1. The Renaissance

2. What was the Renaissance?
What was the Renaissance, and where did it begin?
Renaissance = “rebirth” of classical Greek and Roman culture and learning
Italy Cities
Urban Societies
Major Trading Centers
Secular
Moved away from life in the church
Focuses more on material objects and enjoying life

3. The Crusades 1095-late 1200s

4. How did the Crusades contribute to the Renaissance?
• Increased demand for Middle Eastern products
• Stimulated production of goods to trade in Middle Eastern markets
• Encouraged the use of credit and banking

5. How did the Crusades contribute to the Renaissance?
• Church rule against usury  the banks developing practices of finagling interest, this helped to secularize northern Italy.
• Letters of credit served to expand the supply of money and expedite trade.
• New accounting and bookkeeping practices (use of Arabic numerals) were introduced.

6. Marco Polo
Made Europeans aware of Chinese inventions

7. Ottoman Turks Capture Constantinople 1453 – End of Byzantine Empire
The university is closed and scholars flee to Italy bringing manuscripts of Greek and Roman literature and law preserved by the Byzantines

8. Why Italy? Merchant Republics – similar to city states Oligarchies
Wealthy merchant rulers became important patrons of the arts and sciences
Location, Location, Location!

9. Location, Location, Location!
Why Italy?
Location, Location, Location!

10. Location, Location, Location!
Why Italy?
Location, Location, Location!

11. emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual
• Celebrated the individual
emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual
• Stimulated the study of Greek and Roman literature and culture
Humus – EARTH or GROUND Humanism (idea or belief in) – Humanities (state or condition of) - Humanist (person who practices/concerned with something)

12. Optimism about human potential
RENAISSANCE HUMANISM
Optimism about human potential
Virtu: “the quality of being man”
Artists try to compete with great art of classical past

13. Humanists were laymen rather than clergy and had ‘literary occupations’
Teachers of humanities in universities
Advisors or secretaries in courts of Princes, popes, and chancelleries of Italian city-states

14. The Emergence of Humanism
Petrarch ( )
First to characterize the Middle Ages as a period of darkness (how arrogant!)
Promoted mistaken belief that medieval culture was ignorant of classical antiquity (hard to do when Roman ruins are sticking out of the ground across one’s farmland)
Gathered forgotten Latin manuscripts from monasteries throughout Europe

15. PETRARCH
Apollo (who wore a laurel wreath) embodied; victory, achievement and status
Victors of ancient Greek poetic meets = Laurel Wreaths
Symbols of graduated student; having master’s degree

16. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola
Age 23 claimed all human knowledge in 900 theses
On the Dignity of Man (1486)
Man posses great dignity b/c made as Adam in God’s image
B/C of the divine image, there’s no limits to what he can accomplish
Thus = retains a Christian perspective
There’s an underlying tone of optimism –Also reflects enthusiasm for learning in his day

17. Humanism in 15th C. Italy
Humanism became tied to community spirit and pride
New side called Civic Humanism
Modeled on Cicero, a Roman statesman & intellectual
A life of involvement was prized

18. Civic Humanism, cont. Leonardo Bruni Florentine chancellor
Saw the past as clearly the past, introduced new division of historical periods
The New Cicero
Inspiration for Renaissance ideal that “an individual grows to maturity both intellectually and morally through participation in the life of the state”
Humanists believed their services should be used by the state

19. Humanism in Education
Human beings could be profoundly changed by education
Founded secondary schools
Taught liberal arts & phys. ed.
History, philosophy, rhetoric, grammar, logic, poetry, math, astronomy, music
Javelin, archery, dancing, running, wrestling, hunting, swimming
Wanted to produce individuals who were virtuous & wise, could convince others to be the same

20. painting of Massimiliano Sforza, the son of the duke of Milan, attending to his lessons.

21. RENAISSANCE MEN Leonardo da Vinci Michaelangelo
--men with driven, passionate, and compulsive personalities
--men who are highly accomplished in a variety of endeavors
Leonardo da Vinci
Michaelangelo
--engineering, painting, sculpting, writing, designing, inventing
--architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, poet