WRITING THE SELF AND WRITING HISTORY IN RENAISSANCE ITALY.

A.A. 2020-2021 - ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

IST SEMESTER – 6 CFU

Lorenzo Geri lorenzo.geri@uniroma1.it https://www.lettere.uniroma1.it/users/lorenzo-geri https://uniroma1.academia.edu/LorenzoGeri

PART I

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE: AN INTRODUCTION

The Italian Renaissance: an overall view

�  Lesson 3 The centres of the Italian Renaissance

THE ITALIAN CENTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE See Stephen J. Campbell, Artistic geographies in Cambridge Companion to The Italian Renaissance Timeline in Cambridge Companion to The Italian Renaissance

Centres/Peripheries An artistic (and literary) centre is ““a place characterized by the presence of a large number of artists [and writers] and of important groups of patrons who, moved by various motivations – be it their family or self-pride, their wish for hegemony, or their quest for eternal salvation – are ready to invest part of their wealth in works of art [and to protect writers]” (“Castelnuovo/Ginzburg 2009. p 9) •  continuity of patronage •  institutions •  public sphere sustaining artistic culture

Life of a XIVIth century man of letter: Pietro Bembo (Venice 1470- Rome 1547) •  son of Bernardo, a powerful Venetian patrician interested

in humanities he got a first class education •  as a young boy, he met Poliziano •  he studied at home (his father’s library) •  1492-1494 he studied Greek in Messina

•  De aetna (1496) dialogue concerning his ascent to the Etna •  1497-1503 he studied philosophy in Ferrara (become friend with

Ludovico Ariosto) •  1501-1503 love affaire with Lucrezia Borgia

•  collaboration with the printing press of Aldo Manitius •  1501 he edited Petrarch’s Rime •  1502 he edited Dante’s Commedia •  1505 he published his Asolani (vernacular dialogue on love)

Life of a XIVIth century man of letter: Pietro Bembo (Venice 1470- Rome 1547) •  1506-1507 at the court of Urbino

•  De Guio Ubaldo Feretrio deque Elisabetha Gonzaga Urbini ducibus •  Stanze (vernacular poem written for a Carnival Festival)

•  1508 he started an ecclesiastical career •  1512-1521 at Rome

•  1513 papal secretary •  1514 and 1519 ambassador in Venice

•  1521-1538 at Padua and Venice •  1524 he offered the manuscript of his Prose della volgar lingua to

the pope Clement VII •  1525 he published his Prose (the most influential Italian

grammatical treatise of the Renaissance)

Life of a XIVIth century man of letter: Pietro Bembo (Venice 1470- Rome 1547) •  1530

•  he become the official historian of the Venetian Republic •  he published his Rime (an influential book in the history of

Petrarchism)

•  1535 •  he published his brevi written on behalf of Leo X

•  1539-1544 at Rome •  he was elected cardinal (1539) •  he wrote his Historiae venetae libri XII tha he himself translated into

Italian

Italy in XIVth century •  1309-1377 papacy moves to Avignon

•  1377-1417 Western Schism

•  1307-1313 emperor Henry VII descent into Italy is a failure

•  Italian city-states increase their power •  Northern Italy

•  Venice and Genoa •  the «signorie» (Milan, Padua,

Mantua, Ferrara)

•  Central Italy •  e v o l u t i o n o f t h e

«comuni» (Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena)

Italy in XVth century •  1420 the papacy is back in Rome (pope Martin

V Ottone Colonna)

•  1429 Cosimo de’ Medici begins to consolidate Medici power in Florence

•  1434-1443 pope Eugene IV forced to abandon Rome

•  1442 Alfonso V of Aragon crowned Alfonso I, King of Naples

•  The Kingdom of Naples is ruled by the Aragons (1442-1503)

•  1447-1455 pope Nichola V ini t iates a monumnetal reconstruction of Rome

•  1454 the peace of Lodi

•  «balance of power» among the Italian state

Italy in XVth century

•  1465-1467 first printing press in Italy (Sweynheym and Pabartz) in Subiaco

•  1469-1492 Lorenzo de’ Medici rules in Florence

•  1478 failed conspiracy of Pazzi in Florence

•  1492-1503 papacy of Alexander VI

Guicciardini, Introduction to History of Italy

Before I proceed to give my reader an account of the troubles in Italy, together with the causes from whence so many evils were derived, it will not be improper to observe, that our calamities affected us with so much greater terror and sensibility, as the minds of men were perfectly at ease, and the country at that time in a state of profound peace and tranquility. It is certain that, for above a thousand years back, at which period of the Roman Empire weakened by a change of her ancient institutions, began to decline from that pitch of grandeur, to the attaining of which the most amazing virtue and good fortune had equally contributed, Italy had at no time enjoyed a state of such complete prosperity and repose, as in the year 1490, and some time before and after.

