italian renaissance final

Vasari The Lives

lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors, and architects

artist biographies written by 16th century italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari

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Leonardo The Notebook

diagrams, drawings, personal notes and observations

Michelangelo’s Poetry

poetry discusses personal life of michelangelo
composed over 300 pieces
explored beauty of the human form, nature of love, his own spiritual anxieties

Peace of Lodi

Milan, Venice, Florence, and Naples agreed to respect each others borders

The signatories pledged to support each other in case of external threats, particularly from foreign powers: France or the Holy Roman Empire

The treaty established a system of alliances that allowed for diplomatic negotiations to resolve disputes instead of resorting to war

40 years of relative peace in Italy

Savonarola

Dominican friar and preacher, well versed in Aristotelian and Platonic philosophies,

Self-proclaimed God’s prophet, prophesized: second coming of christ in Florence, Lorenzo de’medici’s death, coming of a new cyrus that would restore order and morality, pope innocent VIII death

sociological impact: great orator, sermons captivated the lower classes who were already largely left out of the renaissance, later able to captivate florentine elites as well

artists and philosophers burned their work due to his influence, end of renaissance?
dying lorenzo the magnificent also fell under his spell

target of sermons: the church, pope alexander vi, florentine elites, medici (tyrants), renaissance art and letters, objective: moral renewal of church, florence as the new jerusalem vs as the new athens

Historic circumstances of Savonarola’s rise to power

charles viii invasion of italy 1494 (claims on naples) piero de’medici il fatuo (the unfortunate) di lorenzo gives to the french rules 1) free passage 2) strategic cities lucca and pietrasanta 2) ports: pisa, livorno, and sarzana

consequences: piero: exiled from republic

savonarola took advantage of political conjuncture: heralded as the savior of florence, charles VIII spares florence, alliance with savonarola

condition: medici shall not come back to florence ever again

moral renewal of florence

Piagnoni, arrabbiati and Palleschi

piagnoni: bands of boys, savonarolas secret police and spies

opposition to savonarola, arrabbiati and palleschi

arrabbiati: aristocratic political party formed in opposition to savonarola, part of a broader faction known as piccolomini

Palleschi: supporters of the Medici, used the Medici family crest, enemies of savonarola due to being followers of the Medici

Republic of Florence under Savonarola

medici expulsion (1494-1512)
signoria: council of the people summoned: priors appointed 20 men
disagreements on everything
social unrest → families antagonism
fear of civic war
decision: savonarola admitted to the council, political/economic/religious reforms

new constitution: gonfaloniere (soderini) 500 council (models: athens and venice)

economic and “moral” reforms, merchants - exempted from taxation, landowners - heavy taxation, monte di pieta funds - loans at low interest to poor people

angry bankers against savonarola
moral reforms- torture, sons/daughters/servants turned into spies
crimes: blasphemy, sodomy, luxury, clothing, games

Bonfire of vanities

“falo delle vanita”
renaissance art under attack, botticelli burned many of his mythological paintings, ancient and modern pagan manuscripts, ancient statues, books (decameron, petrarch) furniture,tapestry, piazza della signoria

Decline and death of Savonarola

alexander vi steps in
savonarola constant attack church of rome,

pope prohibits him to breach: savonarola remains defiant
1495: pope calls the friar to rome
savonarola declines (obviously the pope was going to kill him), pope then excommunicates savonarola
savonarola questioned by gonfaloniere francesco vettori about his role as gods prophet, role as man of faith in politics

savonarola government and decline: italic league despied him, inept piagnoni administration, economic depression, loss of contado, illegal borrowing of florins, collapse of republics, return of the arrabbiati government

arrabbiati goal was the death of savonarola, trial by fire, domincans tried to delay for the rain, angry mob, executed , hanged and burned

