15TH CENTURY ITALY

RENAISSANCE

SOURCE: A HISTORY OF THE MODERN WORLD – PALMER, COLTON, KRAMER

CHANGES

BREAKING DOWN OF MEDIEVAL CERTAINTIES

NEW AND INVIGORATING ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE WORLD

MIDDLE AGES RENAISSANCE

RELIGIOUSWORDLY LIFE IS

LESS IMPORTANTLIFE OF

CONTEMPLATIONRESPECT FOR

POVERTYWORSHIP OF

GOD

SECULARLIFE OF

INVOLVEMENT AND HUMAN ACTIVITY

ENJOYMENT OF WEALTH (BY SOME!)

DEMONSTRATION OF HUMAN POWER

MAN SHAPED HIS OWN DESTINY

OFTEN A COMBINATION OF ATTITUDES

REBIRTH

RE-BIRTH OF GRECO-ROMAN CIVILISATION “NEW” CULTURE WAS NEITHER THEOLOGICAL

NOR SCIENTIFIC BUT ASKED WHAT HUMAN BEINGS OUGHT TO BE AND DO:

STYLETASTEDECORUMPERSONAL CHARACTEREDUCATION

CITY-STATES

THE BIGGEST AND MOST BUSTLING TOWNS IN EUROPE

THESE TOWNS WERE INDEPENDENT CITY-STATES:- CONTROLLED BY

MERCHANT OLIGARCHIES

- NO KINGS- POPES LARGELY ABSENT

(WHY?)

TRADE

MERCHANTS MADE FORTUNES IN COMMERCE

Þ LENT MONEY TO POPES AND PRINCES

Þ MERCHANTS MADE FURTHER FORTUNES AS BANKERS

FLORENCE

CHIEF CITY IN TUSCANY

(POPULATION 60,000)

PRODUCTION OF WOOLENS

FAMOUS PEOPLE

DANTE

PETRARCH

BOCCACCIO

MACHIAVELLI

MEDICI FAMILY

MEDICI FAMILY

GIOVANNI de MEDICI (1360 – 1429) MERCHANT AND BANKER• COSIMO de MEDICI (1389 – 1464)• LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT (1449 –

1492)

De MEDICI FAMILY RULED OVER FLORENCE UNTIL THE FAMILY DIED OUT IN 1737

ART

ARCHITECTURE SPACE WAS NO LONGER

UNKNOWABLE AND DIVINE ADAPTATION OF GRECO-ROMAN

ARCHITECTURE GRANDEUR, IMPORTANCE,

CONVENIENCE FOR HUMAN USE

ART

SCULPTURE

• GREEK/ROMAN TRADITION

• INDEPENDENT AND FREE-STANDING ART

• (NUDE) HUMAN BEINGS

ART

PAINTINGFEW EXAMPLES FROM GRECO-ROMAN TIMES

INVENTIONS:- PAINTING IN OILS- PERSPECTIVE

HUMAN ANATOMYMORE EXPRESSIONINDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES

HUMANISM

RISING INTEREST IN HUMANE LETTERS = WRITING ABOUT MANKIND

- AS MAIN LIFE’S WORK- TO ACHIEVE ARTISTIC EFFECT- TO AMUSE THE READER

• CLASSICAL INFLUENCES => WROTE IN LATIN (AND ITALIAN...FLORENTINE BECOMES STANDARD OF MODERN ITALIAN)

• WRITING WITHOUT FRAMEWORK OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF

• STYLE WAS VERY IMPORTANT• HISTORICAL WRITING CREATED GROUP IDENTITY• NEW CRITICAL ATTITUDE

EDUCATION

DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS OR LEVELS INTO SEPARATE CLASSES, SEPARTE ROOMS, WITH OWN TEACHER

LATIN & GREEKRHETORIC

IDEAL RENAISSANCE MAN:- WELL-ROUNDED PERSON- ABLE TO CONVERSE EASILY- KNOWLEDGABLE IN CLASSICAL SUBJECTS- PROFICIENT IN SPRTOS AND ARMS- ABLE TO DANCE AND APPRECIATE MUSIC- WILLING TO SHOW CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS

WOMEN

BY THE AGE OF 18 MARRIED TO OLDER (ESTABLISHED) MEN

DIFFERENT AGES REINFORCED GENDER DIVISION:

MEN => CAREER WOMEN => HOUSEHOLD

POLITICS

NO UNIFICATION OF CITY-STATESWARS FOUGHT WITH CONDOTIERRI

(PRIVATE LEADERS OF ARMED BANDS)

POLITICS BECAME A TANGLED WEB

MACHIAVELLLI THE PRINCETO CONVINCE ITALIANS OF THE NEED TO UNIFY“THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS”

6 MAY 1527 – THE SACKING OF ROME

ITALY IS DIVIDED AND NOT PREPARED AND IN 1527 A GROUP OF SPANISH AND GERMAN MERCENARIES ATTACK ROME

Þ THOUSANDS WERE KILLED

Þ POPE IMPRISONED

Þ LOOTING AND DESTRUCTION

THE GLORIES OF THE RENAISSANCE BEGIN TO FADE AWAY IN ITALY BUT LIVES ON IN THE REST OF EUROPE

*PETRARCH

FLORENTINE EXILEFIRST MAN OF LETTERSSON OF A MERCHANTTRAVELLED FRANCE AND ITALYWRITING SHOWS THE COMPLEX,

CONTRADICTORY ATTITUDES OF EARLY REN THOUGHT

ATRRACTED BY LOVE, LIFE, BEAUTY, TRAVELASPIRED LITERARY FAMEMORAL PHILOSOPHYWHAT WAS THE GOOD LIFE?

*BOCCACCIO

WROTE DECAMERON IN ITALIANSCHOLARLY TYPE

*DANTE

WROTE DIVINE COMEDY (IN VERNACULAR)