Western Europe emerged from the Middle Ages
I. The
Renaissance
during
an era known
as the Renaissance
From 1300 to 1600,
Western Europe
experienced a “rebirth”
in trade, learning, &
Greco-Roman ideas
During the Renaissance,
Europeans developed
new ideas in art, gov’t,
& human potential
The Renaissance was a revival of learning based on
knowledge from Classical Greece & Rome. This
intellectual change has resulted in the Renaissance being
viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the
Modern era.
What changed during the
Middle Ages that gave rise to
the Renaissance?
Trade & Cities?
Government?
Religion?
Human Potential?
Think…What was trade like during the Middle
Ages?
During the Middle Ages, trade was limited
to the manor. Very little if any exchanges
between manors existed. Think selfsufficient
II. Trade & Cities during the Renaissance
The Crusades increased
European demand for
luxury goods from Asia
Italian merchants began
meeting the demand for
trade in Europe
As a result, Italian cities
& a wealthy middle class
began to form in Italy
The most important
Italian city was Florence,
where wealth from trade
sparked the Renaissance
In addition, the fact that Italians could look at
the middle
ruins ofclass
the Roman
Empire
for inspiration,
A new
of
The Medici
family were
bankers,
& perfect
wealthy
bankers
who used
it merchants,
made for the
location
for the
skilled craftsmen Renaissance.
their wealth to buy art
gained lots of power
(Patrons)
Think…What changed during the
Middle Ages that gave rise to the
Renaissance?
Trade & Cities?
Government?
Religion?
Human Potential?
Think…What was government like in the Middle Ages?
During the Middle Ages, government was
not centralized and therefore there was no
peace and no stability
III. Government During the Renaissance
Kings were able to tax merchants & use their
wealth to build armies & strong nations which
hurt the power of the feudal lords
From 1337 to 1453,
England & France
began a conflict
called the
Hundred Years War
During the war,
nationalism
increased as
people became
loyal to their king
& nation, rather
than their lord
During the Hundred Years War, new military weapons
decreased the power of feudal lords & knights
The discovery of
Chinese gunpowder led
to the development of
cannons which helped
armies penetrate castles
The invention of the longbow allowed soldiers to
shoot accurately up to 300 yards which decreased
the importance of knights on horseback
Think…What changed during the
Middle Ages that gave rise to the
Renaissance?
Trade & Cities?
Government?
Religion?
Human Potential?
Think…What was religion like in the Middle Ages?
The heavy reliance
on religion gave
way to the term
“Age of Faith”
During the Middle Ages, the only accepted
religion in Europe was Roman Catholicism.
The church was the only institution that
provided stability.
IV. Religion during the Renaissance
In the late Middle Ages, the Pope & the Catholic
Church lost some of its influence as a result of the
losses to Muslim armies during the Crusades
Despite having less influence, the Catholic Church
was still an important part of peoples’ lives &
the Pope remained important
Think…What changed during the
Middle Ages that gave rise to the
Renaissance?
Trade & Cities?
Government?
Religion?
Human Potential?
Think…What were common people expected to
do during the Middle Ages?
During the Middle Ages, most people were
peasants. A hard life was lived where daily
duties revolved around farming the manor.
During the Middle Ages, peasants did not own land
& had no options other than remaining loyal to a
feudal lord & work within the manorial system
As peasants
left during
the manor
to seek new gave
job
The
rise of trade
the Renaissance
opportunities,
manor
systems
people
optionsthe
to leave
the
manorweakened
& move to
because
were
to do the
was a
cities tofew
serve
asleft
merchants
orwork.
skilledThis
artisans
key factor behind the end to the feudal system.
V. The Plague
Another reason for the decline of the manorial
system was the plague, known as the Black Death
In 1347, a trade ship
arrived in Italy carrying
plague-infested rats
The plague swept quickly
throughout Europe along
trade routes
The Black Death
The plague killed 25 million people in 5 years
(1/3 of Europe’s population)
The plague caused a labor shortage; those that
survived could demand higher wages & more rights
VI. Life during the Renaissance
For those that survived the plague years, a greater
desire to celebrate and enjoy life led
people to believe that they should try new things
Individuals became the center of attention
during the Renaissance
Social status was
based on wealth &
ability, not birthright
A new way of
thinking began during
the Renaissance
called Humanism
Humanists studied the “classical”
ideas of Greece & Rome &
believed that individual human
achievements should be
celebrated
What was expected of men & women
in the Renaissance?
