Transcript THE RENAISSANCE BEGINS

THE RENAISSANCE
 The wealthy urban society of the Italian cities brought
a rebirth of art and learning in Europe.
 Italy’s locations helped cities grow from wealthy from
trade and banking, but many of the cities fell under
the control of strong rulers.
 Unlike medieval nobles, the Renaissance nobles lived
in cities, were active in trade, banking and public life.
THE RENAISSANCE
 Renaissance means “rebirth” and it marks the re-
emergence of art and learning in Europe.
 The Renaissance began in Italy and then moved north
and spread throughout Europe.
 During the Renaissance, people began to stress the
importance of the individual person and moved away
from religion and took a more secular view on the
world.
THE RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance began in Italy because it was the
center of the old Roman Empire, a great deal of
European wealth existed there, and country was still
divided into very small city-states that competed very
aggressively against each other.
THE RENAISSANCE
 Italian city-states became very wealthy through trade.
 Italy was perfectly located on the Mediterranean Sea
which made trade optimal.
 Because of the Crusades, Italians were able to come in
contact with the Mongols and the Chinese which
enhanced their wealth through trade.
THE RENAISSANCE
 Marco Polo was a famous Italian trader who visited
China and wrote a book about his travels that sparked
interest in the Far East.
 Marco Polo came from Venice, which was the most
wealthiest city at the beginning of the Renaissance.
 Venice was unique from other Italian cities because
instead of roads, it had canals that traveled through
the city.
 The Medici family came from Florence and are
credited with financing the beginning of the
Renaissance movement.
 The wealthy men of Italian cities became a “new type”
of leader.
 Before the Renaissance, noblemen got their wealth
from land. The new wealth came from trade.
 Eventually, the old noblemen from the Middle Ages
and the merchants from the Renaissance merged and
became the new ruling class in Europe.
 In Venice, the head of the city was called a duke or a
doge.
 In Florence, the powerful Medici family ruled for many
decades during the Renaissance.
 Politics in Renaissance Italy was complicated and
diplomacy became a very valuable tool in avoiding
conflict and rebellion.
 As a result of competition among cities in Italy and the
need for diplomacy, Italian diplomat Niccolo
Machiavelli wrote a political book called The Prince.
 In his book, Machiavelli explained how people could
gain and keep power.
 Machiavelli believed that a person should do whatever
is necessary to protect their city and power even if it
mean lying and killing.
THE END