Chapter 7,

Week 1

What is the Renaissance?• The word Renaissance means rebirth• It was a time in history after the Middle Ages

where people became interested in art and learning

• And even though they were still religious they also became interested in human beings and secular life

• Secular: Anything that is not religious

What was Italian political geography like during the

Renaissance?•Italy was divided into many small city-states, which are independent mini countries connected to one whole•Each city-state was run by a separate person and had one major city•Major cities were Florence and Venice•City states caused competition which helped the Renaissance flourish: grow or do well

Why was Florence and important city?

•Florence was the first city to grow very wealthy and produce artists•It had a river and tall towers for defense•Florentines made money from selling cloth and banking•Florence’s richest family were the Medici’s who owned many banks

Where did Marco Polo travel to?•Another important city was Venice, which Marco Polo was from•Venice is a city built on the water and known for their shipbuilding and sailors•Marco Polo was a famous explorer and sailor•He traveled to India and China, even living there for some time with the emperor

Why were Marco Polo’s travels important?

•Marco Polo opened the trade routes to Asia•He wrote a book about his travels that many people read•Once they read it they wanted to buy goods from Asia•This increased trade and made Italy wealthy

Other Vocab•fervent: having or showing great warmth or spirit; energetic

•gregarious: fond of the company of others, social