3. The Italian Renaissance
• Renaissance rebirth
• Italian Renaissance rebirth of ancient Greek
& Roman worlds
• Characteristics
– Secular Urban society (City-states)
– Age of Recovery
– New view of human ability & worth
4. Origins of the Renaissance
• 1. European trade with Asia increased during
the 1300s.
• 2. Italian merchants organized much of this
trade.
• 3. Trade cities in Italy grew wealthy.
• 4. They competed to create works that would
increase the prestige of their cities.
Venice
Genoa
Milan
5. Origins of the Renaissance (cont)
• 5. Florence became a center for banking, art,
culture, and literature.
• 6. Cosimo de’ Medici wanted to make
Florence the most beautiful city.
• 7. The Renaissance began in Italy and
spread throughout Europe.
6. Important City-States of the
Renaissance
• Florence
• Rome
• Venice
• Genoa
• Milan
Genoa Towers,
Palazzo
Contarini
del Bovolo,
Venice
Façade and
bell tower,
Santa Maria
del Fiore,
Florence
Comune
gi Milano,
Milan
8. Italian City States – Not yet the nation of ITALY
Italian Trade Routes – Notice the impact on Italy
Each Italian
city-state had
its own wealthy
ruler.
9. Florence
• Center of art, literature,
and culture.
• Florence became wealthy
from the manufacturing
of wool.
• Later Florence became
the banking center of
Italy.
• The Medici family were
the greatest bankers in
Florence.
10. Florence
• The Renaissance
started in Florence and
spread throughout
Europe.
• Competition between
the Italian city-states
led to advances in
literature, architecture,
art, music, science, and
education.
11. Medici Family
• Ruled Florence, 13th 17th Centuries
• Aimed to make Florence the most beautiful city in
the world – Became Patrons of the Arts.
Commissioned artists (incl. da Vinci, Raphael &
Michelangelo)
• Lorenzo Medici (The Magnificent) –
created peace among Italian
states, ended w/his death
12. Rome
• Home of the Catholic
Church
• Popes commissioned
famous artists and
architects to beautify
Rome. Michelangelo,
Raphael, and Botticelli all
produced major works in
Rome.
13. Rome• The popes employed the best artists &
architects of the Renaissance to build and decorate the
most opulent churches in in the world.
• Michelangelo designed the finest example of Renaissance
architecture in Rome, the Piazza del Campidoglio (bottom
left). He also designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica
(bottom right).
14. Venice
• Venice was the wealthiest city-
state of the Renaissance.
• It was a port city on the
Mediterranean.
• Venice maintained hundreds of
merchant ships and warships, and
thousands of sailors.
15. Genoa
• Genoa is located on the
Mediterranean.
• Genoa was one of two
main port cities in Italy
during the Renaissance.
• Genoa was one of the
wealthiest city-states of
the Renaissance.
• Dominated trade in the
Mediterranean
Genoa
Harbor
16. Milan
• Milan dominated the inland trade
routes because it was the gateway
to Italy from the north.
• Milan is the site of Santa Maria
delle Grazie, the cathedral where
Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last
Supper in the dining hall.
17. Niccolo Machiavelli
• Italian philosopher, diplomat, poet,
musician, playwright..
• Best known for The Prince – book of realist politics
– Rulers should behave like a lion (aggressive and
powerful) and at other times like a fox (cunning and
practical)
– “The Ends Justify the Means”
– “It was better to be feared than to be loved”
– All this done to keep peace and stabilize power
– Seen as the first modern guide to politics
• 1st to publicly suggest immoral behavior for gov’t stability
18. Renaissance Society
• Strict Class society
– Nobility – most powerful, but smallest group
• Strict rules and expectations
• Born not made or earned
– Townspeople
• Wide range of wealth, from rich to poor
• Provide goods & services
– Peasants – weakest, but largest group
• More freedoms as serfdom decreased
• Mainly lived in rural areas, so were least impacted by
Renaissance
20. Italian Renaissance Humanism
• Stressed that man was the center of the universe and
had dignity and value
• Humanism – intellectual movement based on the
classics
– Study – grammar, rhetoric (debate), poetry,
philosophy & history (the Humanities)
• Ren Educations – based on humanism
– Goal – create complete citizens
• Vernacular Literature – written in common language
– Dante, Chaucer
21. Petrarch: “Father of Humanism”
• Petrarch was a scholar and poet who
was responsible for the recovery of
manuscripts and works of Greek and
Roman writers.
