Chapter 12: The Age of the Renaissance
Filippo Brunelleschi
(1377 - 1446) he was a skilled sculptor and goldsmith, mainly known for the extraordinary octagonally-based dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as the Florence Cathedral),
Donato di Donatello
(1386-1466) focused on sculptures in Rome, copied the statues of antiquity, created statue of David
Sandro Botticelli
(1445-1510) A painter who embodied platonist ideas, used color, made many paintings on an allegorical level. on aesthetic path. more concerned with grace and elegance, works: birth of Venus
Michelangelo
(1475-1564) An Italian sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. Famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of the biblical character David. -Pieta: Mary holding her crucified son
Raphael
(1483-1520) Italian Renaissance painter; he painted frescos, his most famous being The School of Athens.
Economic recovery in the Renaissance
*Expansion of trade* -Hanseatic league: commercial and military corp formed in northern Germany in 1300-1500 -Trade recovered and Italians maintained the empire *Industries* -MA: economic depression -Ren: new industry begins to rise -New machinery and techniques for digging deeper in mines, expanded iron production *Banking and the Medici Family* -House of Medici: greatest bank in all of Europe, located in Florence, helped regulate economics
How did the popes' preoccupation with temporal matters overshadow their spiritual functions
--Pope Sixtus IV promoted by his nephews to cardinals -*Alexander VI* cared only to give his children a reputation and keep power in the clergy -*Leo X*: Son of Lorenzo de Medici, family bought his way to the clergy -Julius II (1503-1513): "Warrior Pope" used violence against his enemies, which angered pious Christians
The Clergy
-1st estate, people should be guided to spiritual ends
The Nobility
-2-3% of the population, dominated society socially and politically -Served as military officers and royalty advisers Lived by 3 main attributes (Castiglioni): 1) must possess impeccable character, grace, talents, and noble birth 2) Should participate in military exercises 3) Must follow conduct: make good impression while remaining modest Renaissance man: well rounded and accomplished individual
Late 15th Century Art in Italy
-3 friends: Massacio, Donatello, Brunelleshi: traveled to Rome to make art and spread their knowledge -Greek and Roman ideas, columns and arches
The Peasants
-80-95% of the population -Serfdom: a feudal laborer in the MA who belonged to the land--kinda like slavery but no ownership. Lower than slaves because slaves could be freed -Peasants worked in the Ren to eliminate serfdom -Lowest class, no rights, ruled by clergy and nobility
The Birth of Modern Diplomacy in Italy
-A product of the Italian Ren, unique to Italian city states -*Diplomacy*: the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad -MA: ambassadors used only when needed -Ren: ambassadors regarded themselves as servants of their own states
How did Machiavelli's works reflect the political realities of Renaissance Italy and explain how "The Prince" outlined a change in political ideology
-Abandoned morality -A prince must rule for his state and state only -Cannot toil with the betrayals of everyday men, for their attitudes don't have people's best interest in mind
What is humanism, and what effect did it have on philosophy, education, attitudes toward politics, and the writing of history?
-An intellectual movement that stresses the value of human beings -The idea that all humans could be molded into the perfect Ren-man arose -Politics and written history became more secular due to focus on humans rather than spirituality -*Periodization of the past*: chronologically categorizing history
What were the chief characteristics of Renaissance art, and how did it differ in Italy and Northern Europe?
-Art in MA: morbid, unclear, bland, no perspective, used perspective to portray class rather than actual realism -Spiritual size: royalty drawn bigger than peasants -Ren: stress on realism, idealism of the man, geometry and perspective, naturalism -Northern Europe: stressed solely on small and intricate detail but ignored perspective
Art in the Early Renaissance
-Artists considered imitation of nature their primary goal -*Giotto*: began imitation of nature, realism, more 3-dimensional, from Florence -Masaccio: showed natural relationships *No spiritual size
The Artistic High Renaissance (1480-1520)
-Artists mastered old techniques, moved into more individualistic forms of art -Humanism in art, Renaissance man -Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian
How did loyalty to their individual states affect the Italians during the Renaissance?
