The Renaissance began in Italy in the late Middle Ages as a period of cultural, scientific, and intellectual growth. This was sparked by increasing wealth from trade which allowed for patronage of the arts, and the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts which challenged the dominant scholastic thinking. Notable figures included Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Copernicus, and Galileo who made significant contributions across multiple disciplines and helped usher in new ways of thinking. The printing press was also a major development, allowing for the spread of ideas. Over time, the Renaissance ideals spread throughout Europe, marking the transition to modernity.

1. The Renaissance

2. Introduction
As the economy and society changed,
new ideas began to appear. This period
of interest and developments in art,
literature, science and learning is known
as the Renaissance, French for “rebirth.”

3. Causes of the Renaissance

4. •1300’s, Black Death, starvation,
warfare had overtaken Europe
•Catastrophic events, enormous
loss of life may have led to
changes of the 1300’s
•Decrease in population led to:
– Increase in food production
– Decline in food prices
– More money to spend
– Specialization in products
Changes in Society
• Urban areas specialized,
particularly in Italy
• Italy divided into several large
city-states in north, various
kingdoms, Papal States south
• Catholic Church, nobles,
merchants, artisans dominated
society in city-states
• Many sought to display new
wealth with knowledge of arts
The Rise of City-States
Causes of the Renaissance

5. The Italian Renaissance
• It is widely accepted that the Renaissance
started in Italy during the 1300’s.
• Italy during the Renaissance was largely an
urban society.
• The powerful city-states of the Middle Ages
became political, economic, and social
centers. (Venice, Florence and Milan)
• A worldly viewpoint developed in this
urban society as increasing wealth created
new opportunities for material enjoyment.

6. Milan, Florence
• Milan, west of Venice, based economy on agriculture, silk,
weapons
• Florence, to south, famous for banking, cloth
• Monarchs appealed to Florentine bankers for money to fund wars
• Merchants refined raw wool into fine cloth
• Bankers, merchants created city to rival any in Europe
Venice
• With access to sea, Venice built economy, reputation on trade
• Had long history of trading with other ports on Mediterranean Sea
• Shipbuilding prospered, sailors traveled to Near East
• Wealthy Venetian merchants built unique city, “work of art”

8. Italy’s Wealthy Class
• In Italy, a wealthy
merchant class develops
• The wealthy enjoyed fine
food, homes, clothes
• Wealthy merchants also
become patrons of the
arts (financial backers)
• Banking family, the
Medici, controls Florence
Villa Monteriggioni
Lorenzo di Medici

9. The Medici
• The Medici was a wealthy and powerful family
that first gained prominence in the late 1300’s.
• The Medici first started in cloth guilds, but they
founded the Medici Bank which became the
largest and most prosperous bank in Europe by
the 1400’s.
• Although they never officially became
monarchs, the Medici family held great political
power and influence in Italy.
• Florence becomes very prosperous city.
• The Medici left an important and impactful
legacy because they were very supportive
(financially) in the arts and architecture.
• They supported famous artists such as
Michelangelo, da Vinci, Brunelleschi, etc.
Medici Family Crest

10. Assassin’s Creed
• Assassin’s Creed II is a
historical adventure game
that takes place in
Renaissance Italy, particularly
Florence.
• The plot centers around
fictional depictions of true
historical figures from the
time including Leonardo da
Vinci, the Medici family,
Machiavelli, etc.

11. Renaissance Ideas
•Venetian ships carried
goods for trade and
Greek scholars
seeking refuge
•Scholars brought
ancient works
thought to be lost
Inspiration from the
Ancients
•Italians who could
read looked for more
information
•Read Arabic
translations of
original texts
•Searched libraries,
found lost texts
New World of Ideas
•As they read, began
to think about
philosophy, art,
science in different
ways
•Began to believe in
human capacity to
create, achieve
Different Viewpoints

12. Renaissance Ideas
• Interest in ancient Greek, Roman culture
• Characteristics of good education
• Artists, scholars study ruins of Rome and Latin, Greek
manuscripts
• Scholars move to Rome after fall of Constantinople in 1453
• Scholastic education gave way to classics: rhetoric, grammar,
poetry, history, Latin, Greek
• Subjects came to be known as humanities, movement they inspired
known as humanism
• Humanists emphasized individual accomplishment and human
achievements.
Humanities

13. Patrons
• Medieval times, anonymous
artists who worked for
church created art
• Renaissance artists worked
for whoever offered them
highest price
• Buyers of art, patrons, might
be wealthy individuals, city
governments, or church
Patrons of the Arts
• Wealthy individuals
competed, displaying
wealth, modernity through
purchase of artworks
• Florence, Lorenzo de Medici
supported most talented
artists
• Milan, ruling Sforza family
benefactors of artists,
others
Competition Among Patrons

