1. Geography, Humanism and the Rise of the Renaissance

2. So we looked at Geography but let’s take another look . . .

4. Location Matters
Italy is centrally located on the Mediterranean Sea with access from all directions for trade
This access and trade also makes it a perfect location for the transmission of new thoughts and ideas
That combined with Roman heritage creates the ideal place in Italy for the Renaissance to begin
So what are the big ticket items that allowed the Renaissance to begin in Italy?

5. Geography Italy was the centre of the Mediterranean
A crossroads for trade
The site of ancient culture in Roman Civilization
Inspiration could be found by looking at Roman architecture
New ideas by the Humanists escaping the fall of the Byzantine Empire find a following in Italy

6. Urbanization
In most of Europe around 10% of the population lived in cities but in Italy around 25% of the population lived in major city centres
Cities acted as magnets for trade, the spread of ideas and culture - during the Renaissance in Italy this was true as well

7. Social Factors
Nobles play a vital role in Italian life as money and cultural accomplishments matter more there than many other regions
A new elite is created with the blending of cash strapped aristocrats and new wealthy merchants - in these people achievement and name recognition matters - these families (ie, Medici’s) become huge patrons of the arts

8. Political Variety
In the 14th Century Italy is a collection of large and small city-states
There is no centralize authority like the Italian Government of today to stamp out potentially threatening ideas
As a result of competing political Centers (Rome, Florence, Venice etc.) culture thrives

9. Italy and Greece
Italy imitated the ancient Greek city- states or poleis and the Roman Republic
Citizenship and freedom within the cities trumped the greater region. Loyalty lay with your city
Renaissance thinkers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero etc. believed in a life of civic engagement
The greatest thinkers and patrons (often wealthy families) contributed most to the betterment of their city- state

10. Gutenburg and the Printing Press
Around 1439 Johannes Gutenberg creates movable type thereby creating the first printing press
The printing press is important because it allows for mass printing which in turn allows for the mass dissemination of information
This increased literacy across the population
It also makes literature more accessible to the citizenry and the literature was more open because the message wasn’t tightly controlled by the church
As a result, ideas that the church could once control or oppress were more easily spread such as secularism

11. Humanism

12. Humanism and its Strands
Humanists were fascinated with humans as the name would suggest and their innate potential
Humanism can be viewed in several important strands:

13. Secularism
People were encouraged to focus their attention on the here and now and not of the afterworld (this was different in the Middle Ages as most learning, medicine etc. was all based on the learnings and practice of the church)
Education being more accessible combined with an understanding of civic life reinforced the idea that man stood to gain rewards in the form of wealth, fame and status in this new world
In religious paintings humans take on increased importance - the artists are glorified more than the religious scene they are depicting (Michaelangelo, Rafael, DaVinci)

14. Classics
Ancient Greece and Rome act as a moral compass for the Humanists
They become engrossed in expanding their understanding and possession of ancient texts
Artists are inspired by the Ancients Roman philosophers, architects, historians etc and it guides their work going forward

15. Individualism
The idea that learning and human affairs should be the concern of all people in a state
People should be educated and participate actively in the affairs of the state
They should understand their place in the state

16. Power
It can easily be forgotten that despite all the beautiful art, writing, architecture; the Renaissance is ultimately about human control over the environment in which the Renaissance is occurring
Humanists aimed to provide tools with which humankind could master their environment (cartography, art etc.)
It should come as no surprise that the Age of Exploration comes on the heals of the Renaissance

17. The Thinkers

18. Teaching the Teacher
In your table groups you are going to research one of the following Writer/Philosophers:
Nicolo Machiavelli ( )
Vittorino da Feltre ( )
Pico della Mirandola ( )
Lorenzo de’Medici ( )
Petrarch ( )
Baldassar Castiglione ( )
Answer the following questions in your group by preparing a brief presentation for the class:
Who were they?
Where were they from?
Who did they learn from or were inspired by?
What did they believe?
What did they contribute to society? How was this in keeping with the principles of Humanism and the start of the Renaissance?
What are they best remembered for?
You will Present your presentation to the class. Try to include pictures to make it interesting. Use Google Presentations.

19. Resources http://www.flowofhistory.com/node/580
The Western Experience. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 10 edition (Nov )