Welcome to the Renaissance!

Cultural revival (change) in Europe (begins in Italy) 1300s – 1500s

French for “Rebirth”Focus on learning education, history, literature and art

General Overview : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mgSPiAiBjU (2 ½ minutes)United Streaming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiTyTx13Clo (14 minutes)

Let’s look at where it started:

1. Physical Environment: ItalyPeninsula with three major rivers

Mountains & mild climatePorts allowed the spread of people, goods, ideas

Major trade route with the Middle East & China

Money Matters!2. Economics of the Renaissance:A switch from an agricultural system to a urban mercantile system. Related to commerce or tradeCountries attempted to control as many different raw materials (resources) as possible

Export raw materials & Import finished goods Goods: Wool, Shipbuilding, Silk Manufacturing, and Livestock

Services: Banking and Trade Powerful Guilds (an organized group of people who have joined together because they share the same job or interest)

3.Government during the Renaissance:

Wealthy merchants formed oligarchies (a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution) that governed each city-state

Competition fueled the birth of the artistic development.

Medici Family:Rulers and bank lenders in

FlorenceWere successful because they

never gave money to royalty –led to the birth of capitalism

Devoted Christians and believed money lending was a mortal sin.

Needed a way to save themselves from spending eternity “downstairs.”The Medici Family: Makers of Modern

Arthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwhXKvIdhWI

THERE IS A WAY OUT!Money lenders could find redemption

(the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil) by becoming patrons (paying customers) who sponsored/funded (gave money) to many artist and architects.

HOWEVER….must be the art or construction of churches or any aspect showing supporting for religion.

Would have themselves occasionally added into paintings for added “insurance.”

4. Social Classes:1. The Nobles:

owned much of the land, and lived on large estates outside the city walls.

2. The Merchants: “The New Rich,” married into noble

families.Built enormous gilded mansions in

the city, villas in the country, and contributed to the construction of grand cathedrals.

Social Classes (cont.)

3. Middle Class:shopkeepers and lived in the cities

4. The Peasants:farmers and lived in rural areas (the majority)

5. Religions & Values:Monotheism (one God)Roman Catholic Church People were encouraged to learn Latin and know the “word” of God.

Theology: The study of religion and faith

6. Science and Technology:

New view points and ideas were part of:SecularismHumanismIndividualism

6. Science and Technology:Secularism:Topics or ideas not related to religionLaw, Medicine, Philosophy,

Engineering, and ScienceDecisions not always based on the

Church or the BibleWritings were meant to

inform/entertain vs. spiritualityWrote in Vernacular- everyday

language

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Political writing aimed to

manipulated others Negative view of human

nature: ungrateful and selfish

Leaders should be:Strong as a lion, smart like

a foxShould remember ‘the end

justifies the means.’

Example of Secularism Writing:

Scientific Discovery of Our Universe

Copernicus:correctly placed the sun at the center of the solar system

Galileo: physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher

Improvements to the telescope, astronomical observations

Refer to Questioning of Galileo Worksheet for additional information

Galileo (continued):Roman Inquisition believed the Sun

and planets revolved around the Earth.

Galileo believed in the idea of heliocentrism (planets evolved around a stationary sun)

Put on trial for heresy (belief opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion of a particular religion)

Book was banned and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

Humanism:Cultural change based on “Classical” works

Borrowed Greek and Roman ideas

Attempt to live a good life on Earth

Self-worth vs. spirituality

Individualism:The belief that the individual is more important than the larger community

“Man is the measure of all things”- Protagoras

The Printing PressInvented by Johannes Gutenberg, Germany1450

Could print copies of books quickly

By 1500, twenty million books produced

Increased literacy, spread ideasLiteracy: The ability to read and write printed/written words

Literacy and CensorshipPublishers printed medical manuals, travel accounts, and broadsheets.

People published criticisms of the Catholic Church.

The Church began to censor what people could read. It published a list of prohibited books.

CensorTo remove material from published works or to prevent its publication

7.Cultural Developments:Art & Architecture: Classic ideas with realism

Literature: William Shakespeare wrote about human weaknesses

Books written in Vernacular

Cultural Developments (continued):

Painting and Sculptors: Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper

Michelangelo sculpted the Statue of David and painted the Sistine Chapel

Architecture: Filippo Brunelleschi created the Dome

Basic Artist StylesBalanceHarmonyPerspectiveProportionSymmetry