2. Renaissance
Essential Question: What characteristics distinguish the Renaissance from the Middle Ages?

3. THE RENAISSANCE
Renaissance means “rebirth” – centered in Italy in the 15th century –the Quattrocento – a new era of thought and feeling.
Transition between “medieval” and “modern” world
The Renaissance introduced a purely secular (worldly rather than spiritual) attitude.
Age of recovery from the calamitous fourteenth century, a time for the slow process of recuperating from the effects of the Black Death, political disorder, and economic recession. Medieval Europe was a fragmented feudal society with and agricultural based economy. Thought and culture was dominated by the church.
14th century painting of Florence, the great symbol of the Renaissance.

4. “Rebirth” Renewed interest in classical antiquity Humanism
Greco-Roman Civilization
Humanism
Individualism
Occurred mainly in the wealthy upper classes,
But also effected ordinary people
Historians describe classical Greek and Romans times as burst of creativity in a short span of time. The Renaissance can be described in a similar way.
“The Birth of Venus”
Botticelli

5. Europe in the Renaissance

6. Italian City-States
Milan, Venice, Florence, Papal States, Kingdom of Naples, Genoa, Sicily
No Political Unity
Competition
Alliances shifted all the time
Oligarchy-ruled by a few powerful individuals
Balancing of power
After 1494 Italy a battleground

7. Italian City-States Secular Wealthy Non-religious
Strategic location between East and West
TRADE benefits merchants
Banking
Medici Family
New wealth=new possibilities for worldly things
Patron
Wealthy supporter of the arts
Medici family started in cloth production and expanded into commerce, real estate and banking. Greatest bank in all of Europe in the 15th century. At one time they were the principle bankers to the pope (gained them enormous profits and influence)

8. The Arts Mostly still religious BUT… Style
Becomes more secular, classical (ancient Greece and Rome
Style
Painting and Sculpting
Naturalistic
Realistic
Human body glorified
Perspective, Chiaroscuro

9. Humanism Petrarch Humanism Father of Humanism Intellectual movement
Study of Classical literary works
Studia humanitatis (the studies of humanities
Grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy or ethics, history
Rhetoric-the study of effective speaking and writing
Petrarch

10. Civic Humanism Developed in Florence
Moral, social and political philosophy that required
Active, patriotic citizenship
Ethics
Emphasis on education
Based on Ideas of Cicero
Duty of an intellectual to live an active life for one’s state
The New Cicero
Biography of Cicero by Leonardo Bruni
Promoted individual virtue and public service. Used rhetorical speech to rally Florentines against the aggression of Naples and Milan. Towards the end of the Renaissance, many humanists became snobby, more concerned with narrow scholarly interests than in reviving civic and social life. Machiavelli was a reaction to this (wrote in Italian NOT Latin)
Leonardo Bruni
( )

11. Education in the Renaissance
Liberal Studies
History, moral philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, logic, poetry, math, astronomy and music
Physical Education
Education geared towards the ruling elite
Females largely absent from these schools
Greek idea-sound mind in a sound body.
Vittorino da Feltre founded a school in 1423 in Mantua to provide a humanist education for the ruler’s children

12. Education in the Renaissance
Education geared towards the ruling elite
Females largely absent from these schools
Baldassare Castiglione ( )
Book of the Courtier
Book of Etiquette
Greek idea-sound mind in a sound body. Middle Ages adults acted like big children; they spat, belched and blew their noses without inhibition, snatched at food with their fingers, bawled at each other when aroused, or sulked when their feelings were offended. The “courtier” according to Castiglione, should be a man of good birth, but is chiefly the product of training. His education in youth, and his efforts in mature years, should be directed toward mixing agreeably in the company of his equals. His clothes should be neat, his movements graceful, his approach to other people perfectly poised. He must converse with facility, be proficient in sports and arms, and know who to dance and appreciate music. He should know Latin and Greek. With literary and other subjects he should show a certain familiarity but never become too engrossed… Translated into numerous languages and hundreds of editions printed before Its ideal was inculcated for centuries by private tutors and in the schools.
Vittorino da Feltre founded a school in 1423 in Mantua to provide a humanist education for the ruler’s children

13. Humanism and Philosophy
Florentine Platonic Academy
Informal discussion group
Dedicated to translating Plato’s works into Latin
Sponsored by Cosimo de’ Medici
Led by Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola
Neo-Platonism
A revival of Platonic philosophy associated with Marsilio Ficino, who attempted to synthesize Christianity and Platonism
Close-up of Plato
“The School of Athens”
Raphael