The Italian Renaissance

Renaissance

European movement that grew out of the rediscovery of the classical texts of Ancient Greece and Rome that began in Italy and was characterized by Humanism

Petrarch

Father of the Renaissance who developed Humanism, the intellectual basis of the Renaissance, which focused on the unlimited potential of people as an end in themselves, mainly inspired by Cicero and other Latin texts

Philology

Study of the history and development of languages, especially Latin during the Renaissance

Lorenzo Valla

Identified many different stages in the development of Latin during the Renaissance; used this knowledge to discover that Church documents that were said to be older were actually newer and forged

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Humanist author who wrote Oration of the Dignity of Man

Secularism

The decoupling of religious belief from society

Individualism

Emphasizing the triumph of the individual as opposed to the community

Civic Humanism

Individuals focusing on bettering themselves should apply themselves to the state where they live

Baldassare Castiglione

Wrote the Courtier, outlining how an educated man should behave in courtly society

Leonardo Bruni

Wrote the New Cicero, arguing that the educated man should deploy that education in service of the state

Niccolo Machiavelli

Wrote the Prince, arguing that a ruler should preserve power, ensure order, and that since humans are selfish, a ruler may need to be brutal or kind in order to preserve power and ensure order at all costs

Naturalism

Art style that portrayed the world as it was accurately

Geometric Perspective

Art technique revived from classical times creating the illusion of depth and realism

Michelangelo

Sculpted his David, which had religious themes but focused on the Humanist themes as well, as David is like a Greek God or perfection

Raphael

Painted the School of Athens, paying homage to the great Classical thinkers

Filippo Brunelleschi

Chief Architect of building the church of San Lorenzo in Florence with Roman arches and columns