The “ideal man” was well
educated, smart, can dance,
write poetry, & play music;
(called a “Renaissance Man”)
The “ideal woman” should
have the same qualities as
men but should not seek fame
or political power
(Renaissance women were
better educated but had fewer
rights than medieval women)
The revival of trade in Europe helped bring an end
to the Middle Ages & gave rise to the Renaissance
The rise of cities
brought artists
together which led
to new techniques
& styles of art
Increased trade gave rise
Wealthy bankers &
to Italian city-states &
merchants wanted to
a wealthy middle class show off their new status
of bankers & merchants
by commissioning art
The most important Italian city-state was Florence;
In this wealthy trade city, the Renaissance began
Florence was home to
the Medici family, the
wealthiest & most powerful
bankers in Europe
The Medici used their
wealth to commission
art for themselves &
to beautify Florence
Florence under the Medici
Lorenzo
Cosimo
Guiliano
Medici
Chapel
The Medici
paid tocommissioned
build a massivethis
Lorenzo
de Medici
painting
from
domed
cathedral
for Florence
Botticelli
of the Medici
brothers as the three magi
The Medici
Palace
New styles & techniques of
Renaissance art
■Realism & emotion
■Classicism: inspiration from Greece &
Rome
■Emphasis on individuals & interaction
between people
■Geometric
arrangements
■Perspective
■Using light
Greek& shadows
Renaissance
Renaissance
Artists
Donatello
■ Donatello was the 1st great
sculptor of the Renaissance
– Donatello revived the
classical (Greco-Roman)
style of sculpture that
were realistic & could be
viewed from all sides
– Donatello’s “David” was
the 1st large, freestanding human
sculpture of the
Renaissance
Michelangelo
■ Michelangelo was one
of the most famous
Renaissance artists:
– He was a painter,
sculptor, architect,
& poet
– His sculptures &
paintings showed
realism, detail of
the human body, &
expression to show
personality &
emotion
Michelangelo sculptures “Pieta”& “David”
are considered masterpieces
Michelangelo’s
greatest work is
the 130 ft x 44 ft
ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel
which shows
Biblical images
of amazing detail,
power, & beauty
Leonardo da Vinci
■ Leonardo da Vinci was a
true “Renaissance Man”
– He was a painter &
sculptor whose art was
known for incredible
realism & emotion
– He was also an inventor
& scientist whose
sketches reveal
observations about
human anatomy & new
engineering technology
His “Last Supper” shows Jesus’ last meeting with
the 12 apostles before the crucifixion; the facial
expressions, detail, emotion made it a masterpiece
Leonardo da
Vinci’s greatest
masterpiece was
the “Mona Lisa”
which was known
for its emotion &
depth
Leonardo’s Inventions
Raphael
■ Raphael “perfected”
Renaissance painting
– He improved perspective
and realism by studying
Leonardo & Michelangelo
– Raphael became the
favorite painter of the
Pope because of his
amazing detailed
paintings showing
a combination of famous
Greeks & Romans along
with Renaissance people
Raphael’s greatest painting was “School of Athens”
which blended Classical figures from Greece & Rome
with important people from the Renaissance
Plato (drawn to
look like Da Vinci)
Aristotle
Raphael
Pythagoras
Michelangelo
Euclid
Raphael’s
“Betrothal
of the Virgin”
Filippo Brunelleschi
■ Brunelleschi was Florence’s greatest architect:
– He studied the Roman Pantheon when he
built the Cuppolo of Maria del Fiore cathedral
in Florence
– The dome inspired modern building designs
Dome Comparisons
Il Duomo, Florence
US Capital,
St. Paul’s,
Peter’s,London
Rome
St.
Washington,
D.C.
The
Northern
Renaissance
As these ideas spread, this
“Northern Renaissance”
developed its own
characteristics
The Renaissance spread from Italy as scholars &
merchants from other areas visited Italian city-states
The Renaissance in
France was most
known for its unique
architecture
The Renaissance in
England was most
known for literature,
especially the plays of
William Shakespeare
The Renaissance in the Netherlands
was most known for realism in art
Wedding Portrait by Jan Van Eyck
Another important renaissance
man was the inventor Johann
Gutenberg’s who invention of the
moveable-type printing press in
1453.
He produced his first book — the
Gutenberg Bible — in 1455. By 1500,
presses in Europe had printed nearly 10
million books
Printing made books
less expensive and
more available
More people began to
read (The Bible was a
popular book)
Written works became
available in English,
French, Spanish,
Italian, or German
(vernacular-the
spoken language)
After reading the Bible,
people formed new
ideas about
Christianity (these
ideas were different
from official Church
Guess if the following
pieces of art (A-J) are:
Renaissance
or
Medieval
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J