1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Family Tree

6. 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

7. Artists Commissioned by Cosimo
The Rout of San Romano, Ucello

8. The Nativity, Fra Angelico

9. Santa Maria Novella, Leon Baptista Alberti

10. St. Mark, Donatello

11. 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

12. Tomb of the Medici, Michelangelo

13. 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