1. Why The Renaissance began in Italy And…. The Northern Renaissance

2. Why did the Renaissance Begin in Italy?

3. The Right Conditions Renaissance is a French word meaning “re-birth”
Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy and later in places like England and Germany?
Heartland of the old Roman Empire
Geographic location
Climate
City States

4. Heartland of the Old Roman Empire
Still used Roman Law
Clear legal code made trade and business easier.
Didn’t have to work with medieval law
Presence of ruins and art
Many of it survived
Inspired Italian artists and Architects.
Brunelleshi & the dome
Classicalism
Botticelli
Michelangelo

5. Physical Geography Italy had a collection of city-states Good harbours
Automatically became large and powerful because they served as centers for trade.
This also meant that ideas and knowledge spread.
Two largest Port cities
Venice
Genoa

6. Mountainous Peninsula
Mountains can make trade difficult
Have only a few well established trade routes - but they are busy! Grew rich on the proceeds of trade.
Everybody has to travel through them to get anywhere.
The Arno River
Florence located on the plains of the Arno & on a major trade route
Helped agriculture
Made Florence the most powerful city.

7. Climate Milder than the countries North of the Alps.
Winter weather did not disrupt travel & trade
Did in the North
Food was plentiful all year
People had more time to devote to spare time because they didn’t have to work all the time.

8. Relative Location

9. Close ties to Muslim world
Italy had closer ties than the rest of Europe to the Muslim world in the south and east.
Italy was near the rich port cities in Africa & the Middle East
Trade with these lands was easier & cheaper.
Hub of knowledge
Introduced to Science, medicine, and astronomy.
Access to new foods & products
Oranges, lemons, coffee, sugar

10. Trade = Wealth With trade came Wealth…. ….which in turn
allowed the arts to
flourish!

11. The City-States Florence & Venice
The Renaissance flourished in City-States (the city and rural area surrounding it.
The surrounding area called the Hinterland, provided the food, and other necessities.

12. So,….why did it begin in Italy
The right location
A rich history and ancestral connection
A great climate
Strong City-States
Opportunity for wealth
People had money to invest
They became the patrons!

13. Ah, Italy…..