1. The Northern Renaissance
Essential Question: “To What Extent Does Cultural Diffusion Impact Society?”

2. Northern Renaissance
Like the Greek/Roman writings inspired the Italian thinkers, the new arts, technology and ideas of the Renaissance inspired and spread to to Northern European countries such as France, England, and German
Ex. Painters: Durer (German), van Eyck (Flemish), Bruegel (Flemish)

3. Geographical Advantage of Italy
Lets look at the Map - - look at the Italian city states- whre are they located? Thinka bout the time? Why is this an advantageous location. In terms of trade? and Influence? How did most people travel far at this time? By boat etc
Geography, more than anything else, gave Italy an advantage over northern Europe in regard to potential for amassing wealth and breaking free from the feudal system. Jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, and strategically located between the majority of Europe and the Byzantine Empire, Italian cities had almost no choice but to participate in international trade and the market economy, and to integrate the activities of commerce into daily life. In this way, Italy became exposed to the large-scale flow of both goods and ideas much earlier than most other regions in Europe. Thus, during the later years of the Middle Ages, northern Italy flourished economically and intellectually. Further, because Italy's maintained its market economy while the rest of Europe developed a self- contained barter economy of feudal territories spawned by agrarian life, feudalism did not take hold in northern Italy as it did elsewhere in Europe. In both society and mind, it can be argued, northern Italy was more sophisticated and freer than the rest of Europe.
The history and ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans, cast into shadow throughout Europe in medieval times, had perhaps remained closer to the surface of contemporary thought in Italy than elsewhere, due to the geographical location of the Italian city-states, which had been built basically on top of the ruins of the Roman Empire. However, this geographical proximity should not be overstated. Even in the city of Rome, the buildings of the empire had fallen into ruin, and many were covered by centuries of waste and overgrowth. It seems unlikely, but even the citizens of Rome who lived in the shadow of the Coliseum and the Pantheon had little sense and less reverence for the history around them during the Middle Ages. The Greek influence on the cities of northern Italy was maintained by the trade with the Byzantine Empire, which had as its byproduct the flow of ideas and history. The Greek influence grew throughout the late fourteenth century and into the fifteenth, as the Ottoman Turks increasingly threatened Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire, which finally fell in This constant pressure forced many Greeks into refuge in northern Italy, which benefited greatly from the treasures and knowledge of ancient Greece that these refugee/immigrants they brought with them. Many Italian and Greek contemporaries commented that it seemed Constantinople had not fallen at all, but simply been transplanted to Florence.

4. Why did the Renaissance Move North?
1450‘s - Bubonic Plague and Hundred Years War end -- leads population and urban growth in N. Europe
N. European monarchs begin to sponsor the arts, similarly to patrons like the Medicis
War erupted in Italy over political struggles - artists moved north out of Italy for safety bringing ideas with them
Artists from N. Europe studied in Italy and began to return home with new Renaissance ideas

5. Northern Renaissance: England
Made it to England in the mid 1500’s - Elizabethan Age
William Shakespeare - drew on classics for inspiration - plays drew on Greek framework - i.e tragedies and comedies
Tragedies: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet
Comedies: Midsummer Nights Dreams, Taming of the Shrew

6. The Printing Press
Chinese invented block printing/movable type around 1045
During 1200’s, block printed items made their way to Europe
Johann Gutenberg invents movable type printing press to print complete books - facilitating the spread of ideas through books and pamphlets

7. Albrecht Durer
- traveled to italy in was influenced by Renaissance. A lot of religious subjects also realistic landscapes, portrayed self as Renaissance man, inspired other arts.
ALso influenced by classics- included greek myths or greek style with christian religious tones

9. Hans Holbein

11. Jan van Eyck
development of iol based paints -easier blending. create subtler colors that actually spread technique to italy. his paintings were extremely realistic and showed personality of subjects

12. Pieter Bruegel the Elder
rich colors, details, produced large scenes of peasant life - teaches morals

13. Christian Humanism
Christian Humanists - a group of writers and thinkers concerned with improving society.
Believed Christianity was in the heart rather than through ceremonies/rulers
Tried to shed light on greed and corruption in society
Erasmus - “In Praise of Folly” - satire of greedy merchants and clergy
Sir Thomas More - “Utopia” - ideal place

14. What is a Satire?
Satire - the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices

15. Vernacular
In both the northern and Italian renaissance, growth in writing in the common language versus latin.

16. Connecting to the Essential Questions...
How is the Northern Renaissance and the concept of Christian Humanism an example of cultural diffusion?