The Renaissance 1
What had life been like for Europeans during the Medieval period? 2
Renaissance Defined! The Renaissance took place in Europe between 1350 and 1550.! The Renaissance was a time of renewed interest in learning and culture.! It was a rebirth of ideals of the Roman and Greek cultures. 3
Timeline of the Renaissance Trade Expands Trade brings goods and ideas to an increasing number of people. Trade also brings wealth City-States Merchants in city-states become wealthy and compete with one another to make their city the most beautiful. Nobles commission artists, architects. Renaissance Starts in Italy Florence under Medici rule leads the way. New art and views on the world emerge. New intellectual culture emerges Shift from religious doctrine to a intellectual culture that gave individuals more control over their own lives.
Trade Expands The Silk Road reopened in the 1200s when the Mongols took control of China. Kublai Khan reopened the Silk Road and made it safe for travel and trade. Italy connected Europe with the Silk Road.
Trade Expands The Silk Road By the 1300s, the Italian city-states had become major trading centers. Italian merchants were earning lots of money from this trade.
City-States 7
Florence Rome Venice Genoa
Florence! Florence became wealthy from the weaving of wool.! Later Florence became the banking center of Italy.! The Medici family were the greatest bankers in Florence.! Cosimo de Medici ruled Florence and was an important figure in the beginning of the Renaissance.! He sought to make Florence the most beautiful city in the world by hiring artists and architects to carry out projects.
Florence! Lorenzo de Medici, grandson of Cosimo de Medici, became the ruler of Florence in 1469.! Lorenzo s greatest contribution to history was his patronage of the arts. He commissioned works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli. Whoever wants to be happy, let him do so: about tomorrow there s no knowing. -Lorenzo the Magnificent
Venice! Venice was the wealthiest city-state of the Renaissance.! It was a port city on the Adriatic Sea.! Venice maintained hundreds of merchant ships and warships, and thousands of sailors.! Venice maintained a powerful naval force and controlled the trade routes of the Mediterranean.! Venice is an island city. It has canals for roads.! Venice played a key role in east-west trade.
Genoa! Genoa is located on the Mediterranean.! Genoa was one of two main port cities in Italy during the Renaissance.! Genoa was one of the wealthiest city-states of the Renaissance.! Genoa received shipments of spices and luxuries from Asia.! Genoa was ruled over by a doge, an official appointed by a group of wealthy merchant families.! Genoa dominated western Mediterranean trade in the 1300s.
Milan! Milan was home to the Dominican order, a religious order of the Catholic Church.! Milan dominated the inland trade routes because it was the gateway to Italy from the north.! Milan is the site of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the cathedral where Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper in the dining hall.
Rome! Rome was the center of the Roman Catholic Church. The church was governed by popes.! The popes during the Renaissance were interested in beautifying the city and making it a center of the arts and culture.! Just as the wealthy families of other Italian cities supported the arts, the popes of Vatican City commissioned famous artists and architects to beautify Rome.
Rome! The popes employed the best artists and architects of the Renaissance to build and decorate the most opulent churches in in the world.! Michelangelo designed the finest example of Renaissance architecture in Rome, the Piazza del Campidoglio (bottom left). He also designed the dome of St. Peter s Basilica (bottom right).
Italian citystates become wealthy from trade. Wealthy families support arts, literature, and education, based on the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. Flowering of arts and learning in Italy.
Humanism Famous humanists! One of the most significant ideas of the Renaissance was humanism.! Humanism was an intellectual movement that started in Florence. Petrarch! Humanism taught that man was the center of the universe and that he had dignity and value.! Humanism focused on individual worth.! It changed European people s view of the world. Erasmus! Humanism was based on the teachings of the Greek philosopher Plato and the Roman statesman Cicero. Dante Alighieri
Impact of Humanism Medieval Thought Humanism Church and king most important Man is sinful Hierarchy of people s worth Life s pleasures must be avoided to please God Accept the human condition Accept church doctrine without question Individual is important Man is good with dignity and value Dignity and worth of all people People can enjoy life and still be good Christians Encouraged human achievement Each individual finds the truth for himself Dante was first to write in the vernacular, the language used in everyday life. Until his time, all European literature was written in Latin.