-Conflict was inevitable, peace was impossible -No room for compromise -They saw no reason to merge with each other
Explain how the Renaissance church dealt with the problems of heresy and reform
-Council of Constance members condemned and killed people for heresy -Tried to reform the church by ending corruption of the Papacy -Popes kept power and continued acting unpope-like
Reform of the Church
-Council of Constance: a method believed to be better in controlling the church -The pope had to sign off on laws, and since the Council diminished his power, the Popes didn't allow for the Council to work -Execrabilis: Pope condemned appeals to the council
Music in the Renaissance
-Dufay: added secular tunes to masses, replaced chants -Madrigal: try to tell stories through your voice -Started to standardize written music -4 part harmony
The Artist and Social Status
-Early Ren: began their careers as apprentices, talented would move on to become masters; *artisans* -End of 15th Century: no longer regarded as artisans, but as artistic geniuses -Made more money
Discuss factors that kept monarchies in Eastern Europe weak
-Ethnic and religious differences which caused disputes -Civil wars and split nationalism within countries (Bohemia) -Weak systems of Monarchy to begin with, could not gain power, nobility had too much power
Holy Roman Empire: The Success of the Habsburgs
-Failed to develop a strong monarchical authority -Habsburg Dynasty: located in Danube, Success due to a well-executed policy of dynastic marriages -"The Habsburgs are marrying into so many royal families they might just have to start marrying each other" (Wurtz)
Duchy of Milan
-Government with enormous revenues -North Italy
Humanism and History
-Had a better sense of their place in history -Secularized the writing of history -Guicciardini: wrote about the history of Florence in a factual way, emphasized politics and military
Problems with Heresy and Reform
-Heresy: Belief contrary to Christian beliefs -Reform: changing the Catholic church, going against the corruption of the Popes -John Wycliffe and Lollardy (1328-1384) -John Hus -Wars of the Holy Roman Empire -Council of constance -The Renaissance papacy
III: *The Italian States in the Renaissance*
-How did loyalty to their individual states affect the Italians during the Renaissance? -Describe the Italian political structure by using examples from the Papal states, Naples, Milan, Venice, and Florence. How did they incorporate the following: alliances, balance of power, and diplomacy -How did Machiavelli's works reflect the political realities of Renaissance Italy and explain how "The Prince" outlined a change in political ideology -How did Machiavelli and Erasmus each reflect different Renaissance values and qualities
Characteristics of Humanism
-Human ability -Focus on arts -Perfecting the individual -Well-rounded -Greek and Roman culture -Civic humanism -More secular
England: Civil War and New Monarchy
-Hundred Years War hurt English economy and fueled civil wars (War of the Roses) -*Henry VII (1485-1509)*: worked to reduce civil war and establish a strong monarchy, used diplomacy to prevent war, avoided calling parliament, did not have a standing army -Star-chamber court: suppressed nobles through an unfair court system
Growth of the French Monarchy
-Hundred Years War: hurt the French, destroyed land and crops, ruined commerce, also developed French *nationalism* -*King Louis XI (1461-1483)*: developed France as a territorial state -Taille (tax): implemented by Louis to bring in income, taxed property -Standing army helped France with protection and stability
The Struggle for Strong Monarchy in Eastern Europe
-Islands of Ethnic groups caused untold difficulties, religious differences swarmed Catholics, Christians, and Pagans -*Poland*: had an elected King, which automatically holds less power. The king was distracted with fighting with other countries, so the nobility were able to take over -*Bohemia*: faced with civil war due to a split heritage of the population -*Hungary*: could not maintain powerful rule -*Russia*: under control of the Mongols
Warefare in Italy
-Italy became a battlefield for power -Spanish and French monarchies became involved and began to take sides with each city state -Use Italy as a testing ground for their new military weapons -Italians remained very loyal to their own city states, which made peace impossible
Impact of Printing
-Johannes Gutenberg (c1450) -Bible was the first true book produced by a movable-type printer, much more efficient -1500: more than 1,000 printers in Europe that published over 40,000 titles, mostly religious, *helped spread Christianity faster and farther* -Became one of the largest industries in Europe
John Wycliffe and Lollardy
-John Wycliffe: disgusted by clerical corruption, attacked the papal authority and medieval Christianity -Believed that Christians should focus only on the original Bible, pled for the Bible to be written in more languages -Lollards: followers of Wycliffe
Education in the Renaissance
-Liberal Arts: subjects that free you to become the best you can be, helped follow a path of virtue and wisdom. Ex. arts, literature, PE, sciences, music -Aimed to create people good for civic life, well-rounded person -Either studied the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) or the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy *Added to the MA knowledge, didn't replace it *Persuasion becomes more important than preaching actual truths
Hus and the Hussites
-Lollard ideas spread to Bohemia through royal marriage and were reinforced by the Czech professor John Hus. -John Hus: urged the elimination of corruption of the clergy and excessive power of the papacy -Met w/ Council of Constance and was condemned and burned at the stake -Fueled wars of the Holy Roman Empire/Hussite wars
Republic of Venice
-Maritime republic remained very stable -Commerce brought in HUGE revenues -North-East Italy
Centralized power
-Monarchical governments wanted to establish their power and suppress the nobility and clergy -Late 15th Century: recovery from MA set in and they began to establish centralized power -The royals were the ruling power *Nobility*: Biggest threat to royals -Had power in the feudal system, did not want to give it up -Had powers like private armies and power, which were revoked out of fear
How did Italy improve after the economic depression of the 13th century? How did this lead to the beginning of the Renaissance
-New and innovative forms of technology made for faster trade and more jobs -More goods were produced for commerce -Rebirth in work and goods
Was their a Renaissance for Women?
