The Late Middle Ages And the Renaissance

The Black Death  loss of 1/3 of European population (mostly in cities)  Causes: bubonic plague carried by fleas on Asian black rats; poor sanitation, overcrowded homes, poor health, poor hygiene, poor housing  Results: Severe impact on European economy; in some areas workers enjoyed higher wages;  Best of clergy died (staying behind to help the sick); Jews blamed; serfdom ended in many areas; first enclosure of fields in Britain

Crisis in the Catholic Church  Early Criticisms of the church  Marsiglio de Padua: Defender of Peace – Church should be subordinate to the state Church should be governed by a council of laity and priests superior to pope.  John Wyclif ( ): church should only follow Scripture; English translation of Bible; his later followers were Lollards  John Huss ( ): ideas similar to Wyclif; nationalist party in Czech (Bohemia)  Hussites: followers of Huss who staged large rebellions in 14th century.

Crisis in the Catholic Church  Babylonian Captivity ( ): 7 successive popes resided at Avignon, France. Damaged papal prestige (esp. in England & Germany); Rome’s economy damaged  Great Schism (c ): Further conflict led to election of two popes—one in Rome, one in France; further hurt prestige of church.  Conciliar Movement ( ): Council of Pisa and Council of Constance, ended schism; failed as movement to put power in a church council; pope’s power still supreme

Hundred Years’ War ( )  Cause—English lays claim to large areas of French land.  Three phases:  Early English Victories: Crecy (1346) and Poitiers (1356)  French reclaim territory and stalemate  English victories: Agincourt (1415), French regain lands –Joan of Arc: led French army to victory at Orleans during crucial stage of the war  Results: France kicks England out; creation of modern nation states begin (“New Monarchs”). Innovations in war technology: longbow, cannon, infantry. Decimation of landed nobles.

Northern Italian Economy  Cities developed international trade: Genoa, Venice, Milan.  popolo (middle class) took power in 13th century; republican gov’t short-lived  signori (despots) or oligarchies (rule of merchant aristocracies) by 1300  commenda: Contract between merchant and “merchant-adventurer” who agreed to take goods to distant locations and return with the proceeds (for 1/3 of profits)

Italian City States, 1454

Politics of Italian City-States  Republic of Florence (Included Republic of Genoa) – Medici family  Cosimo De’Medici ( ): allied with other powerful families of Florence and became unofficial ruler of the republic  Lorenzo the Magnificent ( ): lavish patron of the arts of the arts

Politics of Italian City-States  Girolamo Savonarola ( ) – theocracy in Florence ; (predicted French invasion due to paganism and moral decay of Italian city-states); burned at the stake Charles VIII ( ), French invasions of Italy; Italy became battleground for international ambitions

Politics of Italian City-States  Duchy of Milan -- Sforza family (Caterina Sforza ( ), great art patron)  Rome, the Papal States – papacy (“Renaissance popes”)  Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Venice, Venetian Republic  Isabella d’Este ( ): most famous Renaissance female ruler (ruled Mantua)  condottieri: leaders of private armies hired by cities for military purposes

Humanism  Humanism -- Revival of antiquity (Greece and Rome) in literature  Individualism/ secularism: “man is the measure of all things”  virtú: the quality of being a great man in whatever noble pursuit  Education: (emphasis on Latin and Greek)

Humanism  Petrarch—( ) “Dark Ages” metaphor; “father of humanism” and 1st modern writer, literature no longer subordinate to religion  Dante – Divine Comedy  Boccacio – Decameron: aimed to impart wisdom of human character and behavior.  Pico della Mirandola ( ) Oration on the Dignity of Man; Platonic academy  Baldassare Castiglione ( ) – The Book of the Courtier

Humanism  Leonardo Bruni ( ) – wrote history of Florence; division of historical periods; narrative form; civic humanist; first to use term “humanism”  Lorenzo Valla ( )—On the False Donation of Constantine (1444); study of Latin Constantine (1444); study of Latin  Niccolo Machiavelli ( ) -- The Prince ( ) -- The Prince (1513) – Cesare Borgia (1513) – Cesare Borgia

New Artistic Styles  Look to Roman and Greek influences.  Use of realistic perspective in depicting scenes.  Portrait painting becomes popular.  Depiction of Renaissance ideals.  New dignity of the individual

Early Renaissance  Florence the leader in Renaissance art esp. in quattrocento (1400s)  Filippo Brunelleschi ( ) – architect of cathedrals (il duomo in Florence)  Leon Battista Alberti ( ), architect of cathedrals.  Lorenzo Ghiberti ( ) -- sculptor: bronze doors for Florentine baptistry  Donatello ( – sculptor: David (in bronze)  Masaccio ( ) painter: nude human figures  Giovanni Bellini ( ) – Portrait of a Condottiere  Benvenuto Cellini ( ) – goldsmith and sculptor

Giotto di Bondone ( )  Considered to be the Father of the Italian Renaissance  Broke with linear style of Middle Ages.  First to us chiaroscuro.  Reputed to be a shrewd and witty character.  Praised by the poet Dante.

