Name: ________________________
Date: _______________ Period: _____
Chapter 17.1- Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
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During the late Middle Ages, Europeans suffered from both war and plague…those who
survived wanted to enjoy life…questioned the Church…questioned the structures of
medieval society which blocked social advancement…educated peoples gradually began
to reject medieval values and look to the classical past for ideas
I.
Italy’s Advantages
 1300-1600 explosion of creativity in Europe…called the Renaissance
 Renaissance- rebirth of art and learning
o Began in northern Italy around 1300 and later spread north
 Northern Europe lagged behind Italy because France and England were locked in the
Hundred Years’ War
 Italy had thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, classical heritage of Greece and Rome
A. Urban Centers
 Overseas trade, spurred by the Crusades, led to the growth of large city-states in
northern Italy
 Region also had many sizable towns
 Northern Italy was urban while rest of Europe was still mostly rural
 Cities are often places where people exchange new ideas, breeding ground for an
intellectual revolution
 Bubonic plague had struck these cities hard…killed up to 60% of population…brought
economic changes…fewer laborers, survivors could demand higher wages…reduced
population shrank opportunities for business expansion
 Wealthy merchants began to pursue other interests, such as art
B. Merchants and the Medici
 Milan, Florence, and other Italian city-states ran their own affairs
o Each collected taxes and had its own army
o City-states were relatively small, high percentage of citizens could be intensely
involved in political life
o Merchants were the wealthiest, most powerful class, and dominated politics
o Unlike nobles, merchants didn’t inherit social rank
 Individual merit and achievement became an important Renaissance
theme (humanism)
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Florence came under the rule of the Medici Family
o Made their fortune in trade and banking
Cosimo de’Medici was the wealthiest European of his time
o 1434 Cosimo won control of Florence’s government…influenced members of
ruling council by giving them loans…virtual dictator of Florence for 30 years
o Lorenzo de’Medici took over when his grandfather died…known as Lorenzo the
Magnificent…ruled as a dictator, but kept appearance of elected government
o Medici family aided the Renaissance by supporting the arts (patrons)
Tang and Song China also experienced a cultural Renaissancegunpowder…printing…poetry
Classical Heritage
Renaissance scholars looked down upon the art and literature of the Middle Ages, and
wanted to return to learning of the Greeks and Romans
o Italy was source of Renaissance partly because of the ruins of Ancient Rome
1300’s scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts, which had been preserved in
monasteries
When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453…Byzantine scholars fled to
Rome with ancient Greek manuscripts
Also a transfer of knowledge from the House of Wisdom, etc, during the Crusades
Classical and Worldly Values
Classical ideas led to a new outlook on life from scholars
Classics Lead to Humanism
Humanism- focused on human potential and achievements…influenced artists and
architects to carry on classical traditions
Humanists popularized the study of subjects common to classical education, like history,
literature, and philosophy…called the Humanities
Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures
Humanists suggested that people could enjoy life without offending God.
In Renaissance Italy, the wealthy openly enjoyed material luxuries, fine music, and tasty
foods
Most people remained devout Catholics
Renaissance was mainly secular- worldly and concerned with the here and now…even
some church leaders became more worldly
Patrons of the Arts
Renaissance popes also spent huge amounts of money for art
Popes were important PATRONS of the arts (financially supporting artists)
Renaissance merchants were also patrons of the arts
 Also wealthy families like the Medici
D. The Renaissance Man
 Renaissance writers first introduced idea that some people were artistic geniuses
o All educated people were expected to create art…ideal individual strove to
master almost every area of study
o Man who excelled was called a “universal man” or a “Renaissance man”
 Book- The Courtier (1528) by Baldassare Castiglione taught how to become a wellrounded person
o Young man should be charming, witty, and well educated in the classics…dance,
sing, play music, and write poetry and a skilled rider, wrestler, and swordsman
o Above all, he needed self-control…avoid ostentation
E. The Renaissance Woman
 Upper-class women were also expected to know the classics and be charming…but were
not expected to seek fame
 Expected to inspire art, but rarely to create it…Upper-class Renaissance women had less
influence than medieval women had
 Isabella d’Este did exercise power…born intoFerrara…married the ruler of another citystate, Mantua
o Isabella brought many Renaissance artists to her court
o Also skilled in politics
o Husband was taken captive in war, defended Mantua and won his release
III.
Renaissance Revolutionizes Art
 Supported by patrons, dozens of talented artists worked in northern Italy
 As Renaissance advanced, artistic styles changed
 Medieval artists used religious subjects and tried to convey a spiritual
ideal…Renaissance artists often portrayed religious subjects, but they used a realistic
style, copied from Greco-Roman art
 Also, with new focus on individuals…painters portrayed prominent citizens
 Michelangelo- sculptor and painters glorified the human body
A. New Techniques
 Donatello made sculpture more realistic by carving natural postures and expressions
 Revived a classical form by carving the statue David
o First European sculpture of a large, free-standing nude since ancient times
 Painter, Masaccio, used technique of Perspective, which indicates 3 dimensions
 Michelangelo: St. Peter’s Basilica (dome) Sistine Chapel, David
B. Leonardo, Renaissance Man
 Da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist
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“Renaissance Man”
o Interested in how things work
Painting of Mona Lisa
Painting of The Last Supper
Used “mirror-writing”
Raphael Advances Realism
Raphael- learned from studying works of Leonardo and Michelangelo
Raphael often portrayed Madonna and Child
Also painting, School of Athens
Renaissance Writers Change Literature
Renaissance writer, Dante, wrote in vernacular, native language, instead of classical
Latin
Dante’s vernacular was Italian
Renaissance writers wrote for self-expression to portray the individuality of their
subjects
Petrarch and Boccacio
Francesco Petrarch was one of the earliest and most influential humanists…also a great
poet…wrote in both Italian and Latin…
o Sonnets- 14-line poems
 Mystery woman Laura as ideal
Boccaccio- Italian writer was best known for Decameron
o Stories told by a group of worldly young people waiting in a villa to avoid plague
sweeping through Florence
o Biting humor
Machiavelli Advise Rulers
The Prince (1513), by Niccolo Machiavelli
Examines the imperfect conduct of human beings…political guidebook
The Prince- Machiavelli examines how a ruler can gain power and keep it in spite of his
enemies
Believed most people are selfish, fickle, and corrupt
Therefore, a Prince must be strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox
Women Writers
Women writers gained fame in the Renaissance usually wrote about personal subjects,
not politics
Vittoria Colonna
Renaissance then spread to the North
Name: ______________________
Date: __________ Period:________
Reading Quiz: Chapter 17.1
1. Name a famous work for each of the following Renaissance Artists/ Ninja
Turtles…Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael
Leonardo- Mona Lisa, Last Supper
Michelangelo- Statue of David, ceiling of Sistine Chapel
Donatello- statue of David
Raphael- paintings of Madonna and Baby Jesus, The School of Athens, walls in pope’s library
2. What is the vernacular? Significance? Example?
Vernacular is the spoken language…as opposed to Latin. Books began to be written in the
vernacular, making them more accessible to people, increase in literacy/ spread of information
Ex: Dante’s Divine Comedy was written in Italian
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was written in English
3. Who was Machiavelli? (Time Period, Location, Key Achievements?)Early 16th century,
Italy…political advisor, and author of The Prince. Encouraged world leaders to rule firmly…it
is better to be feared than loved. “Do good when possible, but evil when necessary”…your
main job as a monarch is to maintain power at all costs. Influenced many with his
Machiavellian ideas.
Video: Masters of Illusion