-No -Some historians argue the Middle class women had more rights than other Ren women -Some argue that they never had rights -Italian males philosophers were praised, not so much women -Opened education to women but only to the wealthy and barely offered anything. Plus her father had to send her to school
Republic of Florence
-Overtaken by the wealthy Medici family, who ran the government behind the scenes -French kicked the Medicis out and made it into a republic -c1434-1492: Florence was the center of cultural Ren
Family in the Renaissance
-Parents, children, servants, grandparents, etc. -Class based on last name: Medici = ur rich\ *Marriage:* -Waged with dowries: money presented to husband upon marriage -Big dowry could move a woman up in society -Men ran the house *Children:* -Women's primary function was to have kids -Gave birth A LOT -Painful, sometimes deadly; 10% die in childbirth -50% of children born to merchant families died before age of 20 *Sexual Norms:* -Marriages were arranged -Average age difference was 13 years -Prostituation was a necessary vice; since it could not be eliminated, it should be regulated
Humanism and Philosophy
-People began to read the works of Plato -Plato: thinks philosophers are above humans, wrote ideas that inspired Ren views -Marcus Ficino: dedicated his life to analyzing Plato's work and developing neoplatoism *Neoplatoism*: 1) Hierarchy of substances: lowest are the plants, God is the purest, humans in the middle because we have a soul 2) parts of the universe are held together by bonds of sympathetic love, platonic love
Nepotism in the Church
-Pope Sixtus IV promoted by his nephews to cardinals -*Alexander VI* cared only to give his children a reputation and keep power in the clergy -*Leo X*: Son of Lorenzo de Medici, family bought his way to the clergy
Kingdom of Naples
-Population consisting of poverty stricken peasants -15th century: became free from France -Did not experience cultural royalties of the Ren
Evaluate the Renaissance monarchies of France, England, and Spain in terms of power structures and intrastate problems
-Power of France: strengthened and saved by Louis XI, who established the taille and kept a stable economy -Henry VII successfully avoided English war through diplomacy and didn't rely on his parliament -Spanish rule was corrupt for non-Catholics, for Spain established a strong military and a Catholic union of the country
Compare and contrast the social positions of the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods: purpose of the courtly standards according to Castiglione, variety of positions in the Third Estate, slavery, and the roles of men and women
-Purpose according to Castiglione: to validate the nobles and personally lead them to the path of virtue -Peasants had few learned morals and rights due to their merchant status -Slaves had no rights and were used only for labor and pleasure -Males had dominance in households, females had no rights
What characteristics distinguish the Renaissance from the Middle ages?
-Rediscovery of classic culture/Greco-Roman culture -Higher regard for individualism -Recovery from calamitous 14th century -Secularism: worldly, Burkhardt feels Ren should be treated as an individual period
Italian Renaissance and Humanism
-Renaissance Humanism: an intellectual movement *based on the study of the classical literary works of Greece and Rome*, examined grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and moral philosophy based on Greek and Roman authors -Study of humanities, stresses value of human beings
5 Major Italian City States
-Republic of *Florence* -*Papel States* -Kingdom of *Naples* -Republic of *Venice* -Duchy of *Milan* *All have their own cultural identities and nationalism
What major social changes occurred during the Renaissance?
