Renaissance

Renaissance

"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome

Secularism

Separation between religion and government

Rationalism

A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response

Individualism

Individuals should be important and free to pursue their passions and excel at what they are good at.

Humanism

Humanism is a way of thinking that focuses on human interests and the shared experiences of humanity, rather than divine or supernatural matters.

Leonardo Da Vinci

A well known Italian Renaissance artist, architect, musician, mathemetician, engineer, and scientist. Known for the Mona Lisa.

Patronage

Wealthy families (like the Medicis) as well as influential statesmen or clergy members funded the arts by commissioning paintings and allowing the arts to continue developing

Milan

Italian city-state- manufactured weapons and silk in Renaissance Italy. Led by the Visconti and Sforza families.

Venice

Wealthy northern Italian city-state and major trade hub between Asia and Western Europe. Though officially a republic led by a doge, it was controlled by merchant-aristocrats. Its profitable trade empire made it an international power.

Florence

Powerful city-state in Tuscany, controlled by wealthy merchants who led successful wars to expand its influence.

Medici Family

The Medici family was a wealthy and influential dynasty that controlled Florence behind the scenes, with Cosimo and later Lorenzo de’ Medici leading during its cultural peak. They patronized artists Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Michelangelo.

Girolamo Savonarola

Dominican preacher who opposed Medici corruption and gained control of Florence. His strict moral reforms and criticism of the Church led to his execution for heresy in 1498, allowing the Medici to regain power.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Florentine architect who was the first great architect of the Italian Renaissance; built first dome over Cathedral of Florence

Donatello

(1386-1466) Sculptor. Probably exerted greatest influence of any Florentine artist before Michelangelo. His statues expressed an appreciation of the incredible variety of human nature.

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.

Raphael

(1483-1520) Italian Renaissance painter; he painted frescos, his most famous being The School of Athens.

King Charles VII of France

King of France who led an invasion of Italy in 1494, capturing Naples and sparking a decades-long struggle between France and Spain for control of the region.

King Charles I of Spain

King of Spain who led Spanish forces in the struggle for dominance over Italy, culminating in the 1527 sack of Rome by his unpaid troops and mercenaries. His reign marked Spain's rise as a major European power.

Baldassare Castiglione

An Italian author who wrote the book The Courtier in 1528. He described the ideal Renaissance man and woman.

Francesco Petrarch

Known as the father of Renaissance Humanism. He lived from 1304-1374 as a cleric and committed his life to humanistic pursuits and careful study of the classics. He resisted writing in the Italian vernacular except for his sonnets, which were composed to his "lady love" who spoke no Latin.

Vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people

Dante

(1265-1321) Italian poet and Renaissance writer. His greatest work is The Divine Comedy.

Geoffrey Chaucer

English poet remembered as author of the Canterbury Tales (1340-1400)

Liberal studies/Liberal arts

included history, moral philosophy, eloquence, letters, poetry, mathematics, astronomy, and music; was to produce individuals who followed a path of virtue and wisdom and possessed the rhetorical skills with which to persuade others to do the same.

Perspective in art

development in the Renaissance that included realistic three-dimensional perspective