Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

The European Renaissance was a rebirth of learning and the arts that began in Italy in

the 1300s.

Italy’s AdvantagesItaly had three advantages over

the rest of Europe that helped lead to the Renaissance.

1. Thriving trade cities2. A wealthy merchant class3. Classical heritage of Greece

and Rome.

Also, the rest of Europe was embroiled in the Hundreds Years War.

The Hundreds Years WarThe Hundred Years War was a war that lasted from

1337 to 1453. The war was fought between England and France in a struggle for the control of land in France.

Victory passed back and forth between France and England until the French drove the English out of France entirely.

Joan of Arch led France to victory but is captured and executed.

The Hundred Years War gave rise to nationalism, empowered the French King and the English Parliament.

Urban Centers• The trade and transportation that

developed during the Crusades led to the growth of large city-states in northern Italy.

• The Bubonic Plague struck these cities hard, killing up to 60% of the population. The large population decline led to economic changes. Because there were fewer workers, thy could demand higher wages.

Merchants and the Medici• Milan, Florence and Venice all

operated independently and collected their own taxes and raised their own armies.

• The merchants were the most powerful and influential class, but their social rank was earned, not inherited like the nobles.

• Individual achievement was a very important element of the Renaissance.

Medici Family

• The city of Florence was controlled by the powerful Medici family.

• Cosimo de’Medici was the wealthiest European of his time.

• He controlled Florence for nearly 30 years.

Cosimo de’Medici

Classical Heritage• Renaissance scholars looked down on

the art of the Middle Ages and began to turn their interest to the classic Greek and Roman styles.

• In the 1300s, scholars began to study the ancient Latin manuscripts that had been preserved in the monasteries.

• With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Byzantine scholars fled the city with the ancient Greek manuscripts of the Byzantine Empire and ancient Roman Empire which scholars believed had been lost forever.

Classical Worldly Values Classics lead to Humanism:

– Humanists focused on human potential and achievements.

Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures– The basic spirit of the Renaissance is

secular; concerned with the here and now as opposed to a better life after death.

Patrons of the Arts– Popes and merchants became supporters of

the arts.Renaissance Man– The ideal Renaissance individual excelled

in many fields and all areas of study.

Renaissance Revolutionizes Art

• Many Renaissance artists developed new techniques such as perspective.

• Leonardo da Vinci typified the true Renaissance Man.

• Raphael created realistic masterpieces.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo• Leonardo da’ Vinci was deeply interested in

how things work. He studied how muscles move, how veins are arranged in a leaf.

• Among his most famous works are the “Mona Lisa”, and the “Last Supper”. Only 17 of his paintings still survive.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Inventions

Michelangelo Buonarroti• Michelangelo was a true

Renaissance Man, he excelled at almost every area of study. He was a painter, sculpture, poet and architect.

• Among his most famous works are the design of the dome at the top of St. Peters Basilica, his statue “David”. and his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The Sistine Chapel

• To paint the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo lay stretched on his back on a high scaffold.

• His working conditions were very bad. He worked in scorching heat in the summer and had to work by candlelight.

Michelangelo

Raphael• Raphael learned his trade by

studying the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da’ Vinci.

• He enjoyed painting the Madonna.

• His greatest achievements fill the library in the Vatican.

• He died on his 37th birthday after a short illness. All of Rome went into mourning.

Renaissance Literature

• Renaissance writers began to develop the techniques still used today. – They began writing in the vernacular (local

language)– Wrote for self-expression and portrayed the

individuality of their subjects.

Dante

• Dante began writing his works in Italian instead of classical Latin. His most famous work is “Inferno” which portrays a man’s journey through the nine circles of Hell.

Dante’s “Inferno”

Machiavelli Advises Rulers• Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a political

guidebook entitled “The Prince”.

• In “The Prince”, Machiavelli examines how a ruler can gain power and keep it.

• He believed that for a ruler to succeed in a wicked world, a leader had to be as strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox.

• He was not concerned with moral correctness, only political effectiveness.

Women Writers

• Women writers of the Renaissance wrote about personal subjects, not politics.

• Vittoria Colonna wrote sonnets with Michelangelo and helped to publish the Courtier.