Renaissance: The Rebirth of Europe

Warm-Up Renaissance Map Quiz – Bodies of Water Check Map. Complete Map Quiz

Vocabulary 1. Crusades – military expeditions (big moving armies) to the Holy Land. 2. Black Death – a deadly disease killing 1/3rd of Europeans. 3. Aristocrats – wealthy people who gained money and power by owning businesses. 4. Patrons – wealthy people who supported artists of the Renaissance. 5. Medici – the wealthiest and most power ruling family of Florence and patrons of the arts.

Essential Questions 1. What key historical events lead to the Renaissance? How? 2. How did the Italian Peninsula’s geography (land and or location) lead to the Renaissance originating there? 3. How did the Renaissance Aristocrats’ lives differ with the Medieval Feudal Lords? 4. How impactful were Patrons for the Renaissance movement?

Europeans Encounter new Cultures The Crusades – military expeditions to the Holy Land - had great influence on life in Western Europe. The long distances traveled by the Crusaders opened up trade routes, connecting Western Europeans with people of southwestern Asia and North Africa. This increased contact helped Europeans rediscover the ideas and achievements of the ancient Greeks and Romans preserved by the Church and Muslim scholars.

The Rebirth of Europe Over time, this interest in the ancient world sparked a new era of creativity and learning in Western Europe. This cultural era, which lasted from about 1350 – 1650 A.D., is called the Renaissance or the rebirth of Greek and Roman ideas.

The Italian City-States The Renaissance began on the Italian Peninsula in the mid 1300s. When the Black Death slowly decreased in the 15th century, the population in Europe began to grow. A new middle class emerged —bankers, merchants and tradespeople had a new market for their services. Northern city-states were centers of banking, trade, and manufacturing. Trade – Venice and Genoa Banking – Florence

Italian Aristocrats – A changing view of the world The wealthy businesspeople who lived in these city-states were members of a new class of aristocrats. Unlike the nobles of the feudal system, these aristocrats lived in cities, and their wealth came from money and goods rather than from the lands they owned. Wealthy Europeans began to turn their attention to material comforts of life. People became wealthier and had more than enough money to spend. They began to build larger houses; buy more expensive clothes, food, and jewelry; and get interested in art and literature. The middle class population also had more free time, which they spent learning foreign languages, reading, playing musical instruments and studying other things of interest.

Learning and the arts flourish Wealthy citizens were proud of their city-states and often became generous patrons. A patron gave artists and scholars money and places to live and work. They hired architects and designers to improve local churches, to design grand new buildings, and to create public sculptures and fountains. As one Italian city-state made additions and improvements, others competed to outdo it.

Patrons compete for their city-state As part of the competition to improve the appearance and status of their individual city-states, patrons wanted to attract the brightest and best-known scholars and poets of the time. Patrons believed that the contributions of these individuals would, in turn, add to the greatness of their city-states and attract more wealth.

Patrons – The Medici Family Many powerful people, Popes, Kings, Queens, and other Nobles and Aristocrats were Patrons of the Arts. Among the most famous patrons of the Renaissance were the Medici. They were a wealthy family of bankers and merchants. In fact, they were the most powerful leaders of Florence from the early 1400s until the 1700s. The Medici family became so powerful that the family included famous princes and dukes, two queens, and four popes. Throughout the 1400s and 1500s, the Medici supported many famous artists including Botticelli, Michelangelo and Raphael. Today. Florence is still filled with important works of art made possible by the Medici.

Review 1. What key historical events lead to the Renaissance? How? 2. How did the Italian Peninsula’s geography (land and or location) lead to the Renaissance originating there? 3. How did the Renaissance Aristocrats’ lives differ with the Medieval Feudal Lords? 4. How impactful were Patrons for the Renaissance movement?

1. Get out one piece of loose-leaf notebook paper 1. Get out one piece of loose-leaf notebook paper. Fold in half long way. Left side title – what I know. Right side title – Most important. 2. Close notebook and place all materials under your desk out of the way. 3. List 5 items you learned from today’s lesson.

1. Rotate around the class 1. Rotate around the class. When I tell you to stop, discuss with your neighbors what you all have learned. 2. Add additional information to your list on the left side. Circle of underline common knowledge. 3. Repeat.

1. ON the other side of your paper – right side – list the three most important vocabulary/facts/phrases from today’s lesson. 2. Rotate around the room again. Stop. Share your ideas with a neighbor. Add any additional facts which you feel.

Closure Write a story using the vocabulary/facts/phrases from your most important list.