Renaissance Geography

Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? Of all the places in Europe, why would the Renaissance happen to develop in Northern Italy? What did Northern Italy have that England, Spain, Russia, France, or any other country in Europe did not? As it turns out, Northern Italy happened to be in the right place at the right time!

Prime Location The Renaissance’s beginning in Italy is largely due to its geographical location. The boot of Italy is attached to the bottom of the middle of the continent and positioned in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy is a peninsula (surrounded by the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, and Mediterranean Seas) of both temperate and warmer climates, well suited throughout history for the development of seaports and inland cities that can be accessed through a series of rivers (the Po, Arno, and Tiber). This location sat at the crossroads of trade routes discovered during the Crusades, which allowed for the exchange of ideas (cultural diffusion).

Label Europe Italy Tyrrhenian Sea Mediterranean Sea Adriatic Sea Po River Tiber River Arno River

Despite the fact that the Roman Empire fell in the early 400’s AD, its network of roads influenced the spread of the Italian Renaissance.

Refuge of Scholars Italy was the core of the former Roman empire, and at the collapse of the Byzantine empire in 1453, became the refuge for the intellectuals of Constantinople. They brought with them many of the great works of the ancient Greeks and Romans, works that had been lost to the West during the Dark Ages. Prior to this, scholars in Italy had been examining the works of the ancients, but they were of poor quality and often incomplete.

Wealthy Merchant Class Several city-states in Italy started to rise in power. Merchant families gathered considerate power within each city-state and revised the laws governing banking, commerce, shipping, and trade. The freer atmosphere led to a busy exchange of both goods and ideas. The most powerful city-states Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan.

Label Milan Florence Venice Rome

Influence of the Church The Church controlled so much of the political, economic, and intellectual life in Europe. It gathered most of the best minds, wealthiest men, and most powerful leaders in Rome at one time or another.

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