THE RENAISSANCE CHAPTER 2

WHAT IS THE RENAISSANCE?  Period of “rebirth” between 1350 and 1600;  Those in this period attempted to bring back the ideals of the classical period – Greeks and Roman;  They held a rejection of the Medieval period that came before them;  Secular thinkers – valued worldly information, expanded knowledge and human potential were main ideas;  This period was a transformation of the individual’s view of religion, art and learning;

WHERE DID IT ORIGINATE?  The growth of the Italian city-states in the late medieval period began the development of new ideals and attitudes;  Italy was a major economic and international trade region;  Shipbuilding and navigation increased their ability to expand trade;  Development of business elements such as bookkeeping, credit and market development put them well ahead of other nations;  Became a major and influential banking center for Europe and Western Asian trade;

ITALIAN CITY-STATES  City-states were political developments that were self- governed, usually by the local merchant classes;  The older feudal nobility had already been in decline in their power over the people;  Many challenged the role of the papacy in international and religious affairs;  The new states were originally established as republics (no monarch), but became run by despots (individual rulers) or oligarchies (small ruling class);  This also led to the development of modern diplomatic organization between the city-states;

ITALIAN CITY-STATES  As warfare was not unusual between the city-states, diplomats were established between city-states, using ambassadors;  Through this process there was a balance-of-power established to prevent one city-state from becoming more powerful than any other;  The city of Florence became an important economic and cultural center between the 13 th and 15 th century – establihsing the Medici family as a major political and economic force;

INFLUENTIAL ITALIANS Cosimo de Medici the Elder Palazzo Medici in Florence

HUMANISM  Indicator of the separation between the earlier Medieval period and the new thought of the Renaissance;  Humanism is a philosophy concerned with the human being – their nature and development trying to improve the secular world;  Based on the revival of classical ideals instead of through a religious outlook;  Stressed living in the present world and being a responsible citizen;  Valued knowledge for knowledge sake and as a guide to personal conduct;

HUMANISM  The humanists did not reject Christianity or its teachings about mankind, but they did combine those beliefs with new questions about humanity;  The influence of Roman and Greek ideals of humanity heavily featured in the ‘new’ secular thought;  Focus on men who accomplished a variety of goals in many areas, excelled in their own right and desired more than the ordinary - thus a “Renaissance man;”  Such were the philosophers of the time – Francesco Petrarch; Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli;

RENAISSANCE MEN Leonardo da Vinci Francesco Petrarch Niccolo Machiavelli

HUMANISM  Stressed education at an early age in order to help change the course of their lives and develop appropriate sense of reason and moral values;  This type of teaching was also a means to train individuals to be responsible citizens as well as moral;  Development in the service and loyalty to the city-state was just as important to individual success;  Many of the leaders of the Renaissance were patrons of the arts – architecture, sculpture and painting – that reflected the new ideals of man in the world;

RELIGIOUS LEADERS  The Papacy was a major contributor to the development of Renaissance art in the churches and cathedrals of Rome;  Pope Julius II began the construction on the Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome, which would become one of the best examples of Renaissance art and architecture;  It was also meant to be a reflection of the supremacy of the Church in society;

ST. PETER’S  ST. PETER'S BASILICA ST. PETER'S BASILICA Pope Julius II was a great patron of Renaissance art – commission Michelangelo and Raphael to complete various paintings for the Vatican; also commissioned the construction of the new St. Peter’s Basilica

RENAISSANCE PRINCES  Niccolo Machiavelli was a political philosopher and humanist whose best known for his treatise (discussion of a topic in essay form) called The Prince (1513);  This became an important explanation of how Renaissance leaders should act regarding the ruling of their nation-state;  They had to be politically aware, historically well-versed and a strong ruler;  Not only was this a treatise on the leadership needed in the new times, but also as a discussion of the importance of the modern nation-state as a secular institution;

RENAISSANCE ART  The art from the preceding Medieval time period was a reflection of religious life and the after life;  It was heavily influenced by the Church and the rise of Christianity;  Renaissance art was more focused on nature and mankind – it was a reflection of the classical period of Roman art;  The focus was on the natural human form – Donatello and Michelangelo's David; both depict David from Biblical references, although in different times in David’s existence, and both have more civic meanings – rather than religious;

RENAISSANCE ARTISTS  Artists at this time achieved a high degree of respectability as they were commissioned by the Church and the wealthy in society;  The focus on mankind meant the topics of artistic impression could focus on families or saints;  Many themes were from the classical Roman or Greek literature and mythology;  At the same time, the works were meant to inspire civic duty of the viewer and represent the values of the city- state;  Many kept the religious theme as they demonstrated the special relationship between God and man;

ART

RENAISSANCE FAMILY AND SOCIETY  Shift in the relationship of family members and the ideas of property;  Move from the communal family (extended family unit with shared responsibilities) to the nuclear family (only parents and children);  The humanist approach focused on the relationship between parents and children rather than ties to one’s ancestral heritage as a single definer;  The ideas of marriage even changed as the relationship became more personal rather than a connection between families;

RENAISSANCE FAMILY AND SOCIETY  More was written to educate children - especially boys in the means by which a Renaissance gentleman was to act;  Boys should be taught the classics, literature, history, ethics and rhetoric (debate skills), in order to develop as a vital citizen;  Upper class women became educated, but they were still subject to the patriarchal system (male-dominated society);  As a result of the change to the nuclear family, the influence of women over the household grew as they could influence the child rearing;

RENAISSANCE FAMILY AND SOCIETY  The growth of the urban culture in Western Europe in the early Renaissance dictated a different economic and social structure;  The influence of the Black Death (plague that overcame Europe and destroyed 30% to 60% of the population in the mid 1300s) meant that the relationship between the workers (serfs) and the landowners (nobles) changed dramatically;  There was an increase in practices of slavery as a workforce up until the 1500s;  Many were from African societies, either as prisoners of war, or being bought and sold by Portuguese explorers;

NORTHERN RENAISSANCE  Development of Christian Humanism (early, simplistic version of Christianity – combination of Christianity and classical thought);  Apply reason to the secular and religious texts in order to better understand the role of religion in the life of men;  Very influential in the reform of religion in Europe – but did not break with the Catholic Church;  Authors were pious (devoted to religious thought) and challenged institutions that prevented the individual from achieving his God-given potential;

CHRISTIAN HUMANISTS Sir Thomas More - Utopia Desiderius Erasmus – In Praise of Folly

CENTRALIZED STATES  As the strong rulers and Christian spread across Europe a new type of state was emerging;  Individual city-states were being combined by ambitious and strong central leaders;  Feudal nobility were losing influence as the merchant and business classes combined with the developing monarchs to gain control of city-states;  By the beginning of the 16 th century there were already strong central monarchies in England, France and Spain – these would become important in the political developments in the following centuries;

NORTHERN MONARCHIES Henry VII (Tudor) (England) Louis XII (France) Charles V (Spain)

RENAISSANCE REVIEW  Secularism, civic duty, importance of the middle classes, pursuit of knowledge, centralization of state power;  Value of the classics and less value placed on the history of the Middle Ages – except as a tool of learning in order to not repeat errors of the past;  Spread of ideas through publications in print – the creation of moveable type by Johann Gutenberg in 1456 changed society; distribution of knowledge among the masses was a vital feature of this era;  The influence of this one invention would stretch through the next 500 years changing ever aspect of life;