The RenaissanceAP European Historywww.mrdaltonsclass.com

The Renaissance – Key Terms1. Italian Renaissance2. City-States3. Republic of Florence4. Medici Family5. Machiavelli, The Prince6. Sack of Rome 15277. Humanism8. Secularism9. Civic Humanism10. Petrarch11. Vernacular12. Lorenzo Valla13. El Greco14. Dowries15. “Long 16th Century”

16. Patronage17. Statue of David (Donatello)18. Statue of David

(Michelangelo)19. Masaccio, Expulsion of

Adam and Eve20. “High Renaissance”21. Leonardo Da Vinci22. Raphael23. Michelangelo24. Northern Renaissance25. Christian Humanism26. Thomas More, Utopia27. Jan van Eyck28. Peter Brueghel the Elder

The Renaissance (1300-1600)• The Renaissance is considered the

beginning of Modern European History.

• It started early in the 14th Century and lasted until 1527 when Rome was sacked by foreign armies.• Primarily located in Italy, with

Florence being its epicenter.• In England it did not start until the

16th Century and lasted until the 17th Century.• Shakespeare’s time period.

Origins of the Renaissance• The Renaissance is characterized by

a rebirth, or resurgence of classical (Greek and Roman) literature/arts.

• The concept of the Renaissance came from a 19th century Swiss Historian named Jacob Burckhardt.

Jacob Burckhardt

The School of Athens - Raphael

The Renaissance• Renaissance culture applied

almost exclusively to the upper classes.• Upper class had luxury time• Majority of the peasants were

illiterate• The working classes and

merchants were way too busy to really care with the arts.

Italian City-States• Italy was not a unified country, it had

several large powerful city-states including; Genoa, Venice, Milan, The Papal States, Naples, Florence.

• Most of these city states relied heavily on international trade as their main source of income.• Signori (despots) or Oligarchies

controlled many of the Italian city-states by 1300.

• These thriving trading towns led to urbanization, and during this time period Italy had more sizeable cities and populations than anywhere else in Europe.

Italian City-States• The city-states were NOT allied

together, in fact they competed for resources, trading routes, and alliances.• The weaker states would ally

together to ensure the larger states could not take them over.

• This city-state adversarial system eventually led to their downfall when they were invaded during the 15th and 16th centuries by the French and Spanish.• Why?

Major City-States

• Republic of Florence (and Genoa)• Center of the Renaissance during

the 14th and 15th Centuries• Ruled by the Medici Family• Cosimo de’ Medici (1389-1464) he

was the unofficial ruler of the Republic of Florence. He was also the most powerful Medici

• Lorenzo de’ Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) (1449-1492) He was a large supporter and patron of the Arts.• What does that mean?

Both images are of Cosimo de Medici

Major City-States• Duchy of Milan• Ruled by the Sforza family after

1450• Milan was an enemy of Venice

and Florence

Major City-States

• Rome; The Papal States• The Pope served as both a spiritual

and political leader, they controlled most of Central Italy.

Pope Alexander VI

Major City-States• Venice (Venetian Republic)• Longest lasting of all other city-

states. • Remained independent until

captured by Napoleon in the 1800s

• Maritime power, and one of the worlds leaders in Naval Warfare and Trading during the 14th and 15th Centuries.

Major City-States

• Naples (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies)• Southern Italy and the Island of Sicily• It was the only city state to have a

King.• Controlled by France between 1266-

1435 and by Spain after 1435.

Ferdinand I of Naples

Foreign Invasions• Beginning in 1494 the Italian city

states were invaded by outside forces.

• France invaded Naples, and when they turned their eyes on Florence, they tried to appease the French by overthrowing the reigning Medici family.• When the Medici family regained

power several years later Florence was significantly weaker than they had been previously.

• Throughout the late 15th and early 16th centuries Italy was a battleground.

The Sack of Rome 1527

• Charles V, The Holy Roman Emperor (and King of Spain) conquered Rome.

• This symbolizes the end of the Italian Renaissance.

