Welcome! Happy Monday! Please have a pen or pencil and some paper for today. Please turn in any late work you may have.

BELL WORK Imagine being a historian Florence, Italy in the late 1300s. In your writings you describe the wonders of your city today. But the place was very different about 50 years ago. At that time the Black Death was sweeping through the city. 50,000 people living in your city died from the Black Death. Today, Florence is growing in population and culture and is now known for its beauty, art, and culture. Write 3-5 sentences predicting how your city changed so quickly.

Goals I can cite evidence of the significance of the Florence, Venice, and the Medici family. SPI 7.44 Cite evidence in writing explaining the importance of Florence, Italy and the Medici Family in the early stages of the Renaissance and the growth of independent trading cities, such as Venice, and their importance in the spread of Renaissance ideas.

Essential Questions

Florence, Italy Florence was the first major center for the Renaissance. Had money, and central location for artists, writers, and sculptors. Protected by walls and domed cathedrals built by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Medici Family The Medici family, the city’s wealthiest family, settled in Florence. They owned the largest bank in Europe. Allowed them to influence a lot of politics

Florence, Italy Florence prospered during the Renaissance because, in the late Middle Ages, the city became a crossroads for wool traders. Giovanni and Cosimo de Medici used banking to make Florence a crossroads for finance.

The Medici Family The Medici family was ousted in 1494. Though the Medici returned, Florence would never return to its former position of preeminence. For carry out the construction of the great architectural works of the times, rich merchants hired the most talented artists and paid them well to do their most inspired work.

Venice Venice built canals and used boats for speedy trade and transportation. Became important because of trade between Europe and Asia.

How? A spirit of competition developed between the rich merchants, who often competed with each other to see who could commission the grandest buildings and the finest works of art. Competition augmented the fervor with which the city entered into the Renaissance.

Keeping the Peace All this competition led to complex politics and who would be in charge. Many city-states had harsh rulers or rich bankers (like Florence and the Medici) To keep the peace between these rulers, diplomacy was used. But how could a ruler keep his own power?

Niccolo Machiavelli Diplomat who wrote The Prince Says that rulers should do whatever to keep power and protect their city Rulers should be loved and feared at the same time.

5 Paragraph Essay Imagine that you are a member of the Medici family. You are going to do some ancestor research on your family. In your essay you will emphasize the importance of the Medici family in Venice and Florence during the Renaissance. This report will be due on Friday. Pow tide organizer

5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY Paragraph 1- Introduction Paragraph 2- Medici family Paragraph 3- Venice 5 sentences Paragraph 4 – Florence 5 sentences Paragraph 5- Closure