Renaissance

Medieval or Modern?

Key Topics
The politics, culture, and art of the Italian Renaissance The powerful new monarchies of northern Europe Political struggle and foreign intervention in Italy Understanding the meaning of the Renaissance.

What is the Renaissance?

A collection of ideas? A revival of the classical world? A break with the medieval world? A springboard for modernity?

Humanism
A cultural and intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized secular concerns as a result of the rediscovery and study of the literature, art, and civilization of ancient Greece and Rome.

Medieval Artwork
Abstract and Formulaic

The Renaissance Painter

3-Dimensional Paintings Chiaroscuro & Linear Perspective

Architecture
Middle Ages was steeped in Gothic Style Architecture. Most prominent structures were churches. The Renaissance harked back to Antiquity for models. Greek columns and Romanesque Style.

Medieval Literature
The Middle Ages focused on religious writing. Primarily theology and philosophy. Popular folk tales saw heroes who embedded the ideal of Christianity.
King Arthur Roland Robin Hood

Renaissance Literature
The writers emulated the ancient Greeks and Romans and wrote in the vernacular. Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio concentrated on humanity and mans struggle. The Birth of Non-fiction as entertainment.

Benvenuto Cellini
All men of whatsoever quality they be, who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand.

Renaissance in Italy
The late Middle Ages was a time of creative fragmentation.

Three Crises: Religion, Plague, Government.

Italy flourished between 1300-1450 mainly because of location. The Italian City-State merchants and bankers

Growth of City-States
Urbane culture was assisted by the constant war between emperor (Ghibelline) and Pope (Guelf). This war strengthened the merchant oligarchies in the cities and by the 15th century led to despotism. Unlike Northern Europe ruled by kingdoms, Italy was made up of independent states.

A Nation Divided
1377 - The Churchs power starts to fade. Avignon Papacy - splits the church Bishops lose their power to wealthy families. Merchants and Bankers flourish among the chaos.

Mercantilism
The Italian Peninsula became the HUB for Western Europe. Merchant Class developed Birth of the Banking System Working Class - Manufacturing goods became popular.

Republic of Florence
Ciompi Revolt - 1378 was a result of the staggering social divisions. In 1434, Cosimo deMedici arose to power from behind the scenes. Signoria - Council that ruled Florence, which was controlled by wealthy guilds. By 1478, Despotism emerged -> Pazzi Scandal podest

The Prince
Cities fought within - families seeking power. (Medici and the Pazzi) Despots like Lorenzo de Medici hired military brokers called condottieri Political turbulence and warfare gave birth to positive attributes as well.
Diplomacy and Growth Renaissance culture and Patronage

Humanism
A cultural and intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized secular concerns as a result of the rediscovery and study of the literature, art, and civilization of ancient Greece and Rome.

French Nationalism
Charles VII:1422-1461 The Well-Served unified France following the Hundred Years War. Strong National Identity and Army Jacques Coeur developed an economic system

Nation-Building
Louis XI: (1461-1483) made France a great power. Mastermind of Dipolmacy League of the Public Weal Collapse of the English Empire and the defeat of Burgundy in the battle of Nancy 1477.

Spanish Unification
Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon married in 1469. Kicked out the Moors and Christianize Spain The Inquisition = National Unity Invested money in Ship Travel
Columbus Voyage 1492

Isabella & Ferdinand

War of the Roses

1455-1485 Englands first major Civil War Dynastic instability following the death of Edward III. Politics and Wealth controlled England.

Henry VI: House of Lancaster

1422-1461, 1470-71 Son of Henry V became King of England and France at 9 months old. Went insane and killed in the Tower of London

Edward IV: House of York

1461-1470, 14701483 Ambitious, cruel, selfish, and extremely able. Seized the throne from Henry based on the his fathers claim.

Richard III - York

1483 1485 Duke of Gloucester brother to Edward IV. Richard III was supposed to be the avuncular protector of his two young nephews.

A horse, a horse, My Kingdom for a horse!

Gloriana Angelorum
Henry VII: Tudor Dynasty Bosworth Field 1485 ends the war. The Court of Star Chamber 1487

Holy Roman Empire

Extremely backwards, the system based in feudal society. Germany was divided into 300 autonomous political entities. 1356 Golden Bull established a sevenmember electoral college. Imperial Diet Reichstag

Italys Political Decline

Treaty of Lodi: 1454-1494 brought peace between Milan and Naples. Together they joined an alliance with Florence. Florences chief enemy was Venice and the Papacy.

Ludovico il Moro
Comes to power in Milan 1490 and ends the Treaty of Lodi. Naples and Florence side with the Borgia family. Appeals to France for aid.

Charles VIII de France

r. 1483-1498 Conquered Florence and Papal States. Savonrola 14521498 Dominican Monk who preaches the coming of Charles as godsend.

Pope Alexander VI
r. 1492-1503 Corrupt member of the Borgia Family. Machiavelli both admired and despised this guy. Allied with French Louis XII

Pope Julius II
r. 1503-1513 Patron of Arts, Warrior Pope Suppressed the Borgias and placed Romagna under papal jurisdiction. Holy League against France

Concordat of Bologna
In 1515, the French once again invaded Italy under the rule of Francis I. The Concordat of Bologna 1516 gave the French King control over French clergy in exchange for French recognition of the popes superiority over church councils.

Niccolos Smile

The Modern State

The biggest argument against Machiavelli resides in his philosophy

If we say The Prince is a political theory, then we acknowledge his amorality.

Machiavellian
Smile in mens faces, smooth, deceive, and cog. ~Richard III One may smile and smile and still be a villain. ~Hamlet The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. ~Othello Where we are, there are daggers in mens smiles. ~Macbeth

State of Nature
Machiavelli purports the idea of a state of nature, but he does not theorize on the states issues. Political Activist = Concrete Thinker

Modern Man
What made Machiavelli truly unique was his lack of an ideal state. People are simply EVIL, so stop trying to be something youre NOT. By lowering the bar, he liberates man.

Burckhardts Renaissance
Writing during the 1860s in Germany. Why does Burckhardt think the Renaissance was the beginning of Modernity?

Rediscovery
Burckhardt makes a lot solid points regarding Renaissance Italy.
Revival of Classical Studies Self-Conscious Individuals Growth of Secular Ideas of the State

But were the Middle Ages an irrelevant interruption in the development of Modern Society?

Revolt of the Medievalists

Medievalists have pointed out that the Middle Ages have produced:
Passionate, fully self-aware individuals Coherent theories of state Great Nationalistic Art

Changes made in the 14th & 15th centuries not significant

Medieval Institutions

Parliamentary Government University Education Legal Tradition

Recasting the Renaissance

One cannot deny the changes that occurred from the 14th to the 15th century, but these were not dramatic changes. The culture of the Renaissance can be described as a boy growing into a man it is a gradual process, not immediate.

Next Week
Next week we will look to developments in Europe during the Reformation. In many ways these developments were a continuation from the Renaissance period. What exactly was Martin Luther so hot and bothered about?