Humanism• What is Humanism?• Characteristics of Humanism• Revival of antiquity (Greco – Roman) in philosophy, literature, and art.• Strong belief in individualism and the potential of human beings• Secularism: Interest in things that are not religious (Art, literature, etc)

• Shifted the focus of texts away from theology and towards classical works.• Focus on studying ancient languages (Latin (Rome) and then Greek)

• By 1500 a large portion of “rediscovered” Greek and Roman texts had been translated and printed.

• Largely rejected Aristotelian views and medieval scholasticism• Moved towards Plato, Cicero, Virgil, (Northern Renaissance The New

Testament)• Believed in a more liberal arts style of education (grammar, rhetoric,

poetry, history, politics, moral philosophy.)• Civic Humanism: They believed that education should prepare leaders for

civic duty.

Petrarch (1304-1374)• Petrarch is often referred to as the

“Father of Humanism”• He is also considered the first

“Modern Writer”• His writing was not subordinate to

religion.• Petrarch was influenced heavily

by Cicero (Roman) texts.• He wrote in the Vernacular

(Italian) as opposed to Latin (Classical) as was usually the case during this time period.

Other Humanists• Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444)• First person to use the term “humanism”

• Lorenzo Valla (1407-1457)• Foremost expert on the Latin Language

• Marsilio Ficino (1433 – 1499)• Founded the Platonic Academy at the behest

of Cosimo de’ Medici in the 1460s• This spread the works and philosophy of Plato

throughout much of Europe.

• Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494)• He argued than humans were created by

God and therefore given tremendous potential for greatness, and even union with God, if they desired it.

Other Humanist• Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)• Author of The Prince a handbook on

how to be a ruler.• “The ends justify the means”• For rulers “it is better to be feared than

to be loved”• The Prince influenced European rulers

for centuries.

• Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529)• The Book of the Courtier (1528)• Important Renaissance work on Social

etiquette• Listed the qualities needed to be a true

gentleman.• Description of an ideal Renaissance Man

• Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468)• Invented the Printing Press

• This invention facilitated the spread of the Reformation

The Printing Press• The Printing Press by Johannes

Gutenberg is viewed by many as one of the most important inventions in all of history.• He developed moveable type which

allowed for quick copies of works to be created.

• Copies would no longer need to be redone by hand (Scriptoria Rooms)

• 1457 The Gutenberg Bible• First Printed Bible (Why is this

important?)• The printing press encouraged the

growth of vernacular literature, why/how?

Italian Renaissance Art

• Patronage:• What is patronage? Who could do

this?• Florence was the leader in

Renaissance art in the 1400s• Large amounts of Patronage came

from the wealthy families such as the Medicis.• Example) The Medici’s hired

Donatello to create David, so it could be displayed during the wedding of Leonardo de Medici.

• In Milan the Sforza’s commissioned Leonardo’s The Last Supper.

Church Patronage• Patronage also came from the

church.• They used the Renaissance and the

new art styles as a means of glorifying God.

• Examples:• Brunelleschi’s Il Duomo• Michelangelo’s David Il Duomo, Florence

Michelangelo’s David

Rome as the new Epicenter• With the decline of Florence in

the 1400s Rome became the new capital of the Renaissance.

• Pope Alexander VI spent HUGE sums of money on art patronage.• Michelangelo’s dome in St. Peters

Cathedral, his paintings on the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture Pieta.• Michelangelo was hesitant to take

this job as he considered himself a sculptor.

• Raphael’s The School of Athens

Raphael’s The School of Athens

New Artistic Techniques• Painting:• Geometric Perspective• 3d effects on a 2d service. Flat

Middle Age Paintings vs “3d” Renaissance Paintings.

• Chiaroscuro: mixing of light and dark colors to create the illusion of depth. Useful for showing emotion on faces.

Sculptures• Medieval sculptures often appeared on

buildings and tombs. (Did not glorify the human body)

• Renaissance sculptures were often free standing, designed to be seen “in the round”• Heavily influenced by Greek and Roman

statues.• Renaissance states glorified the human

body (nude)• Similar to Rome and Greece

Architecture• Gothic Style (Middle Ages)• Renaissance Style (Greek Temple

Architecture)• Roman Arches and Domes• Renaissance architecture

emphasized simplicity, symmetry, and balance.

