Notes on Renaissance

Notes: “Renaissance”l Sociall Politicall Religiousl Intellectuall Technologicall Economic

Renaissance in a Nutshell

Rebirth of Classical Antiquityl The world of the Greeks and Romans

Urbanization of societyl Cities the center of Renaissance Europe

Individualisml The glory of God is reflected through human

potential and achievementl Man becomes more of the center and measure of

all thingsl A well-rounded individual is the ideal

Secularisml Decreased singular importance of religion

Social

Urbanization fueled major social changesGrowth of the merchants/bourgeoisieImportance of Guilds in RenaissancePersecution of Jews

UrbanizationEurope remained predominantly rural, but cities rapidlyl Strong relationship between trade, manufacturing

and urbanzationl Northern Italian cities and Flanders

Growth in Bourgeoisie and Petit Bourgeoisiel Bourgeoisie- Owners of capitalistic enterprises

l Served as patrons of culturel Petit Bourgeoisie- Shopkeepers, artisans,

guildmaster who provided goods and services for local consumption

Guilds

Trade associations that regulated the practice and access to tradesl Served to limit competition and perpetuate

male dominance in trade/businessl Resulted in continued inequalitiesl Discriminated against Jews

Persecution of Jews

Most Jews resided in Europe’s citiesUrban-oriented because of focus on trade and business (money-lending) l Jews often excluded from other

professionsPersecuted Jews in times of crisisExpelled from Spain in 1492 after many years of persecution

Political

End of Papal SupremacyRise of the “New Monarchies” (France, England, Spain)Political Fragmentation in Italy and Holy Roman Empire Varying Power of NobilityAdvent of “Machiavellian” Politics

End of Papal Supremacy

End of papal supremacy epitomized by Pope Bonaface VIII (Pope is superior to every living creature)Pope arrested by King Phillip of FranceEstablishment of “alternative” papal seat in Avignon, FranceMonarchical power over popes increased

Rise of New Monarchies

France- Enmity towards England during Hundred Years War (1337-1453) increased nationalistic feelings England- First Tudor King (Henry VII) established strong monarchy and reduced power of nobles by taking away armiesSpain- Isabela (Castile) and Ferdinand (Aragon) marriage unified Spain

Political Fragmentation

Holy Roman Empire (A Confederation of independent states in present-day Germany)Italy- Lack of centralized political authority with many city-states (Florence, Siena, Venice)l Ensuing competition between France and

Spain for control of Italy

Varying Power of Nobility

England- Nobility secured guarantee of hereditary rights through Magna CartaOther Locations- Weakened by new military technology that made reduced impenetrability of fortesses

Advent of Machiavellian Politics

Machiavelli (1469-1527)Focus on how leaders could acquire, maintain, and expand political powerl Contrasted with ruling according to

Christian-based moral principles“Ends justify the means”Morality NOT a part of political activity

Religious

End of Church’s supremacy in “national affairs”Rise of Skepticism (Impact of Black Death)Advent of Christian Humanism and ScholasticismIncreased Corruption of PapacyFusion of Official Christianity and “Nationalism” in Spain

End of Church Supremacy in Nat’l

AffairsMajor challenges to Church supremacy by France (political)Cultural supremacy challenged by Renaissance patrons of the arts (Medici)Scientific advancements directly contradicted Church doctrine

Forces for Change

Rise of Skepticisml Result of the Black Death

l A major questioning of religion and even the existence of God

Worldly, Corrupt Nature of Renaissance Popesl Series of corruption scandalsl Involvement in worldly affairs

l Julius II (1503-1513) led armies personally against Venice

Advent of Christian Humanism and Scholasticism

Christian Humanism (Erasmus- 1466-1536): Believed that Christianity should be a guiding philosophy for the direction of daily life rather than a system of dogmatic beliefsScholasticism- Effort to synthesize faith and reason with Aristotlel Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologica)

Intellectual

Development of secular, individualist literatureStunning development “naturalist” painting with focus on the human form (Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo)Popularization of the intellectual literary realm

Development of secular, individualist literatureWritten in vernacular to reach broad audiencesFocus on the individual and individual attitudesOften quite secularl Dante: Divine Comedyl Chaucer: Canterbury Tales

Artistic (Big Three)

Focused on persuading audiences of the reality of the event/person they were painting/sculptingl Da Vinci- Focused on realism

l Mona Lisa and Last Supperl Raphael- Best known for frescoesl Michelangelo- Focused on ideal human

with perfect proportionsl Sistine Chapel and the David

Popularization of the Intellectual

Printing press led to the popularization of literary worksl 1500- 10 million books printed in 238

towns in W. EuropeLed to greater focus on secular literature

Technological

Advent of Water WheelsMajor changes in military technologyInvention of the movable metal-type printing pressSignificant architectural achievements (Gothic churches)Key maritime invention and improvements

Technological Advancements

Water Wheels>>>>>> Advances in iron-related industriesImproved Crossbow (NOT “humble arrow”)>>>>> Reduced power of knights and manorismFirearm and Gunpowder>>> Could penetrate fortesses. Led to reduced power of manorism

Technological Advancements

Great improvements on Chinese carved wood blocks: movable pieces of type, new ink, printing pressJohann Gutenberg (1394-1468)Led to tremendous proliferation of books in Europel Expansion of unorthodox ideas

Economic

Tremendous economic improvement in Europe during RenaissanceRapid development of trade (Venice, Genoa, Flanders and Hanseatic League)Increased European self-sufficiency