• He traveled throughout Europe
recovering manuscripts of Cicero
and other Roman authors that had
been lost in monastery libraries.
• Petrarch, like other writers of the
time, wrote in Latin.
Francesco
Petrarch
22. Dante Alighieri
• “Father of the Italian Language”
• Wrote The Divine Comedy.
• The Divine Comedy is considered
one of the greatest works of
Italian and world literature.
• Dante was first to write in the
vernacular, the language used in
everyday life. Until his time, all
European literature was written
in Latin.
Dante
Alighieri
23.
24. The Artistic Renaissance in Italy
• Rome became the center of Renaissance art in the 1500s.
– Pope Alexander VI: most notorious of the Renaissances
popes; spent huge sums on art patronage.
• 3 Masters of the High Renaissance
– Leonardo da Vinci
– Michelangelo
– Raphael
• Sculpture & Architecture are include in Renaissance Art,
both drew from Greek & Roman influences
25. New Artistic Techniques
• Fresco – watercolor
on fresh plaster
• Law of Perspective
• Study of human
anatomy
• GOAL – imitate
nature
From Michelangelo’s Sketch Book
26. Leonardo da Vinci
• Master of realism &
perspective
• Studied human
anatomy (cadavers) to
be as accurate as
possible
• Sculptor, painter,
astronomer, inventor
– a true “Renaissance
Man”
27. Leonardo da Vinci
The Last Supper
A page from one of da Vinci’s
notebooks, he “coded” his work
by writing backwards. He could
read it, but most other people
would need a mirror to read it.
28. Raphael Santi
• 1 of the top Renaissance painters
• Especially known for his “Madonna's” –
paintings of Mary the mother of Jesus
• A major artist in the Vatican
Madonna
of the
Meadows
Madonna del
Granduca
30. Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Painter, sculptor and architect
• Most famous for work in Vatican City
Vatican City
St. Peter’s Bascillica
(large domed building) –
designed by Michelangelo
31. Michelangelo
Well known for his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.
The ceiling illustrates the stories of the Book of
Genesis
The Creation of Adam
The Last Judgement
On the Alter Wall of the
Sistine Chapel.
32. Michelangelo, the sculptor
The Pieta –
marble statue
of a crucified
Jesus being
held by his
mother Mary.
In St. Peter’s
Basilica.
33. Michelangelo, the sculptor
David – carved from
one piece of marble
from 1501 to 1504.
Said to be
proportionally perfect,
though David is 17
feet tall
34. Northern Italian Renaissance
• Centered in Low Countries – Belg, Lux, Neth
• Due to weather- few frescoes
– Stained glass, wooden panels, canvas
• Jan van Eyck – Flemish, perfected use of oil
paints
– Oils allow greater variety of color
& detail
Portrait of a Man in a
Turban , probably a
self-portrait, painted
1433
35. Albrecht Durer
• German
• 1 of greatest Northern
Renaissance artists
• Revolutionized woodcuts
• Studied in Italy on several
different occasions
36.
37. Architecture
• Architectural design returns to
the classical styles of Rome and
Greece.
• Public buildings, homes and
villas are designed using Greek
and Roman architectural styles.
• Renaissance buildings feature
columns, domes, and vaulted
ceilings.
• Brunelleschi designs the first
domed building.
• Perspective becomes important
in architecture.
39. The Printing Press
• Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468)
was a German goldsmith and
printer.
• Gutenberg was the first to
develop movable type. This
allowed for mass production of
books.
• Gutenberg’s invention
revolutionized book-making in
Europe.