Florentine Renaissance Artists• Giotto (1266 – 1336)• Considered the first Renaissance artist.

• Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – 1446)• Il Duomo

• Leon Battista Alberti (1404 – 1472)• Architect of several cathedrals utilizing

Greek and Roman styles.• Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 – 1455)• “Gates of Paradise”

• Donatello (1386 – 1466)• Statue of David• First Renaissance Artist to utilize a

nude figure in sculpture.• Masaccio (1401 – 1428)• Expulsion of Adam and Eve (1427)

• Sandro Botticelli (1444 – 1510)• The Birth of Venus

Botticelli – The Birth of Venus

“High Renaissance” Artists• The Renaissance Popes Alexander VI,

Julius II, and Leo X provided tremendous support (patronage) to the arts.

• Bramante (1444 – 1514)• Rebuilt St. Peters cathedral (some parts

were redesigned by Michelangelo)• Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519)• The Renaissance Man, Mona Lisa, The

Last Supper.• Raphael Santi (1483 – 1520)• School of Athens

• Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564)• Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, David,

Pieta, Dome of St. Peters Cathedral.

Sistine Chapel - Raphael

The Creation of Adam – Close up

The Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci

The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci

The Northern Renaissance• The Northern Renaissance (late-15th and 16th centuries)• Christian Humanism

• It emphasized early Church writings that provided answers on how to improve society and reform the Church.• There was less emphasis on pagan works from ancient Greece and Rome (although

these works were widely read and enjoyed by Christian Humanists).• Many historians today see more continuity between the Northern and Italian

Renaissance than contrasts.• It drew on Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible and the writings of the church

fathers.• It emphasized education and power of human intellect to bring about institutional

change and moral improvement.• Its writings led to criticism of the church thus leading to the Protestant Reformation.

Northern Renaissance Humanists

• Erasmus (1466-1536)• He was the most famous and celebrated of all northern humanists.• He was the first humanist to earn a living by writing—an extremely

impressive achievement.• He made new translations of the Greek and Latin versions of the New

Testament to create ‘purer’ editions.• In Praise of Folly (1509)• It was a best-seller (only the Bible sold more by 1550).• Erasmus was a devout Catholic who sought to reform the Church, not destroy it.• He satirized people’s worldly ambitions, including the clergy.• He criticized immorality and hypocrisy of Church leaders and the clergy.• The book inspired renewed calls for reform and influenced Martin Luther.

• Thus, some contemporaries claimed that “Erasmus lay the egg that Luther hatched” regarding the Reformation.

Northern Renaissance Humanists• Thomas More (1478-1536)

• He was a prime example of a civic humanist; he rose to the highest government position of any humanist—Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII in England.

• Utopia (1516): More’s humanistic masterpiece• It mixes civic humanism with religious ideals to describe a perfect (utopian) society

located on an imaginary island.• More sees the accumulation of property as a root cause for society’s ills; a few have it—

most don’t.• In order to achieve harmony and order people have to be willing to sacrifice their

individual rights for the common good.• War, poverty, religious intolerance, and other problems of the early 16th century do not

exist.

• Jacques Lefevre d’Etables (1454-1536)• He was a leading French humanist and an example of how Northern Christian

humanists focused on early Church writings.• He produced 5 versions of the Psalms that challenged a single authoritative

version of the Bible.• A devout Catholic, he was later seen as an enemy of the Church and condemned

for heresy.

• Francesco Ximenes de Cisneros (1436-1517):• He was a Spanish humanist who reformed the Spanish clergy and church

so that many of the Church abuses that were highlighted during the Reformation did not necessarily apply to Spain• He was Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition (which shows not all

humanists were necessarily tolerant of heretical views).

