The Renaissance in Italy Name______ Pages 336-338

The Renaissance in Italy Name______Pages 336-338

I. The Italian City-States

a) Why Italy?

a.i) The Renaissance began in Italy, then spread north to the rest of Europe. The Renaissance was marked by a new interest in culture from ancient Rome. Italy differed from the rest of Europe. For example, its cities survived the Middle Ages. Cities in the north such as Florence, Milan, Venice, and Genoa grew into prosperous manufacturing and trade centers.

a.ii) A wealthy and powerful merchant class in these city-states further promoted the cultural rebirth. These merchants exerted both political and economic leadership, and their attitudes and interest helped to shape the Italian Renaissance. They stressed education and individual achievement. They also spent lavishly to support the arts.

b) Florence and the Medici’s

b.i) Florence, perhaps more than any other city, came to symbolize the energy and brilliance of the Italian Renaissance. It produced dazzling numbers of gifted poets, artists, architects, scholars, and scientists in a short span of time.

b.ii)In the 1400’s, the Medici family of Florence organized a successful banking business. The Medici’s ranked among the richest merchants and bankers in Europe. Cosimo de’ Medici gained control of the Florentine government in 1434, and the family continued as uncrowned rules of the city for many years.

b.iii) Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo, known as “the Magnificent,” represented the Renaissance ideal. He was a generous patron, or financial supporter, of the arts. Under Lorenzo, poets and philosophers frequently visited the Medici palace, and artists learned their craft by sketching ancient Roman statues displayed in the Medici gardens.

II. What Was the Renaissance?

a) A New Worldview a.i) Spurred by a reawakened interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome, creative Renaissance minds set out to transform their own age. They felt their era was a time of rebirth after what they saw as the disorder and disunity of the medieval world. There was not a complete break with the medieval world, and Latin remained as the official language of the church and educated people.

a.ii) The Renaissance produced new attitudes toward culture and learning. Unlike medieval scholars, who were more likely to focus on life after death, Renaissance thinkers explored the richness and variety of human experience with a renewed emphasis on individual achievement. b) Spirit of Adventure

b.i) The Renaissance supported a spirit of adventure and wide-ranging curiosity. The Italian navigator Christopher Columbus, who sailed to the Americas in 1492, represented that spirit. So did Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish scientist who revolutionized the way people viewed the universe. c) Humanism

c.i) At the heart of the Italian Renaissance was an intellectual movement known as humanism. Based on the study of classical culture, humanism focused on worldly subjects rather than on the religious issues that had occupied medieval thinkers. Most humanist scholars were pious Christians.

c.ii) Humanists believed that education should stimulate the individual’s creative powers. The returned to the humanities, the subjects taught in ancient Greek and Roman schools. The main areas of study were:

(c.ii.1) Grammar

(c.ii.2) Rhetoric

(c.ii.3) Poetry

(c.ii.4) History The Renaissance in Italy Name______Pages 336-338

I. The Italian City-States

a) Why Italy?

a.i) The Renaissance began in ______, then spread north to the rest of Europe. The Renaissance was marked by a new interest in culture from ancient ______. Italy differed from the rest of Europe. For example, its ______, survived the Middle Ages. Cities in the north such as ______, ______, ______, and ______grew into prosperous ______and ______centers.

a.ii) A wealthy and powerful ______class in these city-states further promoted the cultural rebirth. These merchants exerted both ______and ______leadership, and their attitudes and interest helped to shape the Italian Renaissance. They stressed ______and ______. They also spent lavishly to support the ______.

b) Florence and the Medici’s

b.i) Florence, perhaps more than any other city, came to symbolize the energy and brilliance of the Italian Renaissance. It produced dazzling numbers of gifted ______, ______, ______, ______, and ______in a short span of time. b.ii)In the 1400’s, the ______family of Florence organized a successful ______business. The Medici’s ranked among the richest merchants and bankers in Europe. ______de’ ______gained control of the Florentine ______in 1434, and the family continued as uncrowned rules of the city for many years.

b.iii) Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo, known as “______,” represented the Renaissance ideal. He was a generous ______, or financial supporter, of the ______. Under Lorenzo, ______and ______frequently visited the Medici palace, and ______learned their craft by sketching ancient Roman statues displayed in the Medici gardens.

II. What Was the Renaissance?

a) A New Worldview

a.i) Spurred by a reawakened interest in the classical learning of ______and ______, creative Renaissance minds set out to transform their own age. They felt their era was a time of ______after what they saw as the disorder and disunity of the ______. There was not a complete break with the medieval world, and ______remained as the official language of the ______and ______.

a.ii) The Renaissance produced new attitudes toward culture and learning. Unlike medieval scholars, who were more likely to focus on life after death, Renaissance thinkers explored the richness and variety of human experience with a renewed emphasis on ______.

b) Spirit of Adventure

b.i) The Renaissance supported a spirit of ______and wide-ranging curiosity. The Italian navigator ______, who sailed to the Americas in ______, represented that spirit. So did ______, a Polish scientist who revolutionized the way people viewed the universe. c) Humanism

c.i) At the heart of the Italian Renaissance was an intellectual movement known as ______. Based on the study of classical culture, humanism focused on ______subjects rather than on the ______issues that had occupied medieval thinkers. Most humanist scholars were ______Christians.

c.ii) Humanists believed that education should stimulate the individual’s ______powers. The returned to the ______, the subjects taught in ancient ______and ______schools. The main areas of study were:

(c.ii.1) ______

(c.ii.2) ______

(c.ii.3) ______

(c.ii.4) ______