The Renaissance
The Beginning of the Modern Period:
A Period of Transition
Two Major Divisions of the
Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance
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The Italian Renaissance (occurred first)
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Involved the city-states of northern Italy and
Rome
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Florence
Venice
Milan
Pisa
Sienna
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The Italian Renaissance tended to be more secular
with a greater emphasis on
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worldly pursuits
the humanities
the arts
Wealth and power
Knowledge was the key (classical knowledge)
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The humanities
Petrarch- the “father” of Renaissance
humanism
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The Italian poet,
Petrarch
The Northern Renaissance
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The Northern Renaissance occurred later
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Involved the regions of Northern Europe
England
Spain
France
Germanic regions (Holy Roman Empire)
The Netherlands
Northern Renaissance
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The spread of the Renaissance was delayed in
Northern Europe
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War and political unrest
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Hundred Years’ War
War of the Roses in Britain- civil war
Civil conflicts in France
Divisions in the Holy Roman Empire
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(German regions)
Plague and famine
“renaissance” means
rebirth
The Renaissance began a period of renewed interest
and engagement with “classical” (Greco-Roman)
learning, culture, literature, art, architecture,
values, style, etc.
Major Themes of the Renaissance
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Humanism (both secular and religious)
 Stressed human potential, human
progress, expansion of human
knowledge
Secularism-greater emphasis on non-religious
values, pursuits, and interests
Individualism-focus on the unique qualities,
abilities, and potential of the individual person
Major Historical Movements of the
Renaissance
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Age of Exploration
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Protestant Reformation and the
Religious Wars
Scientific Revolution
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(Period of European Expansion)
Rise of Modern Science
The Rise of the Modern Nation-State
Background of the
RenaissanceHigh and Late Middle Ages
What happened during the period of the High and
Late Middle Ages that would lay the groundwork
for the Renaissance?
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Increased trade and commercial activity during
the High Middle Ages
Urbanization-growth of cities and towns
Commercial and business developments (banking)
Middle class merchant elite developed
Decline in feudalism
A decline in the Church’s hold and control on
society and government
Growth in vernacular literature/growing literacy
Rise of universities and the expansion of learning
The Birthplace of the Renaissance
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The city-states of Northern Italy
Florence was the center of the Renaissance
Italy was politically fragmented and the city-states
often fought for power and control
City-states came to be ruled by wealthy and
powerful business people (not necessarily nobility)
 Signori- (despots)
 oligarchies (group of individuals) maintained
order
Florence
Major center of
trade
banking
cloth production
the arts
The Medici family of Florence
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The most powerful family of the Italian
Renaissance
Came to power through business dealings and
banking
 Bankers of the Vatican and the papacy
 Spent tremendous amounts of money
supporting the arts and cultural
development (patrons) as well as science
 Medici power often involved corruption
and intrigue
The Medici Family
Medici Pope
“The Journey of the Magi” depicts the Medici family in procession Celebration of Medici power and influence
Italian Renaissance
Literature
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
The Prince
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Machiavelli was from Florence
Well educated in the classics
Career was in public service and he
eventually served as the ambassador to France
Favored republican rule over despotism
Machiavelli was tortured and imprisoned for a
time when Medici rule was reinstated after a
conflict with a Spanish mercenary army
He retired to the country and wrote The
Prince
The Prince
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Written in Italian (not Latin)
Observations and commentary on political rule and power
(Medicis)
Addressed the issue of effective rule
 How to gain and maintain order and control
Stressed the practical (pragmatic) over the ethical or
moral
 More secular and humanistic
Challenged the idea of a social order based on God’s will
Political science
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Politics was to be governed by its own laws
“…it is safer to be feared than to be loved…”
The Courtier by Castiglione