• Juan Luis Vives (1493-1540)• He was a Spanish humanist who spent most of his adult life in the

Netherlands.• His study of the human psyche has earned him the reputation as “father”

of modern psychology.• This illustrates how human beings were now important enough to be

studied in depth, as opposed to medieval notions of humans and individuals as unworthy of such study.

• Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)• He developed the essay form.• The essay became a vehicle for

testing new ideas.• Skepticism• He doubted that true knowledge

could be obtained.• He believed that the skeptic must be

cautious, critical and suspend judgment.• Thus, one must be tolerant of others’

views.

• William Shakespeare (1564-1616) – Elizabethan era• He is the greatest of the English

Renaissance authors.• His works reflected the Renaissance

ideas of classical Greek and Roman culture, individualism and humanism.

• He wrote comedies, tragedies, histories and sonnets.

Northern Renaissance Art• Northern Renaissance Art • Flemish style: the Low Countries

produced especially important artists.• Characteristics

• Heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance

• More minute detail throughout paintings

• Use of oil paints (in contrast to Italian Renaissance that used tempera)

• More emotional than the Italian style• Works often preoccupied with death

Arnolfini and his Wife – Jan Van Eyck (1434)

Northern Artists• Jan Van Eyck (c. 1339- c. 1441)• Most famous and innovative Flemish painter of the 15th century• Perfected oil painting• Naturalistic wood panel paintings used much religious symbolism• Employed incredible detail in his works• Masterpiece: Ghent Altarpiece (1432)

• Arnolfini and his Wife (1434) is perhaps his most famous work.

• Peter Brueghel the Elder (1520-1569)• Focused on lives of ordinary people (e.g. Peasant Dance (1568)

(See right), Peasant Wedding (c. 1568), and The Battle Between Carnival and Lent (1559) • He was not influenced much by the Italian Renaissance.

Life in the 16th and 17th Centuries

• Society was rigidly hierarchical• Countryside

• In Catholic countries, the clergy was the most powerful group as they were viewed as intermediaries between the people and God; nobles were below the clergy.

• In Protestant countries, manorial lords (nobles) were at the top of the social ladder.

• Peasants constituted the largest percentage of the rural population; many owned land and most were involved in subsistence agriculture.

• Towns: • Merchants (bourgeoisie) were among the wealthiest and most powerful.• Artisans were skilled craftsmen such as weavers, blacksmiths,

carpenters, masons, etc (often belonged to guilds).• Laborers did mostly low-skilled jobs for low wages.• Education or wealth became the means of moving up the social ladder

(for the fortunate few).

Population in the 16th and 17th Centuries

• “Long 16th century”: population growth grew steadily between 1450 and 1650 (recovered to pre-Plague levels).

• Population growth leveled by 1650 until about 1750 when it rose again (due to the agricultural revolution).

• Cities saw larger increases than the countryside.

• Life expectancy• Average lifespan for men: 27 years• Average lifespan for women: 25 years• Major causes of death?

Jan Van Eyck Self Portrait

16th and 17th Century Life• Local church and authorities

continued to enforce communal norms.• Controls on marriage• Unwed mothers with illegitimate

children were seen as a threat to the community.

• Young pregnant couples often received intense pressure from the community to marry in such cases.

• Charivari was used as a means of public humiliation.• Those who committed adultery or beat

their spouse might be paraded around their village riding backwards on a donkey while holding up the donkey’s tail.

16th and 17th Century Life• Popular culture, leisure activities, and

rituals reflecting the persistence of folk ideas reinforced and sometimes challenged communal ties and norms.• The culture of villages remained more

oral, rather than written (despite increases in literacy).

• Women often gathered in cottages to socialize.

• Men often went to the village tavern to drink and socialize• Blood sports such as bullbaiting and

cockfighting were popular.• Carnival was popular in Catholic

countries whereby excess partying preceded Lent (a 40-day period of fasting and penitence before Easter).

Women during the Renaissance

• Wealthy women• La Querelle des Femmes (“The Issue of

Women”): A new debate emerged over the proper role of women in society (starting with Christine de Pisan in the 14th century); the debate continued for six hundred years.

• Women enjoyed increased access to education.

