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The Renaissance

The Rebirth of Europe


1300-1600
Middle Ages 500 1200 CE

Collapse of Roman Empire marks start of Middle Ages


Key Outcomes of Middle Ages:
Leads to eventual formation of 47 new countries
Roman Catholic Church gains extreme power
Begins a period of cultural decline (arts, literature, etc)
Judeo-Christian thought spreads in Europe
I. The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages ca. 500-1350.


a.k.a., Medieval Times or
The Dark Ages.
Roman Empire Middle Ages Renaissance

ca. 44-500 ca. 500-1350 ca. 1350-1600


I. The Middle Ages (cont.)

Chaotic time marked by constant


warfare between competing lords.
Most commoners were serfs living on
isolated manors.
Serfs worked the land, lords and their
knights provided protection.
I. The Middle Ages (cont.)

What was limited?


Trade.
Travel.
Education.
Communication with the outside
world.
Life in the Middle Ages
Medieval Man had 3 primary concerns

Eternal salvation

Protection from enemies

Food and shelter


I. The Middle Ages (cont.)

The Catholic Church was a very


powerful force in peoples daily lives.
Controlled the path to salvation with:
1) sacraments.
2) the threat of ex-communication.
II. End of the Middle Ages

3 major events contributed to the end of the


Middle Ages:
1) The Crusades (1096-1204).
Led to:
decreased warfare among knights.
increased trade, travel & communication.
II. End of the Middle Ages
(cont.)

2) The Hundred Years War


(1337-1453).
New weapons developed.
Strong kings emerged.
Feudal warfare decreased.
II. End of the Middle Ages
(cont.)

3) The Black Death (late 1300s),

The bubonic plague killed 25


million people in Europe.

1/3 of the population died within


about 50 years.
Black Death 1347-1352
Bubonic plague killed 1/3rd of Europes population
25 million people died in 5 years!

Medieval Society never recovered from the effect black plague:


Labor shortages developed => Workers demanded higher wages => Peasant
revolts occurred throughout Europe
People openly questioned the church: Why did God let this happen?

people ate lunch with their friends


and dinner with their ancestors
Renaissance Begins
When: 1300 - 1600
Meaning: rebirth (in terms of art & learning)

Began in ITALY & spread north throughout Europe

Why Italy:
Thriving cities meant more trade
France and England locked in the 100-years war. (1337-1453)
Classical heritage of Greece and Rome
Politics in the States
3 types of states
Papal States
Republics
Principalities
Main States- Venice,
Florence, Milan, Naples
Italy Changes
Trade expands
most of Europe was rural
Italy had more cities due to trade
Banking system rapidly developed

Wealthy merchant class developed


Many became patron of the arts (example: Medici)

Growth of cities meant new ideas spread quickly


Italian States were Cultural Centers
Venice
politics
economics

Florence
politics
economics

L. Kemp 2004
Papacy 1417-1505
Renaissance popes
involved in war and
politics
Used nepotism to
further familys
influence
Renaissance popes were
great patrons of arts
Changes in Social Classes
Nobility= 3% of Pop. Peasants &
Held important polit. Townspeople= 85%
Posts as advisers to the Peasants had become
King free
Held to expectations: More money in econ.
Participate in military Merchants & artisans
Well-developed created middle-class
character
Propertyless workers
Modest, but dont hide
and slaves at bottom.
accomplishments
Renaissance Italy
Key Historical changes:

Social: Increased city living


Economic: Increased Trade & Banking
Cultural: New focus on art & literature
Religious: Less focus on afterlife
Political: Merchant class gained power
Italian Renaissance Ideals
Rebirth
Classics
Humanism
Individualism
Realism
Secularism
Never again would western men be so occupied with the
nature of the next world that they would be unattentive
to the nature of this one

Society developed a:

1) Interest in classical culture

2) Curiosity about the world

3) Belief in Human Potential


Development of the Renaissance 1300-1600

The Middle Ages

Trade Expands
Merchants gain wealth/power
City-States develop

Individualism
Secularism
Humanism

New modern society


III. The Emerging Middle Class

Upper Class: Lords and Clergy.


New Middle Class: Merchants &
Bankers, Doctors & Lawyers, Skilled
Craftsmen & Wealthy peasants.
Lower Class: Serfs.
III. The Emerging Middle Class (c0nt.)

4 factors contributing to rise of the


new Middle Class:
1) Return of a money economy.
2) Growth of towns/trading centers.
3) Wealth based on money.
4) Social mobility.
IV. Education & Individual
Achievement

New emphasis on education as a


path to social mobility.
Explosion of schools & universities.
Johan Gutenberg perfected the
printing press in 1455.
Improved access to information.
IV. Education & Individual
Achievement (cont.)

New emphasis on individual


achievement.
Development of unique talents
could lead to social mobility.
People worked to distinguish
themselves from the masses.
V. Cultural Arts

New emphasis on the cultural arts:


Music.
Drama.
Literature.
Painting & Sculpting.
Architecture.
V. Cultural Arts (cont.)

Middle class townspeople:


Money + leisure time =
ENTERTAINMENT!

Wealthy people became patrons of


the arts & sponsored artists.
Da Vinci
Lived 1452-1519
Imitated nature
Focus of humans
From realism to
idealism
Done w/ humans and
nature
Michelangelo
1475-1564
Painter, sculptor &
architect
Ideal humans w/perfect
proportions
Divine beauty
Raphael
1483-1520
Well-known as a young
artist (25)
Painted many Madonnas
w/ unsurpassed beauty
Utilized balance,
harmony and order
The Northern Renaissance

Late 1400s Northern Europe recovered from


plague & Hundred Years War

Italy was ruled by city-states


England & France ruled by strong monarchs

Renaissance ideas began to spread north to


England, France, Germany & Flanders
Spread of Ideas
Gutenbergs printing press from Germany
to the rest of Europe (1450-1500)
Massive printing of Bible diminished role of
clergy
Writing in vernacular
Began w/ Chaucer (1340-1400) & Dante (1265-
1321).
The Printing Press
Changes the World

Gutenberg invented the printing press 1440


The Bible was the first book printed [1455]
By 1500 presses in 250 cities printed 9-10 million books

End result:
New ideas spread more quickly than ever before
Writing in vernacular languages increase
Monarchs & the Renaissance
Northern Kings supported artists during Renaissance

War in Italy caused artists & writers to flee to


northern Europe

Northern Renaissance developed its own unique style


Legacy of the Renaissance
Realistic art
New questions about the value and
importance of mankind and the individual
Exploration
Questioning of Church
Scientific discovery

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