1528
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Written in Italian
Treatise on the training of young men in the
courtly ideal of a Renaissance gentleman
Stressed the value of education and manners
Influenced social mores and norms during the
period
Renaissance Art
A reflection of Renaissance ideals and values
Emphasis on the classical style and classical themes
Humanistic - with an emphasis on the individual
Religious art remained very important
Characteristics of Renaissance Art
Realism- three-dimensional
Balanced and orderedgeometric /mathematical balance
Portraits- focus on the individual person
Landscapes and attention to depictions of nature
Classical style
Depiction of classical themes, stories, characters
Humanism: The School of Athens by Raphael
- a celebration of classical learning
Individualism –Portraits
-portraits celebrated the unique qualities and personality of the
individual person (two examples by Leonardo da Vinci)
Secularism-non-religious- Botticelli’s Primavera (Spring)
Renaissance art often depicted stories and scenes from classical
literature
The Birth of Venus
Religion remained a major focal point of
Renaissance art -The Sistine Chapel-Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s Pieta
Michelangelo’s statue of David
Raphael
Raphael
Renaissance surrealism
The Renaissance spread to
Northern Europe
Focus of the Northern Renaissance
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The focus of the Renaissance in Northern
Europe was more religious
Many sought religious reform and a return of
the Church to its true mission and spirituality
Many were highly critical of the worldliness
and corruption in the Church and papacy
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Northern Renaissance humanists believed that
education and literacy were key to social
and religious reform
Advocated the translation of the scriptures
into the vernacular languages
Major figures of the
Northern Renaissance
Northern Renaissance Humanists (Christian)
Desiderius Erasmus –scholar and
theologian
Erasmus
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Dutch (the Netherlands)
Biblical scholar and educator
Believed that the Bible was at the center of the
Christian faith
Stressed Christian education and access to the
scriptures (for everyone)
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- 1446-1536
Believed that people should be able to read the scriptures
for themselves
Highly critical of papal abuses and worldliness
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The Praise of Folly
The Praise of Folly – a condemnation of
Church and papal abuses and worldliness
Illustration from Praise of Folly
Sir Thomas More 1478-1535
Sir Thomas More
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Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of
Henry VIII
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highest political office in England
Lawyer and scholar
Works reflect a commitment to the values and
mandates of Scripture and the Church
Wrote Utopia – explored the idea of a “perfect”
society
Executed by Henry VIII for refusing to agree to the
king and Parliament’s Act of Supremacy
First edition copy of Utopia
Early illustration from Utopia
Sir Thomas More and family by Hans Holbein
Martin Luther
1483-1546
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German
Critical of Church
corruption and abuses
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sale of indulgences
95 Theses - 1517
Sought to reform the
Church
Wrote the first
German translation
of the Bible
William Shakespeare 1564-1616
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English playwright and
poet
Many of his major works
are an expression of
Renaissance values of
honor, heroism, and the
struggle against “fate” and
fortune
His view of man’s capacity
for evil and self-destruction
contrasted with the
Renaissance humanistic
ideal of humanity
The Globe Theater in London
Michele de’Montaigne 1533-1592
Montaigne
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French humanist and writer
Associated with the rise of modern skepticism
Highly critical of the religious intolerance and
violence associated with the Reformation
Advocated for political calm and greater tolerance
within the Christian faith
A politique- religious and political moderate
Questioned the power of human reason – skepticism
Father of the modern essay form of writing
Northern Renaissance Art
Albrecht Durer
Hans Holbein
Bruegel
Bosch
Major innovations of the
Renaissance
Printing Press
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1455
Moveable type printing
Developed in Germany
Associated with Gutenberg
1456 the first Gutenberg Bible was printed
Printing press allowed for the spread of
knowledge and ideas throughout Europe
The Clock
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The idea of quantification developed
The universe came to be conceived in more
quantifiable terms (measurable terms)
Allowed for more precise measurements
Changed the focus of daily life which had
been guided by the rhythms of the Church
The Renaissance brought a
new way of thinking and
living to Europe
A new worldview was emerging
The medieval Christian worldview was giving way
to a more MODERN (secular and humanistic) view
of the world and humanity