European Renaissance and Reformation

European Renaissance and Reformation

1300-1600

Question

•  Being great at one subject is better than being above average in many.

•  A. Agree

•  B. Disagree

Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

•  Renaissance—Rebirth of art and learning

•  1300-1600 explosion of creativity in Europe

•  Started in Italy and spread north later

•  North lagged due to the Hundred Years’ War

•  Italy’s Advantages—thriving cities, a wealth merchant class, classical heritage of Greece and Rome

Urban Centers

•  Crusades spurred overseas trade led to large city states in Italy.

•  Italy=Urban and Europe=Rural

•  Bubonic plague destroyed 60% of pop in cities.

•  Economic change—Laborers low demand higher wages.

•  Decrease in population=fewer opportunities to expand resulted in exploration of art and other ideas.

Merchants

•  Milan, Florence, and other Italian city-states ran their own affairs (military, trade, taxes)

•  Merchants wealthiest and powerful, did not inherit class as nobles, dominated politics

•  Most believed owed power due to success and their own merit.

Medici

•  In 1434, Cosimo de’ Medici and his family came to control Florence using their wealth and personal influence. Cosimo’s grandson Lorenzo de’ Medici later ruled the city.

•  Powerful monarchial states in Europe were attracted to the wealth of the Italian city-states, and in 1494 Charles VIII of France occupied Naples in southern Italy.

Classical

•  A key intellectual movement of the Renaissance was humanism.

•  Humanists studied grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy, and history.

•  Petrarch believed that intellectuals had a duty to live an active civic life and put their study of the humanities to the state’s service.

•  The humanist emphasis on classical Latin led to an increase in the writings of scholars, lawyers, and theologians.

•  Popularized the study of subjects common to classical education, such as history, literature, and philosophy. (Humanities)

Worldly Pleasures

–  The Renaissance witnessed the rise of a secular viewpoint of wealth and material items.

–  Humanists suggested enjoy life without offending god.

–  Enjoyed material luxuries, fine music, lavish banquets, and liven and mansions.

The Renaissance Man

•  A man excelled in many fields was praised as “Renaissance Man”

•  All educated were expected to create art.

•  Baldassare Castglione wrote The Courtier which taught how to become

•  Man—charming, witty, and well educated in the classics, dance, sing, play music, and write poetry.

Women

•  The Courtier—upper-class women should know classics and charming.

•  Inspire but not create

Machiavelli on Power

•  Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a book that influenced political thought in Italy and eventually all of Europe.

•  In his influential work, The Prince, Machiavelli wrote about how to acquire and hold political power. He stated that a ruler must put the state first and not focus on moral principles.

•  Machiavelli’s rejection of popular Christian values would have a profound influence on the political leaders who followed.