Renaissance the 10 most famous people by panagiotis morphakidis

1. 10 MOST FAMOUS PEOPLE OF THE
RENAISSANCE
BY PANAGIOTIS MORPHAKIDIS

2. • #10 LORENZO DE’ MEDICI
• Lorenzo de MediciLifespan: 1449 – 1492
• Region: Italy
• Role: Patron
• During the Renaissance, artists depended entirely on patrons. The Medici family, perhaps the wealthiest
family in Europe, were for a large part during the period the de facto rulers of Florence, the birthplaceof the
Renaissance. The members of the family are famous for fostering the Renaissance, none more so
than Lorenzo de’ Medici. Also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, he is perhaps the most famous and
enthusiastic patron of the Renaissance. Though he did not commission many works himself, Lorenzo helped
many artists, including Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo, to secure commissions from other patrons. He
also supported the development of Renaissance Humanism through his circle of scholarly friends. Lorenzo
de’ Medici was himself was an artist and wrote poetry in his native Tuscan.

3. • #9 PETRARCH
• PetrarchLifespan: 1304 – 1374
• Region: Italy
• Role: Humanist
• Humanism is a philosophy that emphasizes the value of human beings and their capacities. Renaissance
humanism, based on ancient Greco-Roman philosophies, can be considered the driving force of the
movement. Francesco Petrarca, known as Petrarch, led the resurgence of learning based on classical
sources. He described the preceding 900 years, as “dark”, for he saw it as a time where humans didn’t
realize their potential; leading to little cultural achievements. He thus created the term Dark Ages to refer to
this period. Petrarch inspired humanist philosophy which was highly influential in the intellectual flowering of
the Renaissance. Many consider Petrarch as not only the founder of Humanism but also the “Father of the
Renaissance”. Also, his sonnets were admired and imitated throughout Europe; and became a model for
lyrical poetry.

4. • #8 FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI
• Filippo BrunelleschiLifespan: 1377 – 1446
• Region: Italy
• Role: Architect
• Filippo Brunelleschi, along with his friend, the famous sculptor Donatello, took a trip to Rome and studied the ancient
Roman ruins, an endeavor not attempted in such great detail till then. Donatello and Brunelleschi went on to exert a
great and profound influence on Renaissance art and architecture. They are considered among the founding fathers
of the Renaissance. Brunelleschi is widely believed to be the most inventive and gifted designer of time. He
formulated the Renaissance style that emulated and improved on classical forms. He is also credited with
inventing one-point linear perspective which revolutionized painting and is one of the defining features of
Renaissance art. Brunelleschi is considered the first modern engineer, planner and sole construction supervisor. His
major feat of engineering was building the dome of the Florence Cathedral.

5. • #7 MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
• Michel de MontaigneLifespan: 1533 – 1592
• Region: France
• Role: Humanist
• The French Renaissance is usually dated between the 15th and early 17th centuries. Michel de
Montaigne was a philosopher of the period who exerted the most long lasting influence among all
Renaissance humanists. He is famous for popularizing the essay as a literary genre and his 1580
work Essays contains some of the most influential essays ever written. Montaigne’s writings are remarkably
modern even today; and his thoughts and ideas on topics as varied as motivation, child education and
human action continue to be relevant. Montaigne exerted an influence on numerous later writers
including Francis Bacon, René Descartes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His masterful balance of intellectual
knowledge and personal storytelling continues to be an inspiration for modern literary non-fiction.

6. • #6 RAPHAEL
• RaphaelLifespan: 1483 – 1520
• Region: Italy
• Role: Artist
• The High Renaissance is a term used to denote the apex of the visual arts in the Italian
Renaissance. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, forms the trinity
of great masters of the High Renaissance. Raphael was perhaps the most popular painter during the
Renaissance and even till late 19th century, his works were revered more than any other artist and he was
regarded as the best model for history painting. Though Michelangelo’s and Leonardo’s fame has surpassed
his since then, Raphael is still considered among the greatest artists in history. He, more than anyone else,
was a master in realistically depicting emotion which brought his paintings to life. Many of his paintings are
considered cornerstones of Renaissance art.

