yr 8 - the renaissance

The renaissance in Italy:

• The Renaissance is the time period following the Middle Ages in Europe from 1350 -1600.

    → Renaissance = French for “rebirth”  
  

• The Renaissance renewed interest in Greek and Roman literature and life.

• It placed emphasis on the power of human reason and advances in the arts and sciences.

Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance.

It began in the 1300’s in the Italian city states of:

1. Florence

2. Milan

3. Naples

4. Rome

5. Venice

Causes of the Italian Renaissance

There are 4 significant causes of the Italian Renaissance:

• Reminders of the glory of Ancient Rome through the ruins of old buildings

• Italy had largely avoided economic crisis of the late Middle Ages which had affected other parts of Europe.

• Italian city states were important centres of trade (an effect of the Crusades). They had contact with other cultures - the Byzantine and Islamic world - through trade routes of the Crusades.

• Many Byzantine scholars came to Italy after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Helping spread knowledge and ideas.

Humanism

• Scholars grew interested in Greek and Roman grammar, history, poetry and rhetoric - for their own sake rather than for the relevance to the Christian church.

• Humanitst believed in:

1. the pursuit of full, active , meaningful life on Earth

2. That each individual