World History Chapter 17 section 1 notes
Name: ___________________
Core: C.1.2.1.4, C. 2.4.1.1, C.2.4.1.2. , C. 2.4.2.1., C.2.4.3.1 Date:___________Pd: _______
“Why was the Renaissance a rebirth?”
Chapter 17 section one: The Spirit of the Renaissance p. 327
1. The Renaissance 14th century to 16th century
2. The Word Renaissance comes from the French word “rebirth”
The Italian City-States
1. The Renaissance started in the northern Italian city-states about 1350.
2. By 1300, they were the riches cities in Europe thanks to trade routes.
3. Bankers and merchants had the wealth to acquire libraries and fine works of art.
4. In Italy the most famous patrons or supporter of the arts were the Medici family.
a. They became active in politics of Florence in the 1400’s and controlled the city
for 300 years.
b. The best known member was Lorenzo Medici (1449-1492) known as “The
Magnificent” He was a scholar, skilled architect and poet.
The Recovery of Classical Culture
1. Many wealthy Italians of the fifteen-century took am interest in the ancient
Romans.
a. They paid for the restorations of monuments.
b. They searched out classical manuscripts.
2. Renaissance scholars interested in Greek and Roman learning developed into the
study of the humanities or subjects concerned with mankind and culture, as
opposed to science.
3. Enthusiasm for ancient Greece and Rome spread from scholars to the rest of
Italian upper class.
Petrarch: A Pioneer of Humanism
1. Francesco Petrarch, an Italian poet born in 1304 led the early development of
Renaissance humanism.
2. He rediscovered a number of Roman authors forgotten during the Middle Ages.
3. He wrote hundreds of love poems in Italian.
4. He wrote, “Nothing weighs less than a pen, and nothing gives more pleasure”
5. On July 19, 1374, he was found dead in his library with his head resting in a book
and a pen fallen from his hand.
New Attitudes
1. Medieval thinkers thought that life on earth as a preparation for the after life.
Renaissance thinkers believed that people should live life to its fullest.
Development of individual talents.
a. They were interested in what made individual stick out from each other.
b. They were interested in unique qualities a person had.
c. They were ambitious for fame and success.
d. They have a spirit of curiosity and adventure.
e. The upper classes were well educated, witty, charming and artistically
active.
f. Men practices swordsmanship and both sexes were athletic.
p.2
Public service and politics
a. The upper class valued public service and praised those who were useful to
society.
b. Studying the humanities was valuable for social and political leaders.
c. The political climate was an intense rivalry.
1. The Pope, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the rulers of France and
Spain were all hungry for power.
2. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote a political hand book “The
Prince” (1513) which was a guideline for rulers. He stated that rulers
often lied, broke treaties and even killed.
3. He stated that actions of leaders must be judged only by their results.
The role of women
a. Women were expected to make use of their education and talents at home.
b. Young ladies studied poetry, language and music.
c. One of the most famous women was Isabella d’Este (DES-tay). She was a
patron of the arts and a skilled diplomat.
d. Although they were better educated that women of the Middle Ages, they less
chance to shape political and economic life.
The Printing Press
1. The Renaissance was a time of change in technology.
2. The most exciting invention was the printing press. This device used small pieces
of metal engraved with letters that could be changed.
3. A German, Johann Gutenberg is credited with printing the first book, the Bible.
4. By 1500, there were hundreds of printers in every country of Europe.
5. Moveable type had three main effects.
a. Book making became cheaper. People could afford to own books.
b. Bookmaking became faster. More books could be published.
c. Scholars had better access to one another works.
The Northern Renaissance
1. Printing helped carry the spirit and ideas of the Renaissance northward from Italy
into Germany, England and the Netherlands.
Erasmus
a. The most respected and influential humanist of the northern Renaissance was
Desiderius Erasmus.
b. Born 1466 in Rotterdam, Holland he was trained as a Catholic priest.
c. He argues that the Church has become greedy and corrupt.
d. In “The Praise of Folly” (1509) He criticized scholars, scientists, philosophers
and clergy of being narrow- minded.
e. His works are read by thousands of people.
Sir Thomas More
a. Was an English statesman.
b. Was a close friend of Erasmus.
c. His book “Utopia” (1516) described an Ideal, peaceful society. It also contained
criticism of the politics, society and religion of the times.
Chapter 17 section 2 Renaissance Literature and Art
Renaissance Literature
Cerventes
1. A great Spanish writer was Miguel de Ceventes
a. He was captured by the Turks and imprisoned for five years.
b. He wrote Don Quixote, published 1605.
1. Comic adventures of an elderly knight attacking sheep and windmills.
Rabelais
1. Francois Rabelais, born in France 1494.
a. Was a monk, scholar and physician.
b. Wrote 5 volumes of literature making fun of those who did not take the
humanist point of view.
Shakespeare.
1. England –William Shakespeare 1564-161
2. Actor, poet, playwright
3. Famous plays, Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra
Features of Renaissance Art.
Individualism
1. Artists looked back to ancient Greeks and Roman for inspiration.
a. They looked at the Bible, Church history and ordinary people.
2. Renaissance art looked at uniqueness of each human’s face and figure.
a. They tried to show individual character.
Balance and Proportion
1. Artists and architects saw nature as the standard for balance and proportion.
a. They tried to show people, trees, buildings and mountains in their proper size.
2. Architects used domes, windows and balconies to let in light and air
a. They wanted balance in size and shape.
Use of Perspective
1. A new discovery was perspective.
a. it was the impression of depth and distance on the flat surface of a
painting.
New Materials
1. Creation of oil paints by Flemish painter Jan von Eyck (IKE)
a. It allowed painters to work slower, create more colors and obtain more
life-like effects.
2. In Italy, painters combine perspective and oil paints to produce today’s master
works of art.
Three Geniuses of Renaissance Art
1. Raphael combined religious art with the Renaissance spirit
a. Famous for his Madonna-Mary, mother of Jesus.
b. Master of space and balance in his paintings.
Michelangelo
1. He was a painter, poet, architect and sculptor.
a. Become a student at the academy of sculptor in Florence at age 14.
b. Age 23- carves the Pieta in marble. Mary holding Jesus
Ch 17-2 page 2 notes
Name: ________________________
c. 1508 the Vatican commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel
with Frescoes-watercolors on fresh plaster.
2. Four year of hard work
a. Painted on his back, on platforms. Paint drip in his eyes.
b. At night, painted by candlelight.
c. The Sistine Chapel made him famous, Rome’s greatest artist.
Leonardo da Vinci
1. regarded as a genius 1452-1519
a. Only a few of his works remain today. The Last Supper and the Mona
Lisa.
2. His brilliance was demonstrated in the volumes of notebooks.
a. To learn about the human body, he dissected corpses.
b. Examines bird wings, horse legs, frog a body, plant leafs, etc.
c. Help reshaped modern science.