Renaissance and Exploration Notes

Contextualizing Renaissance and Discovery

The Roman Empire provided unity and order in Europe until its fall in the 5th century.
The Middle Ages followed, marked by disunity and limited advancements.
The Roman Catholic Church was the dominant unifying force, supporting the feudal system.
The Crusades facilitated the exchange of ideas between European and Islamic scholars.
The Black Death led to a decline in serfdom, improving peasants' bargaining power.
The Renaissance, meaning "rebirth," began in Italy in the 1300s, emphasizing Classical learning, arts, and values.
This movement spurred changes in art, technology, farming, trade, and governance.

Rediscovery and Expansion

The Renaissance shifted towards individualism and nonreligious scholarship, inspired by Greek and Roman culture.
The printing press aided the spread of new ideas that challenged institutions like the Catholic Church.
Exploration was fueled by new ways of thinking, advancements in navigation, and cartography.
European nations established empires seeking gold, spices, and other goods.
This led to exchanges of plants and animals but also devastating diseases for indigenous people and the African slave trade.
Agricultural developments and a money economy facilitated large-scale farming.
Advances in banking and finance led to the rise of urban financial centers.
Political leaders streamlined tax collection and expanded military powers, leading to struggles for territory and sovereignty.

Italian Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of transition from the Middle Ages to the modern world, marked by renewed interest in Greek and Roman civilizations.
It originated in northern Italy and spread throughout Europe.
Scholars began to shift from religion-based thinking towards human dignity and potential.

Revived Interest in the Classical World

Renaissance scholars, unlike their medieval counterparts, weren't always clergy members.
Italian Renaissance Humanists studied classical civilization, focusing on human beings and their dignity.
They shifted away from scholasticism, emphasizing earthly life over penance.
Individualism, focusing on personal interests, grew.
Petrarch, an early humanist, sought forgotten Latin manuscripts and promoted classical writing styles.
He also wrote in the Italian vernacular.
Petrarch developed philological approaches to analyze texts historically.
Lorenzo Valla used philology to prove the Donation of Constantine was a forgery.
Marsilio Ficino studied Greek and Plato, connecting Platonic philosophy to Christian theology.
He translated Plato’s writings into Latin and explored Platonic love.
Pico della Mirandola aimed to blend philosophical views, emphasizing human's place in the world.

New Connections, New Challenges

Arabic-speaking Islamic scholars preserved Greek texts during the Middle Ages and made them accessible to Europeans during the Crusades.
The dominance of universities and the Catholic Church declined, with classical texts and scientific inquiry gaining prominence.

Changes in Education

The liberal arts shifted towards the humanities, emphasizing literature, drama, and history.
Humanists taught the humanities, aiming to develop well-rounded, productive citizens.
Leonardo Bruni translated Greek and Latin works.
Leon Battista Alberti wrote books in Italian.
Niccolò Machiavelli studied Roman history.
Christian humanists in Northern Europe advocated a return to simpler Christianity and criticized non-scriptural religious practices.

Revival of Civic Humanist Culture

Italian city-states, such as Florence, Venice, and Milan, experienced political instability and rivalry.
Humanists admired Greek and Roman political institutions, such as democracy and representative government.
They promoted a civic humanist culture.
Baldassare Castiglione's "The Book of the Courtier" outlined ideal behavior for aristocrats.
Niccolò Machiavelli's "The Prince" advised rulers to use any means to maintain power, separating politics from morality.
He emphasized state power to ensure citizens' safety.
Machiavelli's ideas influenced later authoritarian regimes, with "the ends justify the means."
Francesco Guicciardini shared Machiavelli's view of human nature.

Renaissance Ideas in the Visual Arts

Renaissance artists drew inspiration from classical art and humanist ideas, emphasizing realism.
They incorporated geometric perspective and aimed for naturalism.
The Medici family in Florence were prominent art patrons, commissioning works that reflected Roman architecture and human scale designs.
Filippo Brunelleschi built the Church of San Lorenzo, incorporating classical columns and a large dome.
Lorenzo de' Medici supported artists like Sandro Botticelli, who displayed an interest in classical mythology.
Donatello sculpted in marble and bronze, using ancient sculptures as inspiration and creating detailed, expressive figures; focused on portraying faces with detail and expression.
Leonardo da Vinci pursued human idealization, painting "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper," which demonstrated geometric perspective and psychological insight.
Michelangelo sculpted "David" and painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, focusing on scenes from Genesis and humans as reflections of the divine; commissioned to revitalize the papacy and Papal States.
Raphael painted idealized versions of the Virgin Mary and "School of Athens," demonstrating harmony and balance.
Leon Battista Alberti integrated mathematics with visual arts, notably in Santa Maria Novella's design.
Andrea Palladio adapted Roman architecture to contemporary materials and needs.

Northern Renaissance

Renaissance humanism and art spread to northern Europe in the late 15th century.
Northern humanists emphasized religion and human-centered naturalism.
Artists focused on detail in smaller works and ordinary individuals.
Wealthy patrons supported Northern Renaissance artists.
Christians became critical of the Church's secular nature, seeking religious reform.
Flanders became a leading art center in the north.
Northern artists prioritized detail over perspective and proportion.
Albrecht Dürer traveled to Italy to study art. Created prints and woodcuts.
Jan van Eyck excelled in oil painting.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted biblical and peasant life scenes.
Rembrandt, a Baroque artist, used dramatic light and realism.

Christian Humanists

Christian humanists sought religious reform with the motto "Ad fontes" ("back to the source").
They studied the Bible in Greek and Hebrew and early Christian writings.
Erasmus called for Bible literacy and reform, satirizing clergy ignorance.
Thomas More envisioned a perfect society in "Utopia," advocating education for women and abolition of private property.

Printing

The development of the printing press revolutionized learning, akin to the Internet's impact.
Increased reading led to the development of new ideas.
Movable type made of metal was developed in Europe in the 15th century, enabling mass production of texts.
Johannes Gutenberg devised a usable form of the process and invented the printing press.
The Gutenberg Bible, completed in 1456, was one of the first books produced from movable type.
Printing spread rapidly throughout Europe, with numerous printers by 1500.
Aldus Manutius the Elder printed works by ancient writers in Greek and Latin.
Charlotte Guillard used printer's marks to ensure quality.
The printing press made vernacular literature more accessible, increasing lay readership and fostering unique national cultures.
Northern humanists focused more on religious concerns.
About half of published titles were Bibles or other religious works.
Martin Luther's call for religious reform spread rapidly through printed pamphlets.
The printing press facilitated the dissemination of reformist ideas, contributing to the Protestant Reformation.

New Monarchies

Political institutions shifted from decentralized to centralized power, from nobility to educated elites, and from religious to secular law.
Religious changes were used to promote political unity or led to partisan turmoil.
Henry VIII broke with the Pope and created the Church of England.
*The act of Supremacy made the King of England head of the Church of England.
The Treason Act enforced recognition of the Church of England.
The Church of England was known as the Anglican Church.
*Elizabeth I tried to find a middle ground, sometimes called the Elizabethan Settlement or the Anglican Compromise, that would end religious turmoil