The Renaissance

The Cradle of the Renaissance The Renaissance began in Italy Wealthy merchants paid artists to create paintings and sculptures for their homes Wealthy merchant families in the city-states of Florence, Venice, Naples, Milan, and Genoa competed to make their cities centers of art and learning Rediscovered the learning of the Greeks and Romans

The Cradle of the Renaissance (Continued) Europeans got ideas from the Muslims during the crusades During the Middle Ages the Church had kept learning alive The Church and the scientific thinking of the ancient times often conflicted (Example: Copernicus)

New Ways of Thinking and Seeing Humanism became the new way of thinking during the Renaissance Humanism focused on the ideas and actions of the individuals Artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo changed art and made it more realistic and emotional Renaissance paintings and sculptures became more realistic Created images of not only religious scenes but also of individuals and patrons Copernicus showed that the Earth revolved around the sun

New Ways of Thinking (Continued) The finding of Copernicus went against the teachings of the Church Galileo Gallei proved the theory of Copernicus by studying the stars and recording the movement of the planets Using observation and experiments became known as the scientific method Church leaders did not support the new ideas because they challenged church teachings-they forced Galileo to say he was wrong

The Impact of Sheep and the Plague During the 1400’s many peasants were forced off the manors to make room for sheep Peasants were forced to move to the cities to look for jobs The cities became crowed, crime rose, and pollution increased During the middle 1400’s the Bubonic Plague ripped through Europe It started in China and was passed along by trading ships Symptoms-swelling under the arms and in the groin, ring around a red or black spot, and boils on the skin People began to question religion and social authority.

Innovations of the Renaissance Movable type printing press-Johannes Gutenberg Books were produced faster, cheaper, more people learned to read, and ideas spread quickly throughout Europe Used to translate the Bible (with the help of Martin Luther)

The Reformation Started when Martin Luther questioned the sale of indulgences Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door (things wrong with the church) Luther was found guilty of heresy Prince Frederick protected Luther and gave him a place to live and work Luther believed the Bible should be translated into the language of the people (the church did not like that) Reformation comes from the word reform

The Age of Exploration Portugal, Spain, and England began searching for new routes to Asia Overland trade was longer, more dangerous, more expensive, and not as profitable as sea trade Portugal was the first to explore the Atlantic for a new trade route to Asia (using caravels)

Explorers Portugal: Dias: found a new way to Asia Da Gama: sailed to India Vespucci: explored the coast of Brazil Spain: -Columbus: reached Caribbean four times; thought it was India -Magellan: proved ship could reach Asia by sailing west and Earth is round-circumnavigated the globe England: - Giovanni Caboto: claimed northeast coast of North America for England

Colonization of the Americas Spanish conquistadors (Cortes, Pizzaro, and Columbus) went to the Americas and conquered the cultures of the New World The Spanish explorers brought with them the Catholic religion, Spanish language, diseases, sugarcane, rice, bananas, wheat, cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, chickpeas, and horses From the Americas explorers took gold, silver, beans, potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and chocolate This transfer of goods was known as the Columbian Exchange

Colonization of the Americas (Continued) The Spanish enslaved many of the Native Americans and forced them to work for them (encomienda system) The Spanish also forced them to accept the Catholic faith After the many Native Americans died, the Europeans began to bring slaves from Africa to the new world The French also colonized the Americas along the St. Lawrence and Mississippi rivers-they were looking for animal furs The French integrated with the Native Americans (they were called the Coureurs de bois-runners of the woods