Economic Foundations
• Increased demand for Middle Eastern products
• Encouraged the use of credit and banking
• Letters of credit expanded supply of money and sped up trade.
• New accounting and bookkeeping practices used Arabic numerals
Italy• Italian city-states became
rich from trade: – Florence– Venice – Genoa
• They were trading centers for the distribution of goods to northern Europe.
• Independent city-states governed as republics by wealthy merchants.
Niccolo Machiavelli• Wrote The Prince– guidelines for the
how to get power by absolute rule.
• Believed the ends justified the means
• One should do good if possible, but do evil when necessary.
Art and Literature• Medieval art and literature focused on the Church and salvation.
• Renaissance art and literature focused on individuals and worldly matters, along with Christianity.
Leonardo da Vinci• Painted the
Mona Lisa and The Last Supper
• Handsome, athletic, singer, artist, scientist, inventor
Michelangelo• Painted the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and sculpted David
• Sculptor, painter, architect, poet
Humanism• Celebrated the
individual• Stimulated the study
of Greek and Roman literature and culture
• Humanists were supported by PATRONS who were very wealthy
The Vitruvian Man
Northern Renaissance
• With the rise of trade, travel and literacy, the Italian Renaissance spread to northern Europe.
• The art and literature changed as people of different cultures adopted Renaissance ideas.
Northern Renaissance Writers• Erasmus—The
Praise of Folly (1511)
• Critical of corrupt church practices
• Catalyst for Protestant Reformation
Northern Renaissance Writers• Sir Thomas More
—Utopia (1516)
• Depicts world with perfect social, legal and political system
• Leading humanist scholar
The Printing Press
• Major invention of the Renaissance• Printing press created by Johannes Gutenberg
– Was the first way to print large amounts of text at once, instead of by hand or by blocks
– 1st book printed was the “Gutenberg Bible”• Influence of the printing press was…
– Made books faster and more accessible to people– Made books much cheaper than before– Increased the literacy rate of people in Europe– Allowed more people the ability to be educated
Top Related