-Riddance of serfdom -Rise of slavery -Economic reform and eventual downfall -Increased industry and businesses -Regulated banking in Italy
Why do historians sometimes refer to the monarchies of the late 15th centuries as "new monarchies" or "Renaissance states?"
-Rulers were able to develop and stabilize monarchies -Centralized rule, suppressed the nobility, royalty was on top
Machiavelli and the New Statecraft
-Secretary to Florence Council of 10; diplomat; big in political activity -Medici power rose again in Florence after the French were defeated, wrote books as he reflected on political power -Medicis: tortured and exiled Machiavelli for revenge after they came back to power *The Prince*: written out of boredom and anger -Gave strong expression to the Ren preoccupation with political power -How to gain power and how to keep power -Princes must act on behalf of the state, -If you're at the head of an army, be *cruel*, -*Abandoned morality as the basic for the analysis of political activity*
Unification of Spain
-Several Christian kingdoms along the Iberian Peninsula -Marriage of *Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon (c1470s-1510)* -Suppressed nobility by promoting middle class lawyers, who also disliked nobles to take noble jobs, did not tax the middle class which made them loyal to the royalty -Kingdoms merged, but kept their own individual government, united under *dynastic union* -Established a joint Spanish army *Spanish Inquisition* -United Spain under Christianity, the large population of Jews and Muslims was converted -"Please remain Christian, we will come back to make sure you are still Christian when you least expect" (Wurtz).
Slavery in the Renaissance
-Slavery abandoned in the MA and replaced with serfdom -Shortage of workers after plague caused slavery to be used again -1414-1423: slaves were sold on the Venician market -Slavery declined for humanitarian reasons -Came back in the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade
15th Century Art in Italy
-Started in Florence, the Medicis catered toward the arts and fueled the Ren (sponsored in order to compete with other city states) -Paolo Uccello: perfected the laws of perspective -Antonio Pollaivolo: portrayed the human body under stress
What was the impact of printing on the Renaissance?
-The ability to mass produce ideas and spread they fast and efficiently -New religious reforms spread faster and farther -No more mistakes were made in the hand-written process -Made books much more affordable to they could reach people of more classes than before
What were the policies of the Renaissance Popes, and what impact did those policies have on the Catholic church?
-They should be only religious leaders, but did not follow this -Outlawed the Council of Constance, so that they could retain power -Kept the church corrupt
Describe the Italian political structure by using examples from the Papal states, Naples, Milan, Venice, and Florence. How did they incorporate the following: alliances, balance of power, and diplomacy
-Venice and the Papel states; Florence, Naples, and Milan: *allies* -Florence and Milan: *balanced power*: have their own areas, have their own identities, and feel secure due to the alliance system -City states established *diplomats* to attempt regulation of foreign affairs, and defend the interest of their own city states
Ottoman Turks and the End of the Byzantine Empire
-Weakened by loss of Constantinople in 1204 -Ottomans bypassed Constantinople and moved further into Europe, the city was their ticket to Europe
I: *Meaning and Characteristics of the Renaissance*
-What characteristics distinguish the Renaissance from the Middle ages?
IV: *The Intellectual Renaissance in Italy*
-What is humanism, and what effect did it have on philosophy, education, attitudes toward politics, and the writing of history? -What was the impact of printing on the Renaissance?
