the renaissance

• Humanism is a philosophical approach that emphasizes human values and potentialities.
• The Renaissance plays a fundamental role in the intellectual and cultural development of the Western world.
• Leonardo da Vinci was a prominent artist during the Renaissance who made significant contributions to various fields such as painting, sculpture, engineering, and science.
• Renaissance artists were inspired by classical Greek and Roman art and culture.
• Shifts in society:

  • Much smaller population in 1450 than in 1300 due to famine and disease
  • Increase in development, including an increase in the standard of living and literacy rate
  • Social classes: top class nobility, middle class merchants, bankers, tradespeople, bottom class peasants (feudalism)
• New sources of knowledge:

  • After the fall of Rome, knowledge of the Greek language was scarce and kept in the Byzantine Empire
  • Ottomans capturing Constantinople led to Byzantine people fleeing to Italy, contributing to the knowledge of Greek and helping lead the Renaissance
• New technology:

  • Western Europeans learned paper-making technology from Islamic Spain
  • Paper mills developed in France, Italy, and Germany, leading to a changing political landscape
• 15th-century Europe:

  • Peace returned to much of Europe after constant warfare
  • The 200-year war between France and England ended near 1453
• The rise of the Italian states:

  • City-States in Italy were more urban and commercial than most of Europe
  • Ideal breeding ground for intellectual revolution due to the exchange of ideas
• Economic factors in Italian city-states:

  • Overseas trade, spurred by the Crusades, led to the growth of large city-states
  • Italian cities led impressive economic expansion by the year 1000
  • Rise of banks in northern Italy, shifting from land-based wealth to commerce
  • Merchant class emerged, relying on individual merit for success
• Bubonic Plague (1300s) impact on Italy:

  • Decline in the population of Italy by 60%
  • Labor scarcity led to higher wages; merchants supported the arts
• Political factors in Italian city-states:

  • Italy remained fragmented with no consolidation of power
  • Development of a strong urban nobility intermarried with rising commercial families
  • City-state examples:
  • Venice: Grew into an international powerhouse, dominance enhanced by the Crusades
  • Milan: Prosperity led to civic pride, artistic creativity, and entrepreneurial endeavors
  • Naples: Flourishing trade with the Arab world, conquered by Norman and German forces
  • Florence: Ruled by the powerful Medici banking family, republican government in the late 1200s
• • Rome: Center of the Papal States, transition to self-governing city with a republican constitution
• Renaissance Man:

  • An accomplished person
  • Expected to create art
  • Expected to master almost every area of study
  • A man who excelled in many fields was praised as a “universal man”
• Renaissance Woman:

  • Not expected to create art
  • Wealthy women were often patrons of artists
  • Should know how to be charming
  • Not expected to seek fame
  • Upper-class Renaissance women were better educated than medieval women
  • Renaissance women had little influence in politics
• The Renaissance began in Northern Italy
• Many great artists of the Renaissance include Isabella d’Este
• Artists of the Renaissance used Perspective, which is the art of showing 3D on a flat surface
• Raphael Sanzio:

  • Inspired by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci
  • Advanced realism in his paintings
  • Painted his idols (Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci) and framed it in Pope Julius II’s library
  • Famous work known as School of Athens
• Sofonisba Anguissola:

  • First woman artist with an international reputation
  • Known for painting her sisters and King Philip II of Spain
• Artemisia Gentileschi:

  • Trained with her painter father
  • Drew strong, heroic women
• Early Reformers


  • Protestant churches gained numerous followers
  • Millions remained devoted to Catholicism
  • Catholic Reformation or Counter Reformation emerged
  • Key figures: Girolamo Savonarola, Ignatius of Loyola
  • Popes Paul III and Paul IV played significant roles in reforming the Church
• Girolamo Savonarola


  • Preached against church abuses
  • Advocated for using church wealth to aid the poor
  • Led "the bonfire of the vanities"
  • Excommunicated by Pope Alexander and executed in 1498
• Ignatius of Loyola


  • Experienced a transformative moment in 1521
  • Wrote "Spiritual Exercises"
  • Founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1540
• Jesuits


  • Established schools globally
  • Engaged in missionary activities
  • Played a significant role in countering Protestantism
• Reforming Popes


  • Paul III (1534-1549): Investigated indulgence selling and church abuses
  • Approved the Jesuit order
  • Utilized the Inquisition
  • Called the Council of Trent
  • Paul IV (1555-1559): Enforced the Council of Trent's decrees
  • Created the Index of Forbidden Books
  • Ordered the burning of offensive books
• Women Reformers


  • During the Renaissance, women in religious orders took on more active roles
  • Teresa of Avila, Angela Merici, Jane of Chantal, Francis of Sales, Mary Ward were influential women
• Teresa of Avila


  • Became a nun
  • Implemented strict rules in her convent
  • Reformed the Carmelite order
  • Known for deep spirituality and dedication to the Catholic faith
• Legacy of the Reformation

  • Religious and Social Effects: Protestant churches thrived
  • Roman Catholic Church became more unified
  • Both Catholics and Protestants emphasized education
  • Women's status saw little improvement
  • Political Effects: Decline in Catholic Church's authority led to rise of individual monarchs and states
  • Intellectual Impact: Reformation paved the way for the Enlightenment