1. Italy the Birthplace of the Renaissance
Section 1-1

2. Renaissance Time period from 1300 to 1600
Was a “rebirth” of art and learning
Focused on the individual and the potential for human growth and achievements

3. 3 Factors That Gave Rise to the Renaissance in Italy
City states
Wealthy merchant class
A return to classical Greece and Rome

4. Italian City-States
Italy had many urban centers while the rest of Europe was mainly rural
Cities were places where people exchanged new Renaissance ideas
Many people in a central area made it easier for ideas to spread

5. Wealthy Merchant Class
The Bubonic Plague killed a large portion of the population
This left few workers, which allowed them to demand better wages
With little opportunity to expand their businesses, many merchants turned to the arts

6. A Return to the Classics
Renaissance thinkers looked to Ancient Greece and Rome as sources of knowledge
Classical societies were viewed as more sophisticated than ones from the Middle Ages
Scholars used the Roman ruins around Italy and Latin texts to study the classics

7. The Power of the Individual
As scholars studied the classics, they began to focus on human potential and achievement
This is called humanism and it became a center point for Renaissance thinking

8. Renaissance Philosophy
Some people began to think of society in a secular or worldly view rather than a religious one
Many patrons or supporters of the arts began efforts to beautify Italian cities.

9. The Renaissance Man & Woman
The Renaissance man strove to excel in all areas of study (athletics, the arts, and intellectual studies)
The Renaissance woman was expected to inspire but not create, to be intelligent but not take active roles in society

10. Leonardo da Vinci He was the ideal Renaissance Man
He was a painter, sculptor, scholar and scientist
One of his most famous pieces was the Mona Lisa

11. Changes in Literature
Writers began to write in the Vernacular which was writing in native language rather than in Latin (you write in French in France and English in England)

12. Machiavelli
A Renaissance writer and author of the Prince – a political handbook that advised rulers on how to rule their subjects