7. • #5 GALILEO GALILEI
• Galileo GalileiLifespan: 1564 – 1642
• Region: Italy
• Role: Scientist
• Galileo Galilei was perhaps the most influential scientist of the Renaissance who paved the way for
the scientific revolutionthat later flourished in Northern Europe. He pioneered the telescope with his best
version magnifying objects about 30 times. He was among the first to use the telescope to observe the skies.
He confirmed the phases of Venus, discovered the four largest satellites of Jupiter and analysed the
sunspots. He is considered the “father of observational astronomy”. Galileo played a key role in Copernican
Revolution by advocating the heliocentric model of the Solar System. He made significant discoveries in both
pure fundamental science like kinematics of motion, as well as practical applied science like strength of
materials. He also worked in applied technology, inventing an improved military compass and other
instruments. Albert Einstein called Galileo the father of modern science.

8. • #4 MICHELANGELO
• MichelangeloLifespan: 1475 – 1564
• Region: Italy
• Role: Polymath
• One of the tenets of Renaissance humanism was the limitless capacity of humans for development.
Renaissance saw gifted people who developed their abilities in a wide variety of fields leading to the concept
of “Renaissance man” or “Universal Genius”. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, as a Renaissance
man, is exceeded only by Leonardo da Vinci. He was a sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer. But
above all, Michelangelo was an artist who became the most influential figure in the history of western art. His
works of painting, sculpture and architecture are among the most famous ever created making him perhaps
the greatest artist of all time. His statue of David is the most famous sculpture in the west; his painting The
Creation of Adam is second only to Mona Lisa in popularity; and his St. Peter’s Basilica is the most
renowned work of Renaissance architecture.

9. • #3 NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
• Nicolaus CopernicusLifespan: 1473 – 1543
• Region: Poland
• Role: Polymath
• The most prominent scientific achievement of the Renaissance was the establishment of the heliocentric
model of the Solar System that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center. This came about due to
the work of one of the leading minds of the period Nicolaus Copernicus. Though similar models had been put
forward by a few astronomers earlier, Copernicus’s solar system was more detailed and provided a more
accurate formula for calculating planetary positions. His heliocentric model led to the Copernican Revolution,
which is considered as the launching point of modern astronomy and the Scientific Revolution. Copernicus
was a polymath with expertise in a wide variety of fields including medicine, governance and economics,
apart from astronomy. Among his achievements is formulating the Quantity Theory of Money, which is still
studied in economics.

10. • #2 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
• William ShakespeareLifespan: 1564 – 1616
• Region: England
• Role: Writer
• The Renaissance caught on in England in late 15th century and lasted till early 17th century. The English
Renaissance differed from the Italian Renaissance with the main art forms in England being literature and
music rather than visual arts. The towering figure of the English Renaissance was William Shakespeare, who
is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist.
Shakespeare wrote some of the finest and most famous works ever written. He is one of the most influential
figures in English literature and his plays continue to be performed and adapted.

11. • #1 LEONARDO DA VINCI
• Leonardo da VinciLifespan: 1452 – 1519
• Region: Italy
• Role: Polymath
• Leonardo da Vinci was the ideal Renaissance man, the greatest Universal Genius, who, among other things,
was a painter, mathematician, engineer, architect, botanist, sculptor and anatomist. Da Vinci is one of the
greatest painters in history. He painted the Mona Lisa, world’s most famous painting. Other famous works in
art by him include The Last Supper, the most reproduced religious painting; and Vitruvian Man, one of the
most reproduced artistic images. As an inventor, he designed workable precursors of a tank, a robot, a diving
suit and several other things centuries before they became a reality. Many of his inventions passed into
general and practical use without Da Vinci being given credit. Other scientific achievements of Da Vinci
include designing the first self-propelled machine in historyand describing the processes governing friction.
In anatomy, he did the most detailed study of the human body before the 20th century.