The RenaissanceBegins 2a.1 lntroduction Toward the end of the Middle Ages, a greatflowering of culture called the Renaissance beganin Italy and spreadthroughoutEurope.In this chapter,you

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was and how it began. will learn what the Renaissance got its name Renaissanceis a Frenchword that means"rebirth." The Renaissance from a rebirth in interestin classical art and learning that took place from the l300sthroughthe1500sc.e.(ClassicalreferstotheculturesofancientGreekand Rome.) Although therewas no suddenbreak with the Middle Ages, the Renaissance changedmany aspectsof people'slives over time. You may recall from Unit I that medievalEuropeansocietywas basedon feudalism. Most peoplelived on feudal manorsin the countryside.The Roman Catholic Church encouragedpeopleto think more aboutlife after deaththan about daily life on Earth. Except for the clergy,few peoplewere educated. By the Late Middle Ages, changeswere occurring that helpedpave the way for the Renaissance. Tradeand commerceincreased, and cities grew larger and wealthier.Newly wealthy merchantsand bankerssupportedthe growth of the arts and learning.A renewed interestin classicalculture starteda flood of new ideas.Greek and Roman examples inspired new stylesof architecture,new approachesto the arts,and new ways of thinking. Beginningin Italy,a philosophycalled humanism developed.Humanistsbelieved in the worth and potentialof all individuals. They tried to balancereligiousfaith with belief in the power of the human mind. Humanists took a fresh interestin human societyand the natural world. This way of thinking contributed to the burst of creativityduring the Renaissance. In this chapter,you'll explore how the Renaissancediffered from the Middle Ages and classicaltimes.Then you'll look at somechanges in Europeanlife that led to the Renaissance. The Renaissance Besins 315

28.2 What Was the Renaissance? perspective the appearance of distance or depthon a flat surface, as in a painting

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The Renaissance beganin Italy in the mid 1300sand spreadto other parts of Europein the 1400sand 1500s.Let's look more closely at this "great rebirth" of interestin classicalart and learning.Then we'll use

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art to explore the link between the Renaissanceand the classical world. Renewed lnterest in the Glassical World The Renaissance beganwith the rediscoveryof the classicalworld of

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ancient Greeceand Rome. After the fall of Rome in the fifth century c.e., classicalculture was never entirely forgotten.The Roman Catholic Church helpedkeep knowledgeof ancienttimes alive by copying documentsthat survivedfrom the classicalperiod. Still, this knowledge reachedrelatively few peopleduring most of the Middle Ages.

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In the Late Middle Ages, merchantsand crusadersbrought back goodsand ideasfrom the East,including classicallearningthat had beenpreservedin the ByzantineEmpire. Europeansalso read classical

Thisexample of classical artwas createdin 450e.c.r.A Roman statue works that cameto them by way of Muslim scholars. it celebrates of a discusthrower. the This flow of ideas led to a rediscovery of Greek and Roman culture. classical idealsof balance andpower. Scholarsstartedcollecting and readingancientmanuscriptsfrom monasteries.Artists and architectsstudiedclassicalstatuesand buildings. The renewed interest in classical culture led to the great flowering of

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art and learningthat we call the Renaissance. Exploring the Rebirth of Glassical ldeasThrough Art We can trace the link between the classical world and the Renaissance by looking at art. Let's explore someof the characteristicsof art from classical,medieval,and Renaissance times.

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Classical Art The classicalperiod lastedfrom about 500 B.c.E.to 500 c.B.The classicalartistsof Greeceand Rome createdsculptures,pottery,murals,and mosaics.The purposeof much of their art was to show the importance of peopleand leaders,as well as gods and goddesses. Here are additionalcharacteristicsof classicalart: . Artists valued balanceand harmony.

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. Figures were lifelike but often idealized (more perfect than in real life). . Figureswere nude or drapedin togas(robes). . Bodies looked active,and motion was believable. . Faceswere calm and without emotion. . Scenesshowedeither heroic figures or real peopledoing tasksfrom daily life. . In paintings,therewas little backgroundor senseof pen spective (for example,showingpeopleand objectsbigger or smaller to make them look closer or farther awav).

