The Italian Renaissance
Renaissance – def – French word meaning “rebirth”
A rebirth of what?
GRECOROMAN
PERIOD
DARK
AGES
RESUME
GR./ROMAN
CIVILIZATION
RENAISSANCE IN ITALY
* Almost purely secular
* Italian cities were the largest and busiest in Europe
*Florence - chief city of Renaissance, home of the
powerful Medici family
Why Italy?
1.Merchant Oligarchies – no kings to interfere w/ busines
2. Great Schism – The Church was preoccupied
3. Wealth – trade generated a wealthy patron class
that funded art, literature, and technical innovation
Patron – def – a person who lends financial support to
a person, organization, cause, or activity
Italian Renaissance – a secular focus
Art/Lit of the Middle Ages – focused on Religion
Greco-Roman period included pre-Christian topics that
were embraced by Renaissance scholars
Renaissance artists focused on individuality
Humanity was presented as beautiful and worthy of
contemplation – contrasted w/ Middle Ages focus on
faith and the afterlife
VIRTU – Def. – The well-rounded ideal of the
“Renaissance Man” – well schooled in the classics,
court etiquette, politics, and swordsmanship
Baldassare Castiglione – wrote The Book of the
C – defined the Renaissance Man
Courtier
a
s
Lorenzo Valla– a founder of literary criticism – proved
the “Donation of Constantine” to be a forgery
BELLINI’S CONDOTTIERE
A RENAISSANCE MAN
HUMANISM
- Literature no longer created solely for religious or
mechanical teaching – poetry & prose were art in and
of
themselves
- Art & Literature focused on the human condition, human
potential
- Art and Literature revisited Greco-Roman themes
- Combined Christian Piety w/ an appreciation
of the pagan past
POLITICS IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
- Italy failed to develop effective political institutions
- Politics were provincial, self-centered, ruthless, lack
national interest
- Most of Italy was eventually conquered by larger
neighboring powers
MACHIAVELLI
- Admired political unity of France and England
- Feared Italy would suffer for its lack of unification
Machiavelli’s THE PRINCE - 1513
- Most well-known work of the Renaissance
- Freed politics from religion and moral philosophy
- Showed that successful politicians were often
immoral & opportunistic
- Viewed as a work of evil by some for “promotion” of
immoral politics