The Early Renaissance - Unit 10

General Events:

15th cent Florence center of European banking system; renaissance in exploration outside Europe begins 1432 Florentines defeat Sienese at San Romano 1434 Cosimo de’ Medici becomes de facto ruler of Florence 1439-1442 Ecumenical Council of Florence deals with proposed union of Greek and Roman Fall of Constanople to the Turks; scholarly refugees bring Greek manuscripts to Italy 1464 Piero de’Medici takes power in Florence after the death of Cosimo 1469 Lorenzo de’Medici (“The Magnificent”) rules Florence after the death of Piero 1489 Savonarola begins sermons against Florentine immorality 1492 Death of Lorenzo de’Medici 1494 Medici faction in exile; Savonarola becomes de facto ruler of Florence; Charles VIII invades Italy, beginning foreign invasions 1498 Savonarola burned agt the stake by order of the Pope 1512 Medici power restored in Florence; Machiavelli exiled

Literature and Philosophy:

1446-1450 Gutenburg invents movable printing type 1456 Gutenburg Bible printed at Mainz 1462 Cosimo de’Medici founds Platonic Academy in Florence 1465 First Italian printing press, at Subiaco 1470-1499 Laura Cetera’s humanist writings 1470-1527 Height of humanist learning 1475 Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, printed by William Caxton, first book published in English c. 1494 Aldus Manutius establishes Aldine Press in Venice 1496 The burning of books inspired by Savonarola 1502 Erasmus appears on the scene 1506 Erasmus travels to Italy 1509 Erasmus, The Praise of Folly 1513 Machiavelli, The Prince 1516 Erasmus, The Greek New Testament

Art:

1401 Competition for the North Doors of Florence Baptistry won by Ghiberti’s Sacrifice of Isaac 1403 Ghiberti begins Baptistry doors; Brunelleschi, Donatello study Roman ruins c. 1425-1452 Chiberti sculpts panels for the East Doors of Florence Baptistry, The Story of Jacob and Esau

Use of linear perspective to create three-dimensional space; naturalistic rendering of figures; return to classical ideals of beauty and proportion; c. 1428 Masaccio, The Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, Florence 1434 Jan Van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride c. 1430-1432 Donatello, David, first free standing nude since antiquity 1445-1450 Fra Angelico, Annunciation, fresco for Convent of San Marco, Florence c. 1455 Donatello, Mary Magdalene, Uccello, The Battle of San Romano c. 1467-1483 Leonardo da Vinci works in Florence 1478-c. 1482 Botticelli, La Primavera; The Birth of Venus c. 1489 Michelangelo begins studies in Lorenzo’s sculpture garden 1498 Michelangelo, The Pieta 1501-1504 Michelangelo, David late 15th –early 16th cent. Leonardo, Notebooks c. 1495-1498 Leonardo, The Last Supper c. 1496 Botticelli burns some of his work in response to Savonarola’s sermons c. 1503-1505 Leonardo, Mona Lisa 1506 Ancient Loacoon sculpture discovered

Architecture:

1417-1420 Brunelleschi designs and begins construction of Florence Cathedral dome (completed in 1436) Additional building of churches, convents and palaces in Florence during the first half of the 15th cent.

Music:

c. 1450-1500 Johannes Ockeghem, motets, chansons, masses; Missa pro Defunctis, earliest known polyphonic requiem mass 1479-1492 Heinrich Isaac, court composer to the Medici family and organist and choirmaster at Florence Cathedral