14. Art
• Artists during the Renaissance tried to
create realistic style copied from
classical art (Greek and Roman)
• It was very important for their
depictions to be as realistic as possible.
• Often times artists studied anatomy,
botany, and how light would touch the
subject
• Most often they portray religious
subjects or prominent citizens
• Painters use perspective — a way to
show three dimensions on a canvas
• Sculpture shows natural postures and
expressions

18. Michelangelo’s David (1504)

19. Michelangelo’s David (2011)

20. Renaissance Man
• A new view of human beings that emphasized
individual ability and worth emerged in the
Renaissance.
• The well-rounded, universal person was
capable of achievements in many areas
of life.

21. Renaissance Man

22. Leonardo da Vinci
• Leonardo da Vinci was a painter,
sculptor, architect, inventor, and
mathematician.
• Wrote out ideas, filling 20,000 pages of
notes
• His paintings are still studied and
admired
• His interests, enthusiasm boundless

23. Leonardo da Vinci

25. Michelangelo
•Studied anatomy
•Was a sculpture and painter
•Age 24, won fame with Pietà, sculpture of
Jesus’ mother Mary holding son’s dead body
•Marble statue of David
•Most famous painting, artwork on ceiling of
Sistine Chapel

26. Michelangelo

27. Renaissance Ideas
Scientific Information
• Humanists searched archives, Arab
translations for classical texts
• Discovered wealth of scientific
information
Scientific Challenges
• Science soon became important
avenue of inquiry
• Church’s teachings about world
were challenged, particularly that
Earth center of universe
Natural World
• Focus of Renaissance on human
sciences, history, politics, geography
• New ideas about natural world began
to be explored also
Earth, Sun
• Nicholas Copernicus said Sun was
center of universe
• Galileo Galilei arrested by church
officials for saying Earth orbited Sun

28. Copernicus and Galileo
• Copernicus made strides in
astronomy and came up
with the theory that the
sun was the center of the
universe and not the earth.
• Galileo followed up and
reaffirmed these claims.
• Galileo was seen as a
heretic, for this position
was not popular amongst
the Church.

29. Did you know?
• Galileo was asked by the Church to come in and
defend his position on his findings and theories.
• He was seen as a threat and a heretic and
condemned by the Church.
• He was ordered to be imprisoned and his writings
were banished.
• Later, this sentence was reduced to “house arrest”.
• He lived out his remaining days studying the sun,
moon, and stars.
• Ironically, he went blind from staring at the sun too
long through his telescope.

31. Machiavelli
• Niccolò Machievelli, author
of political guidebook, The
Prince
• Machiavelli wrote many
views on politics. He spoke
of how to get power and
keep it. His notes are still
read today and influence
politicians, CEO’s and world
leaders alike.

32. Did You Know?
• While incarcerated in Clinton
Correctional Facility, Tupac
Shakur read and studied Niccolò
Machiavelli and other published
works.
• This inspired his pseudonym
"Makaveli" .
• Under this name he released
the record The Don Killuminati:
The 7 Day Theory which was his
5th
and final album and released
after his death in 1996.

33. Northern Renaissance
• In the 1400s, the
ideas of the Italian
Renaissance begin to
spread to Northern
Europe such as
France, Germany,
Great Britain, Spain,
etc.

34. The Printing Press
• Around 1440 Johann Gutenberg
of Germany develops printing
press
• Printing press allows for quick,
cheap book production
• The first book printed with
movable type; the Bible (1455)
• The printing press is perhaps the
most significant invention in
history .
• Why?

35. The Printing Press
• During the Renaissance, there was a sharp
rise in literacy and therefore, a high
demand for books.
• The old way of hand copying could not
keep up for this new demand.
• Printing makes information widely
available.
• Illiterate people benefit by having books
read to them.
• Published accounts of maps and charts
lead to more discoveries.
• Bibles were especially in high demand and
the mass productions of it helped the
spread of Christianity even further.

36. Writing
• The Renaissance also gave way to a
Golden Age of Literacy.
• During this time, several significant
authors and playwrights emerge.
• William Shakespeare is known for
his works in literature and as a
playwright.
• He is considered possibly the
greatest playwright of all time and
his unique writing style is still
studied today.

38. Changes in Religion
• See Reformation PowerPoint

39. Impact Today
• The events that occurred during this time period
still impact our lives today.
• Western art is founded on classical styles
developed by the Greeks and Romans.
• Machiavelli’s views on politics had a profound
influence on later political leaders in the Western
world and are still studied in universities today.
• The Jesuits have founded many Catholic colleges
and universities in the United States.