The Italian Renaissance

• Renaissance


  A European movement that grew out of the rediscovery of the classical texts of ancient Greece and Rome
• The Renaissance began in Italy and was mostly a phenomenon that occurred among the elite of that society
• Humanism


  A new philosophy developed by Petrarch that focused on the unlimited potential of human beings as an end in themselves
• Petrarch


  • Considered the father of the Renaissance for laying the intellectual framework, developed humanism, and rediscovered the writings of the ancient Roman orator Cicero
• Philology


  An inquiry into the history and development of language, especially Latin
• Lorenzo Valla


  • Poster boy for philological studies, identified different stages in the development of the Latin language and demonstrated that various documents held as authoritative for the church were actually written closer to the present age
• Secularism


  The decoupling of religious belief from society
• Individualism


  The emphasis on the triumph of the individual as opposed to the community
• The invention of the printing press in the 1440s allowed the new ideas of the Renaissance to spread widely and with great speed
• Humanistic education


  • Focused on liberal studies including rhetoric, grammar, logic, history, and moral philosophy to shape the mind into a virtuous thinking machine
• Civic humanism


  The idea that the work done to shape one's mind into a virtuous state should be applied to the political and economic realities of the state
• Baldessari Castiglione


  • Wrote "The Courtier" as a guide for how an educated young man should behave in courtly society, emphasizing being a gentleman skilled in all the humanistic disciplines
• Leonardo Bruni


  • Wrote "The New Cicero", arguing that the intellectual man was duty-bound to deploy his education in service of the state
• Niccolò Machiavelli


  • Preoccupied with the proper method of wielding political power, argued in "The Prince" that a ruler's main goal was to preserve power at all costs, even if it meant being brutal
• Renaissance art


  • Portrayed religious, personal, political, and classical themes with an emphasis on naturalism and geometric perspective
• Renaissance artists


  • Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Filippo Brunelleschi
• The Medici family were significant patrons of Renaissance artists
• Renaissance


  A European movement during the 14th to the 17th century that was characterized by cultural, artistic, political, and economic "rebirth" following the Middle Ages
• European movement


  The Renaissance was a cultural movement that originated in Italy and spread throughout Europe
• Grew out of the rediscovery of classical texts


  The Renaissance was inspired by the rediscovery of classical texts from ancient Greece and Rome, which had been lost or forgotten during the Middle Ages
• Cultural, artistic, political, and economic "rebirth"


  The Renaissance was a period of significant change and innovation in many areas of society, including culture, art, politics, and economics
• Humanism


  A key idea of the Renaissance that emphasized the importance of individual achievement and the value of human potential
• Art and architecture


  The Renaissance was a period of great artistic and architectural achievement, with the emergence of new techniques and styles
• Literature


  The Renaissance was also a time of literary achievement, with the emergence of new forms of literature such as the novel and the essay
• Political and economic change

  The Renaissance was a time of political and economic change, with the rise of powerful city-states and the growth of trade and commerce
• Rediscovery of the Renaissance

  The Renaissance was rediscovered through the study and translation of classical texts from ancient Greece and Rome
• Classical texts


  The classical texts were works of literature, philosophy, history, and science from ancient Greece and Rome that had been lost or forgotten during the Middle Ages
• Fall of Constantinople


  The fall of Constantinople in 1453 was a key event in the rediscovery of the classical texts, as many Greek scholars fled to Italy and brought with them a wealth of classical texts
• Invention of the printing press

  The invention of the printing press in the 15th century made it possible to produce multiple copies of texts quickly and cheaply, which helped to spread the ideas of the Renaissance throughout Europe
• Lorenzo Valla


  Italian scholar, humanist, and philosopher who lived during the 15th century and made significant contributions to the field of philological studies.
• Poster boy for philological studies

  Valla is often considered the poster boy for philological studies because of his groundbreaking work in the field.
• Philological studies


  The study of language in written historical sources, with a focus on grammar, syntax, and textual criticism.
• Identified different stages in the development of the Latin language


  Valla was one of the first scholars to identify and describe the different stages in the development of the Latin language.
• "On the Donation of Constantine"

  Valla's most famous work, in which he demonstrated that a document purporting to be from the 4th century and granting political power to the Pope was actually a forgery from the 8th century.
• Anachronisms and other errors


  Valla's analysis of the language and style of the document revealed numerous anachronisms and other errors, leading him to conclude that it was a forgery.
• Controversial finding


  Valla's finding was highly controversial at the time, as it called into question the authority of the church and the validity of its claims to political power.
• Respected scholar


  Despite the controversy, Valla's work was widely admired by his contemporaries, and he went on to become one of the most respected scholars of his time.
• Continued influence


  Valla's contributions to the field of philological studies helped to establish it as a respected discipline, and his work continues to be studied and admired by scholars today.
• Petrarch


  An Italian scholar and poet who is considered the father of the Renaissance
• Father of the Renaissance

  A term used to describe Petrarch's role in starting the cultural and intellectual movement known as the Renaissance