s The Prince • An early modern treatise on government • Supported absolute power of the ruler • Maintains that the end justifies the means • Advises that one should do good if possible, but do evil when necessary
Renaissance Man • A man who is talented in many areas • (ex. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael ) • Others in History? • Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Galileo… • Modern Examples? • Steve Martin, Clint Eastwood, Seth McFarlane, Pharrell Williams, Hugh Jackman…
