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Renaissance the Renaissance Approx Renaissance The Renaissance approx. 1300 – 1600 (texts vary) • Means “rebirth,” specifically the rebirth of classical knowledge (ancient Greece & Rome) • “Birth” of the modern world (beginning of modern European history) • Bridges the Middle Ages to Modern Times • Begins in northern Italy (Florence) & spreads to the Italian city-states & then northern Europe (c.1450) By contrast to continental Europe, the Renaissance did not begin in England until the 16th century & lasted until the early 17th century (the time of Shakespeare) Renaissance vs. the Middle Ages • Renaissance was secular, not religious • Individual, not the group, was emphasized during the Renaissance • Renaissance occurred in urban ($), not rural, areas • It was the awakening of the human spirit - feelings & thoughts The Renaissance begins in Italy • Center of Greco-Roman civilization • Centrally located • Advantages of northern Italian city-states – Large urban centers – Wealth from trade – Merchants as patrons of the arts Rise of the Italian City-States • Northern Italian cities (centrally located) developed international trade which was linked to the Crusades & the Spice Trade – Cities included Genoa, Venice, Milan – The Renaissance started in Florence and followed the success of the Medici family which built their power on great wealth from banking & the manufacture & commerce of textiles Politics among the Italian City-States • Competition among the city-states meant that Italy did not unify politically which would lead to their downfall in the late 15th and early 16th centuries when French & Spanish armies invaded Italy • Before their downfall, an early balance-of- power pattern emerged • Italy would not unite until the mid-19th c. Major city-states & figures 1. Republic of Florence - Center of the Renaissance in the 14th & 15th Cs - Dominated by the Medici family - most powerful: Cosimo de’ Medici - Lorenzo de’ Medici (the “Magnificent”) - significant patron of the arts - son of Cosimo 2. Duchy of Milan – ruled by the Sforza family after 1450 - major enemy of Venice & Florence - Peace of Lodi (1454) creates a 40-yr period of peace which was, in part, a response to concerns over the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (1453) - this conquest threatened trade for western Europe 3. Rome, the Papal States - popes served as both religious & political leaders - controlled much of central Italy 4. Venice, Venetian Republic - longest lasting of the Italian states (did not fall to a foreign power until Napoleon conquered it in the early 1800s) - greatest maritime power in Italy 5. Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies - only Italian city-state to officially have a king - controlled first by France and then by Spain after 1453 • Renaissance Italy was largely the product of an urban society: – City-states became the centers of Italian political, economic, & social life. – A secular spirit emerged as increasing wealth created new possibilities for the enjoyment of worldly things. – Large urban centers helped promote wealth from trade which led merchants to become patrons of the arts which in turn helped promote literature, art, & science • Above all, the Renaissance was an age of recuperation from the calamitous 14th century. • As Italy & the rest of Europe recovered from the Black Death, political disorder, & economic recession, there was a rebirth of interest in classical antiquity. • Linking to their own historical past, Italian intellectuals became fascinated w/ the Greco-Roman culture Renaissance Characteristics • Was high culture: applied mainly to the upper class • Was not religious or scientific but moral & personal, ie. individualistic • Basis for the Renaissance – economic growth More Characteristics • There was a revived emphasis on individual ability and that each person had dignity and worth (ex. Portrait painting and autobiographies) • People began to view life as worthwhile for its own sake, not a preparation for the hereafter • Emphasized reason and a questioning attitude (contrasts w/ faith, authority, & tradition) Even More Characteristics • Marriage vows were business arrangements which promoted increased wealth • The popolo (poor class) hated their position and used force to take over the cities • The popolo could not retain power and were later replaced by despots (signori) or oligarchies (merchant aristocracies) • Despots showed their wealth by patronizing the arts – Medici family was an example • Individual was loyal to their own city-state (recall ancient Greece) • Five city-states dominated the peninsula: Venice, Milan, Florence, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Naples • Cesare Borgia (Machiavelli’s hero and son of Pope Alexander VI) tried to unite the peninsula • While Northern Europe was uniting - Italy remained