Machiavelli’s thought and Guicciardinis thought (ricordi)

machiavelli: humanist education no greek, not an upperclass background, went on diplomatic missions

machiavelli and guicciardini were good friends, although had two distinctly different political philosophies, machiavelli emphasized importance of virtu (skill full action) in achieving political success

guicciardini placed great weight on fortuna

machiavelli promoted virtue in the ideal leader, guicciardini prioritized prudence (believed the idea leader should be guided by reason)

history of italy and ricordi (guicciardini) took on a skeptical view of human nature and the ability of leaders to control events, argued fortuna played a significant role

ricordi: guicciardinis maxims and reflections, collection of his observations and reflections on various aspects of life and politics, including views on role of fortune and the complexities of human behavior

discources on livy

work of political history and philosophy written in early 16th century by machiavelli, discusses the ten books of livy’s history of rome, machiavelli saw romans and other ancient peoples as superior models for his contemporaries, but he also describes political greatness as something with comes and goes amongst peoples, or in cycles

machiavelli uses history as a tool to learn lessons from the past and present,

Human beings' nature is
immutable
Historical evolution is a fact
just as the laws of nature
History: doesn’t alter
human nature
Human beings 'behavior
keeps repeating itself
Humans keep repeating the
same mistakes

prince chapter vi

chapter 6 of the prince details virtu, virtu is closest in meaning to the latin word for masculine strength, virtu can be ability, skill, energy, forcefulness, strength, ingenuity, courage, or determination

successful princes posess virtu, it is what distinguishes a successful prince from an unsuccessful prince

machiavelli provides examples of different legendary leaders from civilizations to defend his argument

rhe other theme int his chapter is that of force, machiavelli assumes force ot violance is an integral part of the state, and a ruler cannot do without it as a tool of government

prince chapter vii

citizens who become princes through luck or the favor of others find it wasy to acquire their states, but difficult to keep them, they are not used to being in command

machiavelli endorses borgias tactics of deceit, brutality, betrayal of his own agents,

machiavelli endorses princes who rise from political favor and are born to the role

prince chapter ix

concerning civic principalities, explores how a princ can acquire power through the help of the people rather than relying soley on luck or force, machiavelli argues that a prince who gains power with the support of the people has a more secure foundation than one who relies on nobles, the people are more numerous and less likely to turn against a prince with their support, while the nobles are fickle

prince chapter xvii

concerning cruelty, a prince must be careful to ensure he is not hated, a prince must be considered merciful without mismanaging mercy

if you cannot be both loved and feared, it is better to be feared than loved, love is fickle while fear is solid

people will break ties of love if it is to their advantage, but fear of punishment they will never transgress

machiavelli does not advocate for cruelty for crueltys sake, he warns against this because it will make the prince hated

prince chapter xxv

machavielli discuses the relationship of action and fortune in determining the prince’s success, machiavelli uses fortune in at least 2 senses

machiavelli contrasts virtu with fortune in the sense of luck or the favor of powerful people

machiavelli struggles with the problem of why one person succeeds then another fails, even though they have employed the same methods, he proposes success comes when virtu is suited to the particular situation a prince finds himself in, machiavelli envisions fortune as a set of constantly changing circumstances in which particular actions can bring about success or failure

machiavelli affirms the value of free will, limits it by asserting even though it may be possible to vary ones actions to suit the times, no one evr does

fortune is symbolized as a woman

medieval theater

mostly unknown secular plays, sacred representation, passion of christ during easter week, mary annunciation, lives of saints, final judgement

church: pedagogical medium to instill faith
no use of latin

renaissance comedy and sources

15th c rediscovery of plautus comedies, adaptation of roman comedy, plautine comedy

plautine comedy: romantic intrigue, young woman, young man in love, servants, parrassite

terence rediscovery late 15th early 16th c

comedy in 16th c became its own genre, big example of this is the mandrake

mandrake

combination plautine and terentian comedies, urban settings: piazza, critique of florentine middle class and their greed

mandrake, or devils plant, indicates fertility, thought to be humanoid underground

satirical play, one of the most significant theatrical works, narrative unfolds over a singular day, contrasts machiavellis other work,

offers a political critique, exploring political themes o fpower, virtue , and fortune