Renaissance Background
Renaissance Humanism: Overview
Educational and cultural program of the Renaissance based on the study of the Classics (Greek and Roman literature) and their influence on culture, art, and architecture.
Models for Renaissance artists, architects, writers, historians, and scholars drawn from ancient Greece and Rome.
Key focus areas: education and the study of history.
Core Focus: Education and History
History modernized during the Renaissance; Bruni (Leonardo Bruni), chancellor of Florence, wrote a history of Florence reaching back to Roman times, in the early century.
Machiavelli’s The Prince and related works reflected broad knowledge of Roman history.
Petrarch and Boccaccio looked to Latin authors (notably Cicero) as models for Latin writing; preferred classical Latin over medieval Scholastic Latin.
Humanists began writing in vernacular languages (Petrarch in Italian; Galileo later in Italian) to reach broader audiences.
Language and Vernacular
Vernacular literature becomes increasingly common for the general public.
Transition from Latin to vernacular helps widen the audience beyond scholars.
Attitudes Toward History: Modern vs Medieval
Petrarch and peers viewed themselves as living in a modern age and admired the ancient world; the medieval period was viewed negatively as darkness or cultural backwardness.
The terms medieval and dark ages acquire negative connotations largely from Renaissance humanists.
History divided into modern, early modern, and ancient/medieval; the modern era is linked to Renaissance attitudes.
History Writing and Politics
History and politics studied in Renaissance city-states; focus on governance, sometimes apart from religious dominance.
Italian city-states often republican (no single ruler) and looked to ancient Greek city-states for models of sovereignty and self-government.
City-states controlled both urban centers and surrounding countryside to supply food and resources.
Renaissance Education: Methods and Purpose
Education centered on the humanities/liberal arts: rhetoric, Greek and Roman literature, moral philosophy, basic mathematics.
Renaissance education often provided by humanist tutors in wealthy homes; targeted at the elite.
Education aimed to train future leaders in government, business, or church service.
Physical training or organized sports were incorporated to foster well-rounded individuals.
Access and Social Context
Access to humanist education largely restricted to the wealthy elite (merchants, bankers, and related elites).
Wealth funded art, culture, and broader education; not designed for universal public schooling as in modern systems.
Final Notes
This is the final lecture; exam materials are online and in the text.
Questions can be addressed in office hours; essays will be returned for feedback.