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-ofpower 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

Renaissance the Renaissance Approx

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