Transcript Renewal In Europe

Renewal In Europe
The Renaissance,
The Reformation,
& The Scientific
Revolution
Origins of the Renaissance
 During the Middle Ages, few people knew anything about life beyond their
immediate area.
 How would your life be different if everything you had came from no more than
100 miles away?
 Music/Entertainment? Foods you eat?
 During the Renaissance, Europeans began seeing more trade goods in their
markets from Asia
 Exotic Spices, Silk
Origins of the Renaissance
 After the Black Death, the survivors could charge more for labor, and had
all the same land, machines, ships, gold, etc. to raise more food and
develop new products.
 The more goods that became available, the cost went down
 More people could purchase/own more things
 New products arrived in markets from China, India and other Eastern lands.
Origins of the Renaissance
How did Eastern Goods Arrive in Europe?
 The Silk Road Reopens
 Goods moved East and West between China
and the Mediterranean Sea
 Road too dangerous after the fall of Rome
and Han Dynasty
 Mongols re-opened route after 1200s,
protected traders.
Origins of the Renaissance
Marco Polo
 Marco Polo is the most famous trader of his time
 From Venice, spent 20 years travelling, working, and
living in Asia with his family
 Became a confidant of Kublai Khan; often more so than
his own court
 When Polo returned to Venice, he described amazing
things to his fellow Europeans:
 Paper money in addition to coins
 Coal used to keep a fire burning longer than wood.
 Piqued curiosity about Asia in Europe. Trade between
the two increased.
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities

By 1300s, Florence, Genoa, Milan, and Venice had become big
trading centers.

Interaction with many different cultures, able to purchase exotic
goods.
 Main port cities were Genoa and Venice on the
Mediterranean.
 Asian spices and luxuries arrived here, and were
shipped across Europe
 Other cities specialized in various crafts
 Venice- Glass
 Milan- weapons and silk
 Florence- Weaving wool into cloth
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities
 Italian Merchant families became increasingly
wealthy
 With wealth, could focus on culture
 Trade Cities became wealthy
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities
Venice
Island City on the Adriatic Sea that grew rich
from sea trade.
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities
Milan
Northern Italian City
that grew wealthy
from trade
Duomo of Milan
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities
Genoa
Located on the
Mediterranean, also
became wealthy
through sea trade.
Moonlight on Genoa Harbor c. 1400s
Origins of the Renaissance
Italian Trade Cities
Florence
Banking and Trade
Center. Wealthy leaders
spent money on
beautifying the city with
buildings and art.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
Origins of the Renaissance
Separate States and Rival Rulers
 In the 1300s, Italy was made up of separate
city-states with different forms of government.
 Venice was a republic
 Papal States (where Rome was located)
ruled by the Pope as a monarchy.
 Most other Italian cities ruled by a “signoria”
government; where a single rich merchant
family controlled the government.
Competed against each other to see
whose city could grow richest from
trade and become most famous and
powerful.
Origins of the Renaissance
Florence and the Medici Family
 Florence stands out as an example of trade and wealth during
the 1300s
 Started out with wool trade, but banking increased their wealth.
 Florentine bankers kept money for merchants from all over Europe.
 Made money by charging interest to those that borrowed money.
 The Medici family were bankers, became richest family by early
1400s, and ruled the city by 1434.
 Cosimo de Medici paid architects to redesign many buildings,
hired artists to decorate his palace.
 Valued education (needed employees to read, write, and
understand math); built libraries and collected books.
 Florence became Italian center of art, literature, and culture.
Origins of the Renaissance
Beginning of the Renaissance
 Other wealthy families in other Italian cities tried to outdo the Medicis in their support of
the arts and learning.
 Renaissance means “rebirth”
 Interest in Greek and Roman writings were being re-born
 There was also a new emphasis on people as individuals, which is different from the
Middle Ages