Florence, the Birthplace of the Renaissance Began in Florence and spread north to the rest of Europe Florence had banks, trading centers, & manufacturing Merchants became the new class of aristocrats Education & the arts became ways of showing wealth & had high importance

Emergence of the Middle Class Business & trade increased along Europe’s rivers- Danube, Rhone, & Rhine Growing economy improved the quality of life for many in these areas A new class of people emerged from the surge in the economy- a middle class The Middle Class earned moderate profits from their businesses which led to them having leisure time, reading, & shopping in towns

Political Changes & the Rise of Learning Middle Ages Renaissance Royalty & noble landowners held all the power in the land Only those of nobility or those undertaking a religious life could read Europe was one of the poorest & ignorant lands Trade made merchants, traders, & artisans wealthy & power began to shift to them Universities opened where people could study mathematics, sciences, & philosophy Became to wealthiest & most sophisticated region in the world

Medici Family- Florence, Italy Considered the Godfather’s of the Renaissance Wealthy family from Florence, Italy Paid artist & architects to create new buildings & works of art throughout the region Artists inspired by Greek & Roman works Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence

Family Tree

Rise of Cosimo de’Medici Became head of powerful family bank, and amassed a fortune because he became banker to the pope, and his bank also spread to all the important financial markets throughout Europe. Cosimo was very interested in a rebirth of classical ideas and even went so far as to recreate Plato’s ancient academy in Carregi. Cosimo was also a very religious man and much of his patronage of the arts was rooted in his religious fervor. Cosimo spent a considerable portion of his wealth on the arts Amassed the largest library in Europe Supported artists such as Ghiberti, Brunellechi, Donatello, Alberti, Fra Angelico, and Ucello Florence became cultural center of Europe

Artists Commissioned by Cosimo The Rout of San Romano, Ucello

The Nativity, Fra Angelico

Santa Maria Novella, Leon Baptista Alberti

St. Mark, Donatello

Fall of Cosimo de’Medici Political career in shambles after Florence’s unsuccessful campaign against Lucca Campaign engineered by Brunelleschi to flood city of Lucca, containing water with giant dam Plan backfired when dam broke and flooded camps of Florence as well In September 1433, Cosimo was imprisoned on charges of plotting to overthrow the government Cosimo was then banished to Venice, resulting in the loss of Brunelleschi’s most powerful patron

Tomb of the Medici, Michelangelo

Post-Medici – The Initial Fall From Power Girolamo Savonarola was a preacher who settled in Florence in 1489. He attacked the tyranny of the Medici family in his sermons, and when in 1494, Charles VIII of France invaded Italy, the Medici’s lost power, and Savonarola took control, putting Florence under extremely rigid control. Eventually, Savonarola’s followers turned on him, and he was killed. Girolamo Savonarola