fragmented (like a jigsaw puzzle) • Signing and breaking alliances was common Decline of Italian city-states • French invasions began in 1494 under Charles VIII – This was the beginning of foreign invasions throughout the Italian peninsula Decline cont’d • Florence – Medici family lost power when they attempted to appease the French – Though the Medici would return to power years later, Florence was already severely weakened – Enter Girolamo Savonarola • Girolamo Savonarola of Florence, a Dominican friar, became the unofficial leader b/t 1494-1498. • He pledged to rid Florence of its decadence & corruption • In effect, he established a theocracy - Initially people supported him but later he was burned Italy became a battleground in a series of power struggles between Spain & France Political developments in Italy were observed by Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince by Machiavelli • For Machiavelli, a “good” government was an effective government • His work rests on 2 principles: – Permanent social order reflecting God’s will is impossible – Politics should be considered a science • First modern treatise on government • Supported absolute power of the monarchy • Provided guidelines for the acquisition & maintenance of power: – “it was better to be feared than to be loved” – the ruler must act swiftly & decisively – the “end justifies the means,” ie. right or wrong does not matter – do good if possible, evil when necessary – build the power of the state The Sack of Rome • The 1527 sack of Rome by armies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who was also king of Spain) symbolized the end of the Renaissance in Italy Renaissance Developments • The Renaissance was characterized by a self-conscious awareness that Italians were living in a new era • One of the founders of this movement was Petrarch who coined the term “Dark Ages” • The Renaissance was seen as the light after the gloom of the Dark Ages • The Roman Empire was seen as the peak of human civilization, and the Renaissance was a type of revival for the classics • Artists of the Renaissance had contempt for medieval predecessors • But most people lived exactly the same in the Renaissance period as the medieval period • A deep interest in Latin, a revival of the antiquity lifestyle, and a more secular spirit are associated w/ the Renaissance • A new individualism now appeared Individualism stressed: a) personality b) uniqueness c) fullest development of capabilities d) the quest for glory Individualism & the great potential of human beings came to be associated with humanism. Humanism Characteristics: 1. revival of antiquity (Greece & Rome) in philosophy, literature and art - the study of the classics became known as “new learning” or “humanism” - Cicero (from ancient Rome) considered this important for anyone who considered himself civilized - sought to reconcile pagan writings w/ Christian thought 2. a strong belief in individualism and the great potential of human beings, their achievements & capabilities - Virtu: “the quality of being a man”; - idea of excelling in all of one’s pursuits 3. a critical spirit & enthusiasm for life 4. Civic humanism: the idea that education should prepare leaders who would be active in civic affairs 5. Often, humanism was more secular and lay dominated Italian Humanists 1. were deeply religious who sought to reconcile pagan writings (the classics) w/ Christian thought 2. were skeptical of the authority of the classics because of the passage of time 3. did study the classics to understand human nature 4. were very Christian - men and women were made in God’s image 5. rejected classical ideas that opposed Christianity but sought a harmony between paganism, secularism, and Christianity. 6. loved the language of the classics Petrarch • “father of humanism” • Wrote in both Latin & Italian • Encouraged the study of ancient Rome and its classical literary style • Wrote beautiful sonnets (poems) expressing romantic love & appreciation of nature - many of his sonnets expressed his love for a married woman named Laura Pico della Mirandola Authored Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486) 1. Perhaps the most famous Renaissance work on the nature of humankind 2. Humans were created by God & therefore given tremendous potential for greatness, & even union with God if they desired it (represents the “spark of divinity”) 3. Humans had free will to be great or fall Baldassare Castiglione Authored The Book of the Courtier (1528) 1. Perhaps the most important work on Renaissance education 2. Specified qualities necessary to be a true gentleman 3. Described the ideal of a “Renaissance man” ( recall virtu) Secularism Concerned with the material world not the eternal world Lorenzo Valla’s On Pleasure defended pleasure; also wrote On the False Donation of Constantine which
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