The document provides an overview of the Renaissance period in Europe. It summarizes that the Renaissance was a period of transition from the Middle Ages to modern times where European nations rediscovered ancient Greek and Roman culture. Italy is identified as the birthplace of the Renaissance due to its proximity to ancient Rome. The document then highlights some of the key aspects of the Renaissance including Humanism, important figures like Petrarch and Machiavelli, the spread of Renaissance ideas, developments in art, architecture, literature and more. It concludes by noting some of the effects the Renaissance had, like sparking the intellectual revolution and paving the way for the Protestant Reformation.

1. The Renaissance(rebirth, reawakening or revival)

2. A transition from medieval to modern times. It was a glorious finale to the Middle Ages, ushering in the bright dawn of the modern era.

3. The European nations, already strengthened in their faith in God, took a new interest in the almost forgotten cultures of Greece and Rome, leading them to new achievements in arts, sciences and humanities.

4. Italy, Birthplace of the Renaissance

5. Italy is located halfway between the Middle East and Western Europe.The Italian were closer to the ancient Romans in blood and language than other European nations.The universities in ItalyThe intellectual atmosphere

6. Humanism(14th century)Latin humanitasmeaning “culture”

7. It means the study of classical Greek and Latin writings. Humanism was a cultural movement for the revival of Greek and Latin knowledge, the glorification of human achievements and the appreciation of classical culture.

8. Great Patrons of Humanism

9. Pope Pius II, a benevolent patron of humanism, was a humanist scholar before he was elected to the papacy.

10. The most famous of the humanist patrons was Lorenzo de Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He befriended and supported many artists and scholars, spent vast sums of money for valuable manuscripts and adorned his palace with classical statues.

11. Francesco Petrarch, “Father of Humanism” He is educated for law but devoted his life to literature, he loved classical studies. He was able to build a valuable collection of 200 classical works and wrote many beautiful Italian sonnets in honor of the woman he loved, Laura.

12. Giovanni Boccaccio, the Storyteller. His best known work was the Decameron(Ten Nights), which he wrote to entertain. It consists of 100 stories recounted on 10 nights by 10 young men and women who fled Florence during a plague.

13. NiccoloMaciavelli, Founder of the New science of Politics. His best writing was a political book titled The Prince. This book revolutionized the political ideas of his time and laid the foundation of a new political science. Many rulers and politicians have been impressed by Machiavelli’s political philosophy.

14. Spread of Renaissance Humanism

15. Rudolf Agricola, a famous professor at the University of Heidelberg, was the first to propagate humanism outside Italy.

16. Desiderius Erasmus, a great Dutch scholar, linguist and theologian. His bet known work was In Praise of Folly, which ridiculed the follies of society and the Church. This book contributed to the reformation of the Catholic Church.

17. Thomas More, popularized humanism in England. His greatest work was Utopia, the story of an ideal state. As chancellor of England, he encouraged the study of the humanities at Oxford.

18. Humanist influence of the renaissance education

19. Renaissance education stressed the ideal of a well-rounded or “universal” man.. This educational ideal was clearly expressed by the Italian humanist-noble-man Baldassaredi Castiglione in his widely read book, The Courtier, which portrays a perfect gentlemen as one who possesses the combined qualities of warrior and scholar and who appreciates art, poetry and music.

20. The Rise of Libraries

21. The humanistic movement inspired popes, kings, merchant-princes and scholars to build libraries. Famous among these libraries till the present time are:

22. Laurential library in Florence

23. Ambrosian Libraryin Milan

24. St. Mark’s Library in Venice

25. BibliothequeNationalein Paris

26. Vatican Library in Vatican City

27. Renaissance Painting and artists

28. The three great titans of Renaissance painting were:Leonardo da Vince- the oldest, was a man of versatile talents. His two famous paintings were “The Last Supper”, which shows the last dinner of Christ, and “Mona Lisa”, which portrays a woman with a bewitching smile

31. Michelangelo- was great in both painting and sculpture. His genius is shown in his exquisite painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which tells the biblical story from the Creation to the Great Deluge. These paintings show his marvelous knowledge of human anatomy.

32. Raphael- the youngest of the trio, was the greatest painter of the Renaissance. He was called “perfect painter” because of the classical harmony and exquisite symmetry of his art. His masterpiece was the “Sistine Madonna”, which has been acclaimed as the greatest painting in the world

33. Renaissance Sculpture and sculptors

34. Niccolo Pisano of Pisa- was the “Father of Renaissance Sculpture.” He excelled in making the sarcophage as shown by his beautiful marble bas-reliefs depicting scenes from biblical stories in the pulpits of the cathedrals of Pisa and Sienna.

35. Lorenzo Ghiberti- exquisitely carved bronze doors at the baptistry of the Cathedral of Florence and deeply impressed Michaelangelo, who said that they were “worthy to be the doors of Paradise”

36. Michaelangelo- the most famous of all Renaissance sculptors, whose statue of David is regarded as one of the finest masterpieces of sculpture. His greatest sculptural work is La Pieta, the most renowned statue in the world. It is an exquisite statue of Christ after His Crucifixion.

38. Renaissance architecture and architects

39. St. Peter’s Basilica- is the largest church in the world. Its majestic dome was designed by Michaelangelo.

40. Filippo Brunelleschi- was the “Father of Renaissance Architecture”. He designed the famous pointed dome of the Cathedral of Florence and the Pitti Palace in Florence.

41. Renaissance Music

42. Giovanni Palestrina- the “Prince of Music.” The numerous compositions of this gifted musician are still used in Catholic services today.

43. Oratorio- one type of written music. A religious drama set to musicThe Renaissance also gave birth to two forms of secular music:The madrigal, a composition of two or more voices accompanied by several instrumentsThe ayre, a composition for solo voice accompanied by a flute

44. Effects of the Renaissance

45. The Renaissance enriched world civilization, particularly in the realm of fine arts, philosophy, literature and education.

46. 2. The Renaissance sparked the intellectual revolution.

47. 3. The Renaissance contributed to the geographical discoveries and maritime exploration of the 15th and 16th centuries.

48. 4. The Renaissance fostered the growth of national states – England, France, Spain and Portugal.

49. 5. Finally, the Renaissance paved the way for the way for the religious revolution or Reformation.

50. The end