Giotto - The Mourning of Christ

Sandro Botticelli ( )  Spent almost his entire life in Florence.  Only significant journey was to Rome to work on Sistine Chapel.  Died in obscurity and his fame was not reestablished until the 19 th century.

Botticelli-Primavera

Botticelli- Birth of Venus

High Renaissance  “High Renaissance” centered in Rome ( ) – cinquecento (1500s)  Most worldly of Renaissance popes – Alexander VI ( ); Julius II ( ); and Leo X ( ), funded great art projects  Characteristics: classical balance, harmony, restraint

Leonardo da Vinci ( )  Painter, sculptor, architect and engineer.  Often left work unfinished.  Conducted extensive scientific studies.  Invented the armored tank and designed aircraft.

Da Vinci – The Last Supper

Michelangelo Buonarotti ( )  Sculptor, painter, architect, and poet.  Tormented genius who was rarely satisfied with his talents.  In painting and sculpture his work focused mainly on the nude human form.

Michelangelo – La Pieta

Michelangelo – Sistine Chapel

Raphael Sanzio ( )  Child prodigy in the world of art.  Patronized by the popes and named Papal Architect in  Died of fever at age 37.

Raphael – Three Graces

Raphael – School of Athens

Printing Press (c. 1456)  Johann Gutenberg – spread of humanistic literature to rest of Europe.  By 1480, 380 printing presses in Europe (1000 by 1500)

Christian Humanism  Attempted to find a balance between religious and secular concerns  Rejected the “otherworldliness” of the Middle Ages.  Emphasis on early church writings for answers to improve society.

Christian Humanist Writers  Desiderius Erasmus (Erasmus of Rotterdam) ( ) – In Praise of Folly; most famous intellectual of his times, criticized the church: “Erasmus lay the egg that Luther hatched”  Thomas More ( ) – Utopia – creates ideal society on an island; but to achieve harmony and order people have to sacrifice individual rights

Christian Humanist Writers  Jacques Lefevre d’Etables ( ): leading French humanist; produced 5 versions of the Psalms that challenged a single authoritative Bible.  Francesco Ximenes de Cisneros ( ): reformed Spanish clergy and church, Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition

Northern Renaissance Arts  Low Countries (Dutch Republic, Flanders and parts of Germany, etc) produced especially important artists.  Jan and Hubert Van Eyck –First successful use of oil painting –Worked mainly in Ghent, Belgium.

Peter Brueghel ( )  Focused on lives of ordinary people.  Painted great landscapes  Also worked on religious subjects  Completed most of his work in Antwerp and Brussels

Peter Brueghel – Peasant Wedding

Albrecht Durer ( )  German – foremost northern Renaissance artist  Famous for woodcuts and engravings.  Paintings include a number of self protraits

Albrecht Durer – The Last Supper

Hans Holbein the Younger ( )  Son of Gothic artist.  German painter who studied in Italy  Painted portraits of Erasmus, Thomas More, King Henry VIII, his wives, and Mary Tudor

Hans Holbein – The Ambassadors

Domenikos El Greco ( ): painter: mannerism  Painter in Spain (of Greek nationality)  Famous for unique style known as mannerism.  Subjects depict religious mysticism of the period in Spain

El Greco – Death of Duke of Orgaz

Vernacular Writers  France –Francois Rabelais’ ( ) Gargantua and Pantagruel –Michel de Montaigne ( ) Essays relativist in religion and morality

Vernacular Writers  England –Edmund Spenser (1552 – 1599) composed romantic epic Faerie Queen –Christopher Marlowe (1564 – 1593) skilled playwright and poet –William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) poet and playwright. Wrote plays that best exemplfied the varieties of human experience. –Ben Jonson (1572 – 1673) poet and dramatist who created plays in the Greek style.

Vernacular Writers  Spain –Miguel de Cervantes (1547 – 1615) Wrote Don Quixote. Regarded as one of the great novels of the period. –Felix Lope de Vega ( ) wrote in every major literary style. Created over 1500 plays, of which 500 survive.