• Gutenberg was the key figure in
spreading the Renaissance.
• His invention of movable type is
still considered the most
important invention in history.
40. Impact of Printing Press
• Much easier to publish
books
• Increased literacy
• 1450-1500, 20 million
books printed covering
35,000 topics
• Vernacular Literature –
written in common
language
– Dante, Chaucer,
Shakespeare
41. Writers of the Renaissance
• With the printing press. books become more
affordable and more people (mostly wealthy)
learn to read
• Dante, Petrarch and Machiavelli were all
important writers of the time
42. Contributions of the Renaissance
• Invention of the Gutenberg Printing Press
• The banking industry
• Exploration, colonization of world
• Expansion of trade
• Humanism, individual is the center of the universe
• Reintroduction of Greek and Roman knowledge and
philosophy
• Gateway to modern art forms
• Expansion of Greek and Roman architecture and sculpture
• Increased scientific knowledge, and desire to know more
43. The Italian Wars (1494-1559)
• Powerful Italian leaders & foreign countries (Spain,
France, Holy Roman Empire, Ottoman Emp…) vied for
control
• Charles I of Spain allowed sack of Rome (May 5, 1527)
– Pope Clement forced to flee
– Aftermath:
• End of Roman Renaissance
• Damaged Papal prestige
• Spain dominant power in Italy
• Charles V given freedom to act
on Reformation in Germany
44. THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
• Religious reforms dividing western Christianity
• Roman Catholic Church criticized for abuse of
power and corruption
• Christian Humanists–wanted to reform Church
– Believed through reason, and studying the classics one
could become more pious (Christ-like)
– Desiderius Erasmus–father of Christian Humanism
• Suggested reforming from within the Church
45. Desiderius Erasmus 1466-1536
• Erasmus was a Dutch scholar, humanist,
and theologian.
• Erasmus was ordained a Catholic priest,
but never practiced priestly duties.
• Instead, he studied theology and classical
Greek at the universities of Paris and
Cambridge.
• Erasmus was critical of some of the
practices and doctrines of the Catholic
Church.
• Education was key to moral improvement,
true Christianity was an inner attitude, not
outward displays/actions
• Erasmus sought to reform the Catholic
Church.
Desiderius
Erasmus
46. Calls to Reform the Church
• In Praise of Folly - by Erasmus
– Best-seller (only the Bible sold more by 1550)
– Erasmus was a devout Catholic who sought to
reform the Church, not destroy it
– Criticized immorality and hypocrisy of Church
leaders and the clergy
– The book inspired renewed calls for reform, and
influenced Martin Luther
47. Why reform?
• Popes corrupted by power & lost focus of
spiritual leadership
• Scientific advances contradicted the Church
• People wanted to know how to save souls
• Indulgences –a release of a
soul from purgatory for
monetary donation –
a HUGE abuse of
Church power!
48. What was the Protestant Reformation?
• Prior to the Reformation all Christians were Roman Catholic
• The [REFORM]ation was an attempt to REFORM the
Catholic Church
• People like Martin Luther wanted to get rid of the
corruption and restore the people’s faith in the church
• In the end the reformers, like Luther, established their own
religions
• The Reformation caused a split in Christianity with the
formation of these new Protestant religions
49. MARTIN LUTHER
• German Priest
• Saw problems in the Church
• Church believed salvation gained
from faith + good work
– Luther thought faith alone gained salvation
• Oct 31, 1517 – Posted 95 Theses on church door in
Wittenburg, Ger
– His criticisms of Church
– 1000s of copies distributed through
Germany
50. The Reformation Begins
• By 1521 Luther moving toward spilt from Church
• Wanted German princes to overthrow Papal power in
Germany & establish a German Church
• By Jan 1521 – Luther excommunicated by pope
– Summoned by Imperial Diet of Worms
– Called by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V,
wanted Luther to change his
ideas, Luther – “NO”
– Edict of Worms issued, making
Luther an outlaw
– Luther kept in hiding by
his prince
51. Lutheranism
• Followers of Luther’s religious practices
• Gained support of many German princes
• 1524, German peasants revolted & hoped
Luther would support them, because Luther
needed the princes’ support, he did not help the
peasants
• Germany in turmoil – Catholic? Lutheran?
