Renaissance Italy
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Transcript Renaissance Italy
How much of a break was the Renaissance from medieval life?
Why was Italy the birthplace of this movement?
What are the five key ideas “reborn” during the Renaissance?
Jacob Burckhardt:
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860)
Created the modern concept of the Renaissance
14th – 15th c. Italy was the birthplace of the
modern world
Distinguishing features of the period…
revival of antiquity
“perfecting the individual”
secularism (“the worldliness of the Italians”)
Represents a sudden & dramatic cultural break w/
the Middle Ages
The Italian City-States:
Most were economic powerhouses (shipbuilding, foreign
trade, banking & manufacturing)
Organized as communes…
Efficiently managed cities
Associations of free men who won independence from local
nobles
Powerful local oligarchies wrote constitutions & declared them
republics (the popolo were disenfranchised)
Some oligarchies brought in military leaders (condottieri) or
handed the gov’t over to one man (signori)
Competed constantly with each other
Invented modern diplomacy
Created concept of the balance of power
The 5 Major
City-States
of
Renaissance
Italy
The City-State of Florence
Type of Government…
Republic controlled by
small merchant oligarchy
Most powerful family…
Medici family
Most famous ruler(s)…
Cosimo de’ Medici
Lorenzo de’ Medici
Economy based on…
Banking
Textiles (cloth & wool)
Artistic & cultural center
of Early Renaissance
Architectural
Landmark:
The “Duomo”
Built between 1420-1436
Architect
Filippo Brunelleschi
The City-State of Milan
Type of Government…
Duchy (rule by dukes)
Most powerful family…
Visconti
Sforza (after 1447)
Most famous ruler(s)…
Francesco Sforza
Economy based on…
Efficient tax system
Thriving cloth industry
Controlled trade route
through Alps
Milan’s Architectural Landmarks
Castello Sforzesco
(Sforza Castle)
Church of Santa
Maria della
Grazie
The City-State of Venice
Type of Government…
Maritime Republic
controlled by a small
oligarchy of merchant
aristocrats
Most powerful group…
Great Council, Senate &
Council of Ten
Most famous ruler(s)…
Doge = elected leader
Economy based on…
Commercial trade
empire
Shipping industry
Architectural Landmarks : St. Mark’s Square
St. Mark’s Cathedral
Doge’s Palace
Venice: A City with NO ST REETS!!!
Rome (a.k.a. Papal States)
Type of Government…
Ruled by the pope
Most powerful group…
High ranking officials of
Catholic Church
Most famous ruler(s)…
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Julius II
Pope Leo X
Economy based on…
Religious pilgrimages
Church funds & taxes
Artistic center of High
Renaissance
Architectural
Landmark:
T he Vatican
St. Peter’s Basilica
(1506-1567)
Kingdom of Naples
Type of Government…
Backward Monarchy
Most powerful family…
House of Aragon
Most famous ruler(s)…
Alfonso of Aragon (the
Magnanimous)
Economy based on…
A feudal system
consisting largely of
poverty-stricken
peasants dominated by
unruly nobles
1. Humanism
Originated with Petrarch (14th c. poet)
Derived from the term studia humanitates (“liberal
studies”)
Important Characteristics…
Study of Latin & Greek classics
Goal = revive the art of rhetoric & lively dialogues of
the Platonic Academy
Use of vernacular language
Emphasized the abilities, achievements & greatness of
humans
Humanists were intellectual celebrities admired
beyond the borders of their city-states
Pico della Mirandola
On the Dignity of
Man
1486
2. Individualism
“Man is the measure of all
things.”
A Sense of power and
greatness of the human
being replaced religious awe
Individual Ambitions &
accomplishments were
celebrated
Can easily be seen in
Renaissance literature
(autobiography) & visual arts
(portrait)
3. Virtù
“The Quality of
Being a Man”
Means living up to
one’s highest
potential & excelling
in all endeavors
L’uomo universale
Vitruvian Man (1492);
Leonardo da Vinci
Self-Portrait –Leonardo da Vinci, 1512
Artist
Sculptor
Architect
Scientist
Engineer
Inventor
1452 - 1519
Baldassare Castiglione by Raphael,
1514-1515
Castiglione
represented the
humanist
“gentleman” as
a man of
refinement and
self-control.
The Courtier
(1528)
4. Secularism
Focus on the earthly world,
not the heavenly one
Enthusiastically adopted by
new wealthy elites who
patronized the arts & sought
more pleasurable lives
Examples:
Lorenzo Valla, On Pleasure
Boccaccio, Decameron
Machiavelli, The Prince
5. Historical Consciousness
Humanism provided a new periodization, or
chronology, to history
Classical Age
Dark Ages
Renaissance
Secularized the writing of history
Examples:
Leonardo Bruni, History of the Florentine People
Francesco Guicciardini, The History of Italy and his
History of Florence