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Medieval Art The medievalperiod lasted from about 500 to 1300c.e. Medieval artistscreated stainedglasswindows, sculptures,illuminatedman-

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uscripts,paintings,and tapestries.The purposeof much medievalart was to teachreligion to people who could not read or write. Here are additional characteristicsof medievalart: . Most arl was religious,showingJesus,saints,

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peoplefrom the Bible, and so on. .

Important figures in paintingswere shown as larger than othersaroundthem.

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Figureslooked stiff, with little senseof movement.

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Faceswere seriousand showedlittle feeling.

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Paintedfigures were two-dimensional,or flat.

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Paint colors were bright.

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Backgroundswere mostly one color, often gold. Renaissance Art

The Renaissance lastedfrom the 1300sto the early 1600s.Renaissance artistscreatedsculptures,murals,drawings, and paintings.The aim of much Renaissance art was to show the just importanceof peopleand nature,not religion. Here are additional

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Art reflecteda greatinterestin nature.

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Figureswere lifelike and three-dimensional, reflecting an increasingknowledgeof anatomy.

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Bodies looked active and were shown movins.

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Figureswere either nude or clothed.

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Scenesshowedreal peopledoing everydaytasks.

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Facesexpressedwhat peoplewere thinking.

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Colors were shown respondingto light. Paintingswere often symmetrical(balanced,with the right and left sideshaving similar or identical elements). Full backgroundsshowedperspective.

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If you comparetheselists, you can seethat Renaissanceartistswere inspiredmore by classicalart than medieval art. Like classicalartists,Renaissance paintersand sculptorsdepicted subjectsthat were not alwaysreligious.They tried to show peopleas lifelike and engagedin everydayactivities.They also tried to capture

Thisexamole of Renaissance artis a muraltitledfhe Schoolof Athens. It waspainted around by Raphael 1510. Ancient Greekphilosophers, suchas PlatoandAristotle, are

the way things look in the real world.

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Renaissanceafi reflectsa rebirth of interestin the classicalworld. What changesbrought aboutthis revival of classicalculture?Let's find out.

Renaissance artists theyinspired centuries later.

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zB,3The Growth of Trade and Gommerce One reasonfor the flowering of culture during the Renaissancewas the growth of trade and commerce.Trade brought new ideas as well as goods into Europe. A bustling economy createdprosperouscities and new classesof people who had the wealth to support art and learning. Starting in the l lth century, the Crusadesstrengthenedcontacts between western Europe and Byzantine and Muslim cultures. Traders brought goods and ideas from the East that helped to reawaken interest in classicalculture.In the 13th century,the Mongol conquestsin Asia made it safer for tradersto travel alons the Silk Road to China. The tales of the Italian traveler Marco Polo sparked even greaterinterest in the East. Food, art, and such luxury goods as silk and spicesmoved along the trade routes linking Europe to Africa and Asia.

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Italian cities like Venice and Genoa were centrally located on the trade routes that linked the rest of western

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Europe with the East. They became bustling trading centersthat attracted traders.merchants.and customers. So did cities in the north like Bruges

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and Brussels.Trading ships carried goodsto England,Scandinavia,and present-dayRussiaby way of the English Channeland the Baltic and North Seas.Towns along the routes connectins southernand northern This15th-century Frenchillustration showstheexchange of goodsand

Europe, such as Cologne and Mainz in Germany,provided inns and other servicesfor traveling merchants.

moneyin a Renaissance town.

The increasein trade led to a new kind of economy. During the Middle Ages, people bartered,or traded goods for other goods. During peoplebeganusing coins to buy goods,creatinga the Renaissance, money economy. Coins came from many places, so moneychangers

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were neededto convert one type of currency into another. As a result of all this activity, craftspeople,merchants,and bankers becamemore important in society.Craftspeopleproduced goods that merchantstraded all over Europe. Bankers exchangedcurrency, loaned

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money to merchantsand rulers, and financed their own businesses. patron a personwho supports the artsor otheractivities by supplying moneyfor them

Some merchantsand bankersgrew very rich. With their abundant wealth, they could afford to make their cities more beautiful. Wealthy patrons commissioned(ordered and paid for) new buildings and art. They also helpedto found (start)universities.ProsperousRenaissance cities srew into flourishins educationaland cultural centers.

