Transcript The Renaissance

The Renaissance
Rebirth in Italy
The Italian Renaissance
What was the Renaissance?
 Why did it begin in Italy?
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The City-State
The Medici Family
Define Secularism, Humanism, Individualism
 Literature
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Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Castiglione
Education
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The Renaissance Man
What was the Renaissance
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Rebirth of ancient culture
New attitude toward the world
Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy?
1.
2.
Trade routes; increased
contact with other
civilizations
A wealthy middle class
grows due to trade.
- People want to enjoy
wealth
3.
4.
Competition among the
wealthy leads to
developments in education
and art
City-States on the
Peninsula are not hindered
by monarchy or strong
influence of papacy.
The Italian City-States

Independent
Republics ruled by
wealthy merchant
class (essentially
oligarchies)
Florence
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Large textile and wool
industry
Banking center
Dominated by Medici
family
 Lorenzo
‘The
Magnificent’
 Patron
of the humanities
and the arts
Humanism
1.
2.
3.
4.
Admiration of ancient
Greeks and Romans
Belief that life is to be
enjoyed
Glorification of
humanity and the
individual
Exploration of the
secular world
Literature

Shift from technical, theological writing in the
Middle Ages to….
 Writing
that deals with general questions about
life
 Writing for artistic effect
 Writing to amuse
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Writers of the Renaissance not exclusively
clergy
Preferred writing style of ancients
Dante Alighieri
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Writer of The Divine
Comedy
Written in Vernacular
 Beginning
of local
common languages
becoming standardized
Petrarch
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Father of Humanism
Inspired by love,
beauty, travel,
connections with
people
 Love
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letters, sonnets
Searched for long lost
Latin manuscripts
Giovanni Boccaccio
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Wrote Decameron
First prose
masterpiece written
in Italian
Story of human
character and
behavior
Baldassare Castiglione
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Wrote The Book of the
Courtier
 Outlined
proper
gentlemanly behavior

Humanist education
emphasized
Education
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Emphasis on the study of the humanities
Virtù, The Universal Man, The
Renaissance Man
 The
quality of being a man successful in all
worthwhile pursuits (Arts, war, politics etc)
 Know Latin, Greek, and Vernacular