The Renaissance was an era of rebirth of thought, literature, and art. It began in Italy and moved to northern European cities. The Roman Emperor Constantine moved his capital from Rome to the Greek-speaking city of Byzantium. Rome fell to Germanic invaders, the Byzantine Empire continued in southeast Europe. The Byzantine Empire fell to Ottomans. Christian scholars left Greece for Italy. Italian cities began to grown economically: Milan, Naples, Rome, Venice

Francesco Petrarch: Wrote sonnets about his ideal woman Laura. Credited with the term “Dark Ages” for the Medieval period. Baldassare Castiglione: wrote a guide book on gentlemanly behavior for nobles called “The Book of Courtier” Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron which was a collection of short stories told by people fleeing Italian cities during the era of the Black Death

Nicolo Machiavelli: The most famous of the Renaissance writers. The Prince, the best known work of the Renaissance period. It was intended as a guidebook for the eventual leader of all of Italy and as a reference for rulers everywhere. He wrote that it was better for a leader to be feared than loved, and advocated that a "prince" should do anything necessary to maintain his power and achieve his goals. “men are ungrateful liars and deceivers” “the end justifies the means”

Others: Desiderious Erasmus: from the Netherlands. in his work “Praise of Folly” wrote that education was the key to reform of the clergy that her called corrupt and ignorant. St. Thomas More: British author who described the ideal Society in “Utopia”

Donatello: created the bronze statue of David. Expressed ugliness to show inner beauty. Authors Raphael: Best known for portraits of Mary and baby Jesus.

Probably the two most famous: Da Vinci: The Mona Lisa and the Last Supper He was a sculptor, musician, scientist, and inventor. He was a Renaissance man; a polymath. A person’s whose expertise crosses many genre. Michelanglo: famous for frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Also designed St. Peters Dome.