1. The Renaissance 1300-1650 Began in Italy Spread north through Europe
Arrived late in England

2. What was the Renaissance?
What was the Renaissance, and where did it begin?
Renaissance = “rebirth” of classical Greek and Roman culture and learning
Italy
Italian Cities
Urban Societies
Major Trading Centers
Secular
Moved away from life in the church
Focuses more on material objects and enjoying life

3. The Crusades 1095-late 1200s

4. How did the Crusades contribute to the Renaissance?
• Increased demand for Middle Eastern products
• Stimulated production of goods to trade in Middle Eastern markets
• Encouraged the use of credit and banking

5. How did the Crusades contribute to the Renaissance?
• Church rule against usury and the banks developed practices of finagling interest, this helped to secularize northern Italy.
• Letters of credit served to expand the supply of money and expedite trade.
• New accounting and bookkeeping practices (use of Arabic numerals) were introduced.

6. Marco Polo

7. Ottoman Turks Capture Constantinople 1453
Scholars fled to Italy
Brought books and manuscripts written in Greek
Translated into Latin in Italy = restored knowledge of classical Greek
Secular education in Byzantine Empire hadn’t died out like in the West

8. Why Italy? Merchant Republics – similar to city states Oligarchies
Wealthy merchant rulers became important patrons of the arts and sciences
Location, Location, Location!

9. Location, Location, Location!
Why Italy?
Location, Location, Location!

10. Location, Location, Location!
Why Italy?
Location, Location, Location!

11. emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual
• Celebrated the individual
emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual
• Stimulated the study of Greek and Roman literature and culture
Humanism (idea or belief in) – Humanities (state or condition of) - Humanist (person who practices/concerned with something)

12. Optimism about human potential
RENAISSANCE HUMANISM
Optimism about human potential
Virtu: “the quality of being man”
Artists try to compete with great art of classical past

13. Humanists were laymen rather than clergy and had ‘literary occupations’
Teachers of humanities in universities
Secretaries in chancelleries of Italian city-states
Advisors or secretaries in courts of Princes or Popes

14. The Emergence of Humanism 14th C.
Petrarch ( )
First to characterize the Middle Ages as a period of darkness
Promoted mistaken belief that medieval culture was ignorant of classical antiquity
Gathered forgotten Latin manuscripts from monasteries throughout Europe

15. PETRARCH

16. Humanism in 15th C. Italy In the 14th C, Humanists lived in solitude
Rejected family & community life
Humanism became tied to community spirit and pride
New side called Civic Humanism
Modeled on Cicero, a statesman & intellectual

17. Civic Humanism, cont. Explained in The New Cicero by Leonardo Bruni
Inspiration for Renaissance ideal that “an individual grows to maturity both intellectually and morally through participation in the life of the state”
Reflected values of urban society
Humanists believed their services should be used by the state
Does this humanistic ideal still exist in our society today? If so, where?

18. Humanism in Education
Human beings could be profoundly changed by education
Founded secondary schools
Taught liberal arts & phys. ed.
History, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, logic, poetry, math, astronomy, music
Javelin, archery, dancing, running, wrestling, hunting, swimming
Wanted to produce individuals who were virtuous & wise, could convince others to be the same

19. painting of Massimiliano Sforza, the son of the duke of Milan, attending to his lessons.

20. RENAISSANCE MEN Leonardo da Vinci Michaelangelo
--men with driven, passionate, and compulsive personalities
--men who are highly accomplished in a variety of endeavors
Leonardo da Vinci
Michaelangelo
--engineering, painting, sculpting, writing, designing, inventing
--architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, poet