The Renaissance and
Reformation
1300-1650
The Renaissance was a time of
renewal.
Renaissance means rebirth and
Europe was recovering from
the Dark ages and the plague.
People had lost their faith in the
church and began to put more
focus on human beings.
Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
PRIME LOCATION
One major reason the Renaissance
began in Italy is linked to geography.
The city-states of Italy, positioned on
the Mediterranean Sea, were centres
for trade and commerce, the first port
of call for both goods and new ideas.
REFUGE OF SCHOLARS
Secondly, Italy was the core of the
former Roman empire, and, at the
collapse of the Byzantine empire in
1453, became the refuge for the
intellectuals of Constantinople who
brought with them many of the
great works of the ancient Greeks
and Romans, works that had been
lost to the West during the Dark
Ages. Prior to this, scholars in Italy
had been examining the works of
the ancients, but they were of poor
quality and often incomplete.
THE FALL CONSTANTINOPLE
• According to historians, Mehmed allowed
his troops to plunder the city.
• Many civilians were taken as slaves or were
killed on the spot.
• By the third day, Mehmed ordered all
looting to stop.
– Hagia Sophia as now turned into a
Mosque.
• Many people fled the city towards many
Italian cities, taking with them their
knowledge of antiquity.
The fall of Constantinople is considered by
many historians as the end of the Middle Ages.
The fall of Constantinople and general
establishment of the Turks in that region also
severed the main overland trade link between
Europe and Asia
– as a result more Europeans began to seriously
consider the possibility of reaching Asia by sea.
The migration waves of Byzantine scholars and
refugees in the period following the fall of
Constantinople in 1453, is considered by many
scholars key to the revival of Greek and Roman studies
that led to the development of the Renaissance
humanism and science.
•
VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP
The third reason was political. Due to various political intrigues, the
Holy Roman Empire had essentially lost power in northern Italy, the
papal states were governed by various leading families within each
region, and the city of Naples dominated the South. This vacuum of
leadership allowed merchant families to gain considerate power within
each city-state and thus revised the laws governing banking, commerce,
shipping, and trade. This freer atmosphere led to a busy exchange of
both goods and ideas.
INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH
The Renaissance was a rebirth of ancient Greek and Roman thinking and styles,
and both the Roman and Greek civilizations were Mediterranean cultures, as is
Italy. The best single reason for Italy as the birthplace of the Renaissance was
the concentration of wealth, power, and intellect in the Church. In that time, the
Church controlled so much of the political, economic, and intellectual life of
Europe, that it gathered most of the best minds, wealthiest men, and most
powerful leaders unto itself in Rome at one time or another. The noble
merchants of various Italian cities had built up so much wealth over the
centuries that they could better afford to patronize the arts and sciences than
almost anyone else.
Florence was the epicenter of
the Italian Renaissance.
WHY FLORENCE ?
Florence was financially in a
very good spot in the late
Middle Ages, recuperating
dramatically even after the
Black Plague wiped out half
the population in 1348, and
experiencing not only a
resurge of resources but also
a resurge of life. It was an
important trading center on
the route from Rome to
Venice, and also known for
its wool and its bankers
across Europe
Florence and The Medici Family
The Medici family, Florence's most
famous bankers of all, made their
fortune by loaning out money at an
interest to an important network of
clients across the continent. Their
wealth led them to become the most
prominent family in Florence,
politically, and to remain that way for
nearly 400 years, from 1350 to 1743
when the last of the Medici died.
Rulers of Florence
The Medici family were wool merchants
and bankers. Both businesses were very
profitable and the family became extremely
wealthy. Giovanni de Medici first brought
the family to prominence in Florence by
starting the Medici bank. He also was the
leader of the Florence merchants. His son,
Cosimo de Medici became the Gran maestro Giovanni de Medici
(leader) of the Florence city-state in 1434.
The Medici family ruled Florence for the
next 200 years until 1737
Cosimo de Medici
Leaders of the Renaissance
The Medici are most famous for their patronage of the arts. Patronage is where a wealthy
person or family sponsors artists. They would pay artists commissions for major works
of art. The Medici patronage had a huge impact on the Renaissance, allowing artists to
focus on their work without having to worry about money.
A significant amount of the art and architecture that was produced in Florence at the
beginning of the Renaissance was due to the Medici. Early on they supported the painter
Masaccio and helped pay the architect Brunelleschi to rebuild the Basilica of San
Lorenzo. Other famous artists that the Medici supported include Michelangelo, Raphael,
Donatello, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The Medici didn't just support the arts and architecture. They also supported science.
They supported the famous scientist Galileo Galilei in his scientific efforts. Galileo also
worked as a tutor for the Medici children
Important Members
•Giovanni de Medici (1360 - 1429): Giovanni was the
founder of the Medici Bank which would make the
family wealthy and allow them to support the arts.
•Cosimo de Medici (1389 - 1464): Cosimo began the
Medici dynasty as the first Medici to become leader of
the city of Florence. He supported the famous sculptor
Donatello and the architect Brunelleschi.
•Lorenzo de Medici (1449 - 1492): Also known as
Lorenzo the Magnificent, Lorenzo de Medici ruled
Florence through much of the peak of the Italian Lorenzo the Magnificent
Renaissance. He supported such artists as Michelangelo,
Leonardo da Vinci, and Sandro Botticelli.
POLIOTICAL SYSTEM IN RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance manifested the transitional phase from the medieval ages to
the modern era.
It was a time of social and cultural changes in Europe. It is believed to be
the beginning of the modern world and hence the new phase of the
political system arrived. Along with society and culture, politics also
changed.
Renaissance and Politics Renaissance states had three basic forms of
Government: princedoms, monarchies and oligarchies or the republics. One
of the largest political changes during that period was segregation of politics
from Christianity. Religion was no longer seen as a part of governance and
authority. Government and politics both were affected by humanism.
Setting the Stage for the Renaissance:
Politics
– City-states
– Communes
– New economic elite
– The popolo
– Oligarchies and dictatorships
– Condottieri
A group of condottieri
Setting the Stage for the Renaissance:
Economics
Revival of trade: 11th century
– Improved agricultural
techniques
– Population increase
– New trade routes
– Improved transportation
A Renaissance-era moneychanger
Secularism
– Writers began writing in
vernacular ( the locally spoken
language instead of Latin.
– Dante Alighieri wrote “The
Divine Comedy” in Italian,
telling the epic journey through
hell.
– Chaucer wrote “Canterbury
Tales” in English, telling tales of
Medieval life.
Humanism
– Humanists believed that human
reason and logic were as important
in understanding the world as
religion and intuition.
– They celebrated the
accomplishments of man and looked
for inspiration to the ancient Greek
and Roman thinkers.
– Here, Michelangelo’s Moses shows
the attention paid to anatomy and
the power of the individual.
– Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)
was a Renaissance writer and a
Florentine humanist.
– He collected Greek and Roman
writings, like the poetry of Virgil
and Homer and wrote secular (not
religious) poetry about love and
life in the here and now, not just in
the afterlife.
– Writers and thinkers began to
criticize the “old” ways.
– Erasmus wrote “Praise of Folly”
which ridiculed the church,
corrupt officials, and Clergy.
– Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote”
which poked fun at chivalry and
the culture of Medieval Europe.
Humanism
– In Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper each figure is distinguishable.
Humanism
– Michelangelo’s knowledge of
anatomy is used to show the details
of the human form. Naked people
= humanism.
Humanism
– The detail of Raphael’s
Sistine Madonna shows
Humanism.
– The characters look like
real people with
individual differences,
muscle tone. You can
see their humanity.
THANK YOU