II: *Making of Renaissance Society*
-What major social changes occurred during the Renaissance? -How did Italy improve after the economic depression of the 13th century? How did this lead to the beginning of the Renaissance -Compare and contrast the social positions of the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods: purpose of the courtly standards according to Castiglione, variety of positions in the Third Estate, slavery, and the roles of men and women
V: *The Artistic Renaissance*
-What were the chief characteristics of Renaissance art, and how did it differ in Italy and Northern Europe
VII: *The Church in the Renaissance*
-What were the policies of the Renaissance Popes, and what impact did those policies have on the Catholic church? -Explain how the Renaissance church dealt with the problems of heresy and reform -How did the popes' preoccupation with temporal matters overshadow their spiritual functions
VI: *European State in the Renaissance*
-Why do historians sometimes refer to the monarchies of the late 15th centuries as "new monarchies" or "Renaissance states?" -Evaluate the Renaissance monarchies of France, England, and Spain in terms of power structures and intrastate problems -Discuss factors that kept monarchies in Eastern Europe weak
Two types of Hermeticist writings
1) Stressed sciences: astrology, alchemy, and magic 2) Pantheism: seeing divinity a=embodied in all aspects of nature -Believed humans had been created divine and abandoned their divinity to live in the material world -Humans have *free will*, can move up in the hierarchy and perfect yourself -Giovanni Pico della Mirandola: believed we are all part of God's revelation to humanity, dismissed science, unlike Ficino
Italian Renaissance
A period of intense artistic and intellectual activity, said to be a 'rebirth' of Greco-Roman culture. From roughly the mid-fourteenth to mid-fifteenth century followed by this movement spreading into the Northern Europe during 1400-1600 -Renaissance: Rebirth -*1350-1550*: Italy -The Ren doesn't represent a sudden/dramatic cultural change with the MA, but still viewed as a distinct period
Bureaucracy
A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials, *all of the offices that you need to run the government effectively*
Leonardo da Vinci
A well known Italian Renaissance artist, architect, musician, mathemetician, engineer, and scientist. Known for the Mona Lisa. -A true Renaissance man
Renaissance Hermeticism
An intellectual movement in Italy that taught that divinity is embodied in all aspects of nature; this influenced many people in the Scientific Revolution -Maji: philosopher who guides people in the path of spiritual virtue -Plato believed that humans should strive to become Maji
Titian
Attempted to create lushness and spirituality, Venice of Urbino
Social changes in the Renaissance
Divided into 3 estates: -The clergy -The nobility -The peasants
Albrecht Durer
Famous Northern Renaissance artist, he often used woodcutting along with *Italian Renaissance techniques* like proportion, perspective and modeling. (Knight Death, and Devil; Four Apostles)
Jan van Eyck
Flemish painter who was a founder of the Flemish school of painting and who pioneered modern techniques of oil painting (1390-1441) -Focused on emotional intensity of religious feeling
The role of Women
Isabella d'Este (1474-1539): -Daughter of Duke of Ferara -Family allowed her to become educated -Known for intelligence and political wisdom -Ruled Mantua -Responsible for establishing a prestigious library
How did Machiavelli and Erasmus each reflect different Renaissance values and qualities
Machiavelli: -It is important to establish dominance and use your position and power -They will hate you if you steal their property and women -Takes Ren ideas about reaching full potential and individualism, fear and dominance Eramus: -Reflected on religious ideologies -Believes that a prince should be nice -Takes MA ideologies; love and Christian values
Peter Brugal
Painted peasant life, which was strange
Emergence of Humanism
Petrarch (1304-1374): characterized the MA as the dark ages, interested in the classics and its *secular* content, that intellectual life is one of solitude (not civic) -Found that writings had been ignored in the MA because they weren't religious -Civic humanism: an individual's responsibility for applying their knowledge to public service
Papel States
States under the control and jurisdiction of the Pope -Central Italy: *Urbino*: cultural and intellectual center, Bologna, Ferara -Popes tried to regain control over Papel states through their political their political control -Rome is here
Northern Artistic Renaissance
Tendency toward realism and naturalism, more focus on middle and lower class, art mainly in books and alter pieces, patrons were nobility. -*Focused on little details, no emphasis on perspective* -Gothic cathedrals and stained glass windows, wood panel paintings for altarpieces
Absolute monarchy
absolute power over your people in a monarchy, kinda like a dictatorship
What did the Renaissance focus on?
arts, books or literature, rebirth of Classical Rome and Greece -Age of recovery after the calamitous 14th century -Individualism: high regard for man and human life *Mostly occurred in the upper class, 2-3% of population!*
Sacrosancta
document issued during the Council of Constance that declared that the council had supreme authority in electing a true pope.
Frequens
regular holding of general councils to ensure the continuation of church reforms
The Renaissance Papacy
the line of popes from the end of the Great Schism (1417) to the Reformation -*Primary concern*: governing the catholic church as its spiritual leader, but this didn't happen -Julius II (1503-1513): "Warrior Pope" used violence against his enemies, which angered pious Christians -*Nepotism*: practice among those in power or influence of favoring relatives by giving them jobs
Cicero and Virgil
two Roman writers who were admired. Cicero: -Roman politician, crafted arguments, high mark standard of Latin -Ideal civic humanism Virgil: -poet -"Aeneid"
