SOURCE: A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD – PALMER, COLTON, KRAMER RENAISSANCE 15TH CENTURY ITALY SOURCE: A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD – PALMER, COLTON, KRAMER

CHANGES BREAKING DOWN OF MEDIEVAL CERTAINTIES NEW AND INVIGORATING ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE WORLD

MIDDLE AGES  RENAISSANCE SECULAR LIFE OF INVOLVEMENT AND HUMAN ACTIVITY ENJOYMENT OF WEALTH (BY SOME!) DEMONSTRATION OF HUMAN POWER MAN SHAPED HIS OWN DESTINY RELIGIOUS WORDLY LIFE IS LESS IMPORTANT LIFE OF CONTEMPLATION RESPECT FOR POVERTY WORSHIP OF GOD OFTEN A COMBINATION OF ATTITUDES

REBIRTH RE-BIRTH OF GRECO-ROMAN CIVILISATION “NEW” CULTURE WAS NEITHER THEOLOGICAL NOR SCIENTIFIC BUT ASKED WHAT HUMAN BEINGS OUGHT TO BE AND DO: STYLE TASTE DECORUM PERSONAL CHARACTER EDUCATION

CITY-STATES THE BIGGEST AND MOST BUSTLING TOWNS IN EUROPE THESE TOWNS WERE INDEPENDENT CITY-STATES: CONTROLLED BY MERCHANT OLIGARCHIES NO KINGS POPES LARGELY ABSENT (WHY?)

TRADE MERCHANTS MADE FORTUNES IN COMMERCE LENT MONEY TO POPES AND PRINCES MERCHANTS MADE FURTHER FORTUNES AS BANKERS

FLORENCE CHIEF CITY IN TUSCANY PRODUCTION OF WOOLENS (POPULATION 60,000) PRODUCTION OF WOOLENS

FAMOUS PEOPLE DANTE PETRARCH BOCCACCIO MACHIAVELLI MEDICI FAMILY

MEDICI FAMILY GIOVANNI de MEDICI (1360 – 1429) MERCHANT AND BANKER COSIMO de MEDICI (1389 – 1464) LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT (1449 – 1492) De MEDICI FAMILY RULED OVER FLORENCE UNTIL THE FAMILY DIED OUT IN 1737

ART ARCHITECTURE SPACE WAS NO LONGER UNKNOWABLE AND DIVINE ADAPTATION OF GRECO-ROMAN ARCHITECTURE GRANDEUR, IMPORTANCE, CONVENIENCE FOR HUMAN USE

ART SCULPTURE GREEK/ROMAN TRADITION INDEPENDENT AND FREE-STANDING ART (NUDE) HUMAN BEINGS

ART PAINTING FEW EXAMPLES FROM GRECO-ROMAN TIMES INVENTIONS: PAINTING IN OILS PERSPECTIVE HUMAN ANATOMY MORE EXPRESSION INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES

HUMANISM RISING INTEREST IN HUMANE LETTERS = WRITING ABOUT MANKIND AS MAIN LIFE’S WORK TO ACHIEVE ARTISTIC EFFECT TO AMUSE THE READER CLASSICAL INFLUENCES => WROTE IN LATIN (AND ITALIAN...FLORENTINE BECOMES STANDARD OF MODERN ITALIAN) WRITING WITHOUT FRAMEWORK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF STYLE WAS VERY IMPORTANT HISTORICAL WRITING CREATED GROUP IDENTITY NEW CRITICAL ATTITUDE

EDUCATION DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS OR LEVELS INTO SEPARATE CLASSES, SEPARTE ROOMS, WITH OWN TEACHER LATIN & GREEK RHETORIC IDEAL RENAISSANCE MAN: WELL-ROUNDED PERSON ABLE TO CONVERSE EASILY KNOWLEDGABLE IN CLASSICAL SUBJECTS PROFICIENT IN SPRTOS AND ARMS ABLE TO DANCE AND APPRECIATE MUSIC WILLING TO SHOW CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

WOMEN BY THE AGE OF 18 MARRIED TO OLDER (ESTABLISHED) MEN DIFFERENT AGES REINFORCED GENDER DIVISION: MEN => CAREER WOMEN => HOUSEHOLD

POLITICS NO UNIFICATION OF CITY-STATES WARS FOUGHT WITH CONDOTIERRI (PRIVATE LEADERS OF ARMED BANDS) POLITICS BECAME A TANGLED WEB MACHIAVELLLI THE PRINCE TO CONVINCE ITALIANS OF THE NEED TO UNIFY “THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS”

6 MAY 1527 – THE SACKING OF ROME ITALY IS DIVIDED AND NOT PREPARED AND IN 1527 A GROUP OF SPANISH AND GERMAN MERCENARIES ATTACK ROME THOUSANDS WERE KILLED POPE IMPRISONED LOOTING AND DESTRUCTION THE GLORIES OF THE RENAISSANCE BEGIN TO FADE AWAY IN ITALY BUT LIVES ON IN THE REST OF EUROPE

*PETRARCH FLORENTINE EXILE FIRST MAN OF LETTERS SON OF A MERCHANT TRAVELLED FRANCE AND ITALY WRITING SHOWS THE COMPLEX, CONTRADICTORY ATTITUDES OF EARLY REN THOUGHT ATRRACTED BY LOVE, LIFE, BEAUTY, TRAVEL ASPIRED LITERARY FAME MORAL PHILOSOPHY WHAT WAS THE GOOD LIFE?

*BOCCACCIO WROTE DECAMERON IN ITALIAN SCHOLARLY TYPE

*DANTE WROTE DIVINE COMEDY (IN VERNACULAR)