• However, lost some status compared to women in the Middle Ages; women functioned now as “ornaments” to their middle-class or upper-class husbands.

• Women were to make themselves pleasing to the man (Castiglione)—only applied to the upper classes.

• Sexual double-standard: women were to remain chaste until marriage; men were permitted to be sexually active.

Women of the Renaissance• Christine de Pisan (1363?-1434?): The City of Ladies (1405); The

Book of Three Virtues• She chronicled the accomplishments of great women in history.• In essence, it was the Renaissance woman’s survival manual.• She was perhaps Europe’s first feminist.• She had been extremely well-educated in France.

• Isabella d’Este (1474-1539): The “First Lady” of the Renaissance• She set an example for women to break away from their traditional roles

as ornaments to their husbands.• She ruled Mantua after her husband died.• She and her siblings were well educated• She was a major patron of the arts.• She founded a school for young women.• She wrote over 2,000 letters that provide a window into politics and

courtly life at that time.

Marriage and Family• The status and lifestyle of peasant and

working-class women changed little compared to the Middle Ages.• Rural and urban households worked as

units, with men and women engaged in complementary tasks.

• The family remained the primary and social and economic institution of early modern Europe.• European Family Pattern

• Nuclear family: poor people tended to be unable to support extended families.

• Wealthier people (and some landowning peasants) tended to have extended families living together.

Marriage and Family• Marriage was based on economic considerations; not love.• Parents played a large role when property was involved.• Dowries were extremely important in wealthy families; also important in

common families.• Women tended to play a more significant role in the economy in northern

Europe.• The average age of marriage for both men women in western Europe

was between 25 and 27 years of age (this is surprisingly late); in eastern Europe the average age was about 20.• Class issues: the rich tend to marry earlier than middle classes, and poor

tend to marry earlier too, or not to marry at all (10 to 20%).• In Italy, the age gap between husbands and wives in the middle class was

larger than in northern Europe.• Increased infanticide and abandonment (among the poor) occurred.• An increase of foundling hospitals (2/3 of abandoned babies were girls)

resulted.• There was a low rate of illegitimate births.

Marriage and Family

• Divorce was available in certain areas (still very limited) compared to the Middle Ages where divorce was non-existent.• This was largely due to a modest

increase in divorce in Reformation countries.

• Rape was not considered a serious crime.

• More prostitution existed than in the Middle Ages.

Renaissance Witch Hunts• 70,000-100,000 people were killed

between 1400 and 1700.• Causes• Popular belief in magic• “Cunning folk” had been common in

European villages for centuries: played a positive role in helping villagers deal with tragedies such as plagues, famines, physical disabilities, and impotence

• Claims to power often by the elderly or impoverished, and especially, women

• The Catholic Church claimed that powers came from either God or the Devil• Used witch hunts to gain control over

village life in rural areas.

Renaissance Witch Hunts• Women were seen as “weaker vessels” and prone to

temptation: constituted 80% of victims• Most between age 45 and 60; unmarried• Misogyny (hatred of women) may have played a role as Europe was a

highly patriarchal society• Most midwives were women; if babies died in childbirth midwives could

be blamed• Religious wars and divisions created a panic environment; the

scapegoating of “witches” ensued.

• Leaders tried to gain the loyalty of their people and appeared to be protecting them.• With the Protestant Reformation and sola fide (“justification by faith

alone”) increasing numbers of people with means denied charity to beggars and eventually became targets of the poor who blamed their misfortunes on those who had denied them help.

End of the Witch Hunts• End of witch hunts• The Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries increasingly

discredited superstition.• Advances in medicine and the advent of insurance companies enabled

people to better take care of themselves when calamities struck.• Witch trials had become chaotic; accusers could become the accused

(thus, using witch trials for political gain could be very risky).• The Protestant Reformation emphasized God as the only spiritual force in

the universe.• Yet, witch trials did occur in great numbers in Protestant countries as well.

• Some literature of the 16th & 17th century implied that people had a large degree of control over their own lives and did not need to rely on superstition.