* translated by K. Gouwens

Italian Wars I 1494-1516 (the fight for Milan and Naples) •  1494-1498 the french king Charles VIII invades the Kingdom of Naples

•  1498-1512 Florentin Republic re-established

•  1499–1504 •  the french king Louis XII invades Lombardy •  the kingdom of Naples is ruled by the Spanishs

•  1503-1513 papacy of Julius II •  renforcement of the Papal States (conquer of Bologna, Forlì, Perugia) •  Legue of Cambrai

Italian Wars I 1494-1516 (the fight for Milan and Naples) •  1508 Legue of Cambrai

•  Julius II, France, Spain, Empire vs Venice •  1509 defeat of Venice in Agnodello

•  1511 Lega Santa •  Julius II, Spain, Venice, Switzerland, England vs France •  1512 France leaves Milan •  1513 the new pope Leo X ends the alliance

•  1513-1521 papacy of Leo X •  1517 Luther’s Ninety-five Theses

•  1515 France conquers Milan •  1516 peace of Bologna

•  1516-1521 military alliance between the papacy and France

Italian Wars II 1519-1530 (Charles V) •  1519 Charles V crowned Emperor

•  a powerfull dynastic union of dominions (Flandres, Spain, Austria)

•  1521 Charles V vs Francis I

•  1523-1534 papacy of Clement VII (Giulio dei Medici)

•  1525 battle of Pavia: Francis I taken prisoner

•  1526-1530 League of Cognac •  Kingdom of France, Pope Clement VII, the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of

England, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence vs Charles V •  Francesco Guicciardini promotes the alliance •  1527 the sack of Rome •  1529 peace of Cambrai

•  1530 •  Charles V crowned Emperor by the Pope •  end of the Florentin Republic, the Medici rules over the Duchy of Florence

Protestan Reformation •  1521 Died of Worms

•  Luther defends is 95 theseses; edict of Worms; Luther in Wartburg

•  1530 Diet of Augsburg

•  1531 Schmalkaldic League

•  France helps the League of Protestant princes

•  1545-1563 Council of Trento

•  1559 Papal Index of Forbidden books

•  1555 peace of Augsburg

•  1559 peace of Cateau-Cambrésis

•  Spain rules over the Duchy of Milan, the Kingdom of Naples and the State of Presidi

Republic of Venice Government

oligarchy of merchants and aristocrats (the Doge was elected by the aristocratic families patriziato maggiore)

Economy and military power

regional power; a European trading power; printing industry

Libraries and cultural centres Marciana Library (legacy of cardinal Bessarione); houses of the aristocrats (there is not a court); the printing press (Aldo Manuzio academia); the University of Padua (part of Venice state)

Literature

1.  philology and Greek studies 2.  historians (sometimes payed by the State) 3.  Theatrical shows (in aristocrats’ villas and palaces;

from XVII opera houses) 4.  Pietro Bembo; Pietro Aretino and other poligrafi

Republic of Florence/ Duchy of Florence Government

former commune, ruled by the Medici family in 1434-1494; 1494-1512 republic (Pier Soderini gonfaliere); 1512-1527 Giovanni de’ Medici; 1527-1532 restoration of the Republic; from 1532 Duchy of Florence

Economy and military power regional power; banking families (Medici)

Libraries and cultural centres the Medici court; private libraries; Platonic Academy

Literature

1.  Philology (Poliziano) and philosophical studies (neo-platinism: Marsilio Ficino)

2.  Humanism and architecture: Leon Battista Alberti, De re aedificatoria, 1450 (dedicated to pope Niccollò V printed in 1485)

3.  Poetry: Poliziano, Lorenzo il Magnifico (XV century) 4.  History: Machiavelli, Guicciardini (XVI century) 5.  Vernacular philology and linguistics: Accademia della

Crusca

Rome (the Papal State) Rome (Papal States)

Government elective monarchy (the papal conclave)

Economy and military power regional power; great influence in European politics (until XVII century)

Libraries and cultural centres the papal court (with the papal library founded by Niccolò V); the courts of the cardinals; Rome University (1406); Roman academiae; the University of Bologna and Perugia

Literature and the Arts 1.  antiquaria (archeology): Biondo Flavio, Roma insaturata

1446, Italia inlustrata, 1453) 2.  Philology (Lorenzo Valla, Poggio Bracciolini in XV century) 3.  Poetry and eloquence: Pietro Bembo, Iacopo Sadoleto,

Giovanni Della Casa (debate on imitation) – pontificates of Leone X and Clemente VII

Rome (the Papal State) Kingdome of Naples

Government monarchy (Angevins dynasty 1282-1442, Aragonese dynasty 1442-1503, Spanish Monarchy of the Hapsburgs 1503-1707)

Economy and military power part of larger monarchies; Naples and Palermo rich cities (commercial harbors)

Libraries and cultural centres Library of the Aragonese king and the Academia Pontaniana in Naples; universities (Naples, Salerno, Catania); scholars of Greek in Sicily and Apulia

Literature and the Arts 1.  Poetry: Pontano, Sannazaro, Bernardo Tasso 2.  History: historians of the Aragonese dynasty (Facio, Valla,

Pontano) 3.  Philsophy: Valla (De falsa credita et ementita constantini

donatione), Marullo