Renaissance & Politics
“GettinG out of the
Dark aGes”
Unit 3, SSWH 9 a & b
How did life change during the
Renaissance and Reformation?
SSWH 9 a & b
Explain the social, economic, and
political changes that contributed to
the rise of Florence and the ideas of
Machiavelli.
Identify artistic and scientific
achievements of Leonardo da Vinci,
the “Renaissance man,” and
Michelangelo.
Renaissance “rebirth” – Revival
of art & learning
• Europe suffered from both war & plague (Bubonic
Plague “Black Death” - 25 million died)
• Survivors wanted to celebrate life &
the human spirit
• People began questioning institutions:
church & govt.
• Writers & artists began to express this new way of
thinking (brought back classic ideas: Greek &
Roman)
• New value: individual (medieval age: valued the
community) p. 410-417
Social & Economic Contributions
• Cities in Italy grew, Crusaders
traveled through
• Pop. Down (plague): worker
could demand higher wages
• Wealthy merchants (Burghers)
developed & got into politics
Politics
• Merchants dominate politics, believed
they deserved power & wealth
• Medici Family (bankers) ran Florence as a
dictator (with the appearance of a
democracy)
• Machiavelli, wrote “The Prince” & said
people are fickle, selfish, & corrupt
• No morals, only concerned with what was
effective - “The end justifies the means”
Renaissance Man
• Educated people, expected to create
art
• Individuals tried to master all areas
of study
• Young man should be charming,
witty, & well educated in the classics,
trained in/as a dancer, singer, poetry,
rider, wrestler, & swordsman
Humanism p.410-412
• focused on human potential &
achievements
• Studied Classical texts (Greek &
Roman)
• Influenced artists and architects
Continued
• Studied history, literature, and
philosophy
• Examined traditional teachings of
the church
Leonardo da Vinci
• Painter, sculptor, inventor, &
scientist
• Interested in how things worked
• Famous: paintings
Mona Lisa, The
Last Supper p.414
Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Sculptor, poet, architecture, & painter
• Painted realistic portraits, concentrated
on the body – used perspective
• Famous: painted the dome of St. Peter’s
Basilica, Sistine Chapel, & statue of David
p. 414 -415
Petrarch
•Father of Renaissance
humanism
•Great poet: wrote both
in Italian and Latin
Dante
• Wrote using vernacular
(wrote in everyday local
language) and about secular
(worldly) things
• The Divine
Comedy in
Italian p. 265
Erasmus “ Christian
Humanist”
• Christian Humanist
• The Praise of Folly
• To Improve society, all people should
study the Bible
Gutenberg & The Printing Press
• Chinese invented block &
moveable type
• 1440, Johann Gutenberg
developed a printing press
• Process produced books
cheaply & quickly p. 418
Continued
• First book printed:
Gutenberg Bible in 1455
• it increase the amount of available
knowledge in society & literacy
• Spreading ideas quickly
Ticket Out the Door
Why is the Renaissance
considered a rebirth?
Jot answer
Prepare to share in one minute