Chapter 11: The Italian Renaissance

  • The Renaissance was the rebirth of classical culture
  • Birthed a new spirit of being self aware
  • Provided a sense of relief after all the chaos of the 14th century
  • Allowed for a sense of self assertion
      * Celebration of the human spirit and celebration of potential was also allowed
  • Lasted from around 1330-1550
  • Had 3 distinct phases
      * Phase 1: (1350-1400) declining population & rediscovery of classical knowledge
      * Phase 2: (1400-1500) artistic/literary achievements, the population recovered, & the government stabilized
      * Phase 3: (1500-1550) Italian political life was transformed due to invasions from France and Spain with said invasions spreading the Renaissance all across Europe
  • By the late middle ages, nearly one in four Italians lived in a town
      * There were more Italian cities and people who lived in them
  • By 1500 around 7/10 of the largest cities were Italian
  • Urban areas provided markets for agricultural produce and manufactured goods
  • Cities developed into city-states
      * Cities were the centers of political and ecclesiastical power
  • Rural societies
      * Land-ownership/sharecropping were key features of the social structure
        * 80% were sustenance farmers
  • Urban societies
      * Divided based on occupation
  • The Black Death caused there to be high death rates
  • Aggregate demand diminished, labor supply diminished, overproduction, prices declined, and wages increased
  • The standard of living increased for the lower class (poor people)
  • The pattern of consumption in general became conspicuous for the wealthy
      * Sense of mortality
      * Lack of motivation for investing
  • The consumption of luxuries allowed for skilled craftsmen to be seen as more valuable
  • Grouping of relatives
  • primary economic units
  • Marriage was seen as either a political or an economic arrangement
      * Dowry, status, and patronage were in high consideration
  • Men married in their 30s
  • Women married in their late teenage years
      * Married women were pressured with family interests
  • The state had superiority over the church
  • The wealthy, upper class were able to hire help
  • The poor, lower class had to face high mortality rates
      * Life for the lower classes was terrible but had still improved from what it had been before
  • Health improved (population grew)
      * New foods
      * Increased supply of grain
  • Starvation wasn’t a big issue
      * It was more common for individuals to die due to deadly diseases than to die due to starvation
  • Renaissance art commonly portrayed social ideals and the talent of the artist
      * Was the leading “edge” of society
      * There were several technical advancements in the field of art
        * Three-dimensions
        * Perspective
  • Portraits reflected the significance of people
      * Allowed for prestige
  • The elite (wealthy) commissioned the art and patronized the artists who produced the art
  • Renaissance art had 3 mediums with most artists being active in all 3 mediums
      * Architecture
      * Painting
      * Sculptures
  • The architecture commissioned during this time period increased an individual’s fame and prestige
      * Commonly commissioned
  • Architecture in the Middle Ages
      * Gothic Architecture
        * Vaulted Ceilings
        * Pointed Arches
        * Large Windows
        * Slender Spires
        * Flying Buttresses
      * The goal of the impressive and grand architecture was to impact viewers with the might of God
  • Renaissance architecture consisted of a reincorporation of classical features
  • A famous artist of the time was Brunelleschi who mixed gothic and classic architecture
      * Florence Cathedral
  • Donatello was a famous sculptor
      * Created a sense of reality in his sculptures
      * Demonstrated perspective
  • In paintings, light and shading was used to create perspective with them also increasing the display of human emotion
      * The Expulsion of Adam and Eve (1425)
  • Boticelli, a prominent painter was known for classical themes and bright colors
      * The Birth of Venus (1478)
      * Spring (1478)
  • Humanism was an important Renaissance ideal
      * Humanism: reaction to an intellectual world that was focused on the church doctrine
        * Secular outlook
  • There was an emphasis on human achievement
  • Ideas of Renaissance were applied to the secular and spiritual world
  • Scholars attempting to escape Muslim expansion were extremely influential
  • New education standards and standards for studying classical texts were developed
      * Liberal Arts
        * Grammar
        * Rhetoric
        * Philology
        * History
        * Moral Philosophy
  • Civic humanism combined the Classical and Renaissance world and was a representation of the first secular understanding of the government
  • Powerful families and guilds took over the field of regional governments
  • The major industries were those of textiles and finance
      * Textiles: Wool, Silk, & Cotton
  • Bank branches were established throughout Europe with external conflicts causing a financial crisis
  • Byzantine Empire was allowed exclusive trade rights
  • The government controlled trade
      * Italy was responsible for exporting manufactured goods, capital resources, and cultural innovations
  • Wars of Italy (1494-1529)
      * Renaissance in Italy is ended