– To achieve peace Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
accepted the Peace of Augsburg (allowed Germany
princes to choose the faith of their region)
52. Protestantism Spreads - Zwingli
• Ulrich Zwingli – priest in Zurich, Switzerland
• Zwinglian Reformation
– Banned all religious relics & images
– Whitewashed all church interiors
– No music in church services
– Does not merge w/Luther b/c
can’t agree on the meaning
of communion
53. Protestantism Spreads - Calvin
• John Calvin replaced Zwingli (killed in religious war)
• French, fled for safety to Switzerland
• 1536 – began reforming Geneva, Switz.
– Created a church govt of elect & laity
– Used consistory (moral police)
• Sent missionaries thru Europe to convert
Catholics
• Ideas spread France, Netherlands, Scotland…
• Mid 16th Century – Calvinism more pop than Lutheranism
54.
55.
56.
57.
58. Reformation in England
• Political, not religious motives for reform
• Henry VIII – King of England
– Needs a male heir to carry on
the Tudor Dynasty
– Married Catherine of Aragon
(Aunt of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor)
– Have a daughter, Mary
– No son, so Henry wants a divorce!
In the Catholic Church, you
need an annulment, granted by the
Church. The Pope grants it for a King.
59. Reformation in England (cont)
• The Pope refused to grant the annulment, too
political (King of Eng vs. Holy Roman
Emperor)
• After a long argument, Henry decided to break
from Catholic Church
• Archbishop of Canterbury granted divorce
• Act of Supremacy(1534) est Church of England
– King control over doctrine, appointments, etc
– Dissolves Catholic claims, sells land & possessions
– Remained close to Catholic teachings
60. Henry & his wives
• Henry was desperate
for a son. So much so
he married 6 times!!
• The saying goes…
Divorced, Beheaded,
Died
Divorced, Beheaded,
Survived
61. The Church of England
• 1547 – Henry died
– His 9 year old son, Edward VI, took the throne
• The Church of England- aka Anglican Church
– Became more Protestant
– Angering Catholics
• 1553 – Edward dies
– His half-sister Mary (Catholic) takes throne
– She wants to restore Catholicism
– “Bloody Mary” has 300+ Protestants burned as heretics
– Increases tensions between Protestants & Catholics
62. The Catholic Reformation
• Protestantism spreading rapidly through Europe
• Church sees need to reform
– Raises the standards of the clergy
– Inspired the Church with a renewed zeal and morale
– Contributed significantly to producing the Catholic
Church as we know it today.
• Pillars of Catholic Reformation
– 1. Reform of Papacy
– 2. Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
– 3. Council of Trent
63. The Papacy
• Corruption had to be
addressed
• Pope Paul II led papal
reform
– Oversaw the creation of
the Jesuit order
– Opened the Council of
Trent
– Revived the Inquisition
64. The Jesuits
• Most significant agency of
Catholic reform
• Founded by Ignatius of
Loyola
– Spanish soldier
– Injured in battle
• Had a conversion during
recovery, dedicated himself to
the Church
65. Role of Jesuits
• Missionaries
– Convert former and non-Catholics
• Urged the religious education of
children
• Devoted to religious and secular
education
– Secondary schools
– Colleges/Universities
– Seminaries
66. Council of Trent
• Met over 18 year period (1545-63)
• Reaffirmed Catholic teaching
– Including 7 sacraments
– Maintained salvation was gained through faith
and good works
• More strict rules for clergy
– Included more education for priests
• Each diocese established a seminary
• Banned indulgences!!
67. The Inquisition
• Church’s way to
suppress heresy
• Infamous for its
cruelty
• Followed strictly in
Spain, Portugal and
Rome
• Some countries, like
France, refused
