The Renaissance Today’s Goal: Describe the major causes & effects of the Renaissance This includes political, intellectual, artistic, economic, and religious effects: a lot!

What was the Renaissance? A great rebirth of culture, based on classical Greek and Roman (Greco-Roman) ideas and art, that began in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and spread throughout Europe

What caused this amazing Renaissance? Cause 1: Travel In the Late Middle Ages, Merchants and Crusaders brought back goods & learning from the East Classical learning that had been preserved in the Byzantine Empire and by Muslim Scholars (remember the Islamic Empire) Cause 2: Studying ancient manuscripts Scholars started collecting & reading ancient manuscripts (books) preserved in Catholic monasteries Cause 3: Artistic Inspiration Artists and architects studied classical statues/buildings & became inspired

Also… Life in Medieval Europe/The Middle Ages/The Dark Ages was HARD. Think back to the DBQ last class. Feudalism, wars, invasions, slaughter, Crusades, plagues… Now, Europeans began to be exposed to the idea that there was more to life than simply work, suffering & dying They embraced it! Of course, this applied more to the middle & upper classes… the majority of people were still focused on daily survival

What effects did the Renaissance have? Stunning new art & buildings New focus on reason & logic, especially in theological (religious) debate How would this effect the power of the church? New ideas about life Hospitals & universities created universities gave degrees in law, philosophy, theology, medicine Influenced by classical Greek thinkers like Aristotle In addition to art, Classicism (the study of the Greco-Roman intellectual tradition) also resulted in…

No need to write any notes on this!

Side by Side Comparison Classical Medieval Renaissance Purpose of the Art Shows importance of ordinary people, civic leaders, gods and goddesses Teach religion to people who were illiterate Show importance of people and nature Style Characteristics Detailed and realistic Minimal details No background Halos used to indicate who was holy Not realistic Realistic Emphasis on individual

Growth of Trade and Commerce Increased trade – More Contact between East and West – Diffusion of Ideas & Information Where in your notes can you already find two examples of this? Note them here. Byzantine and Islamic preservation of classical works Italian cities like Venice were centrally located on the trade routes that linked the rest of western Europe to the East Increased trade in Asia (Silk Road) Mongol conquests in Asia made it safer for traders to travel along the Silk Road to China – Pax Mongolica Marco Polo’s tales of travel encouraged interest in the East

Effects of Growth in Trade and Commerce A bustling economy created prosperous cities use of coins, not bartering A money economy also encourages trade and commerce Merchants and bankers grew very rich Could afford to make their cities beautiful Wealthy patrons (rich families) could pay for New buildings and art Universities

Growth of City-states Cause 1: Renaissance began in Italy’s city-states because they were wealthy due to trade Central Mediterranean location in middle of trade routes People came from all over Europe to buy, sell and do banking ($$!) Cause 2: No kings- independent! City got to keep money from trade and taxes (not going to some far off King) City got to make their own laws Cause 3: Typically run by elected councils (often rich families) Medici family in Florence These rich families paid artists to create art Led to an explosion of art in Italy!

Some Italian city-states developed specializations Some Italian city-states developed specializations. Florence became a center for cloth making and banking. Milan produced metal goods and armor. The port city of Genoa was a trade center for ivory and gold from northern Africa. Venice, the most powerful city state, had hundreds of ships that controlled the trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea. Silk, spices and perfume from Asia flowed into Venice.

Effects of city-states on renaissance? Great wealth and desire to compete with fellow city states Rich families in each city-state paid for creation of buildings statues paintings Universities Hospitals From there, Renaissance ideas spread to the rest of Europe –(cultural diffusion) Some Italian city-states developed specializations. Florence became a center for cloth making and banking. Milan produced metal goods and armor. The port city of Genoa was a trade center for ivory and gold from northern Africa. Venice, the most powerful city state, had hundreds of ships that controlled the trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea. Silk, spices and perfume from Asia flowed into Venice.