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2A.4The lnfluence of

Italian Gity-States The Renaissance beganin northem and central Italy. One reasonit began there was the prosperity of Italian city-states. In the Late Middle Ages, most of western Europe was made up of fiefs ruled by nobles.Above the nobleswere monarchs.In ltaly, however, growing towns demandedself-rule and developedinto independentcity-states.Each city-stateconsistedof a powerful city and the surroundingtowns and countryside. The Italian city-statesconductedtheir own trade, collected their own taxes,and madetheir own laws. Somecity-states,suchas Florence, were republics that were governedby electedcouncils.Council

mapof Thisis a late-lSth-century Florence, oneof ltaly'smostpowerful city-states. Noticethe manon a hillin the lowerrightcorner;the artistdrew looking himself overFlorence.

members included commonersas well as nobles. In theory the power in republicsbelongedto the people.In fact, it often lay in the handsof rich merchants.During the Middle Ages, guilds of craftspeopleand merchantsbecamevery powerfrrl. During the Renaissance, groups of guild members (called boards) often ruled Italian city-states. Boards were supposedto changemembersoften. However, wealthy families often gained long-term control. As a result, some city-stateswere ruled by a single family, like the fabulously rich Medicis in Florence.

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Trade madethe Italian city-stateswealthy.Italy's centralMediterranean location placed its cities in the middle of the trade routes that connected distant places with the rest of western Europe. People from all over

city-state an independent state of a cityandits surconsisting rounding territory republic a formof government in whichpeopleelectrepresentativesto rulein theirname

Europe came to northern Italy to buy, sell, and do their banking. Some Italian city-statesdevelopedspecializations.Florencebecamea centerfor cloth making and banking. Milan produced

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metal goods and armor. The port city of Genoa was a trading center for ivory and gold from northern Africa. Venice, the most powerful clty-state, had hundredsof ships that controlled the trade routesin the MediterraneanSea. Silk, spices,and perfume

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from Asia flowed into Venice. The city-states'wealth encourageda boom in art and learning. Rich families paid for the creation of statues,paintings,beautiful buildings, and elegantavenues.They built new centers of learning, such as universitiesand hospitals. From the city-statesof Italy, Renais-

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Begins 319 The Renaissance

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inthe lSthcentury Humanist scholars reading, spenttime studying, and writingaboutclassical culture.

The interestin learningduring the Renaissance was spurredby humanism. This way of thinking soughtto balancereligious faith with an emphaHumanism first arosein Italy as a result of the renewed interest in classical culture. Many early humanistseagerly hunted for ancient Greek and Roman books, coins, and other artifacts that could help them learn about the classical world. One of the first humanistswas an Italian poet named Francesco Petrarch.Petrarchespecially loved old books. He searchedfor them all over Europe and encouragedhis friends to bring him any they found. Eventually, he createda large collection of ancient Latin and Greek writings, which he made available to other scholars. Scholarsfrom all over Europe traveled to Italy to learn about the new ideasinspiredby classicalculture.They studiedsuch subjectsas art, architecture,government, and language.They read classical history and poetry.They beganto ask probing questions.What did classical artists find most beautiful about the human bodv? How did the Romans constructtheir buildings?

suchas history, literature, and ethics

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28.5 The Growth of Humanism sis on individual dignity and an interestin natureand human society.

humanities areasof studythat focuson humanlifeandculture,

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In their studiesof classicalculture,humanistsdiscovereda new way of looking at life. They began to createa philosophy basedon the importanceand dignity of eachindividual. Humanistsbelievedthat all peoplehad the ability to control their own lives and achievegreatness. In education,they stressedstudy of the humanities-a group of subjects that focusedon humanlife and culture.Thesesubjectsincluded grammar, rhetoric (the study of persuasivelanguage),history, poetr!, and ethics(the study of moral valuesand behavior).

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Humaniststried to put ancientideasinto practice.Architects,for example,studiedGreekand Romanruins.Then they designedbuildings with pillars,arches,and couftyardslike thoseof classicalbuildings. The humanistsdid not simply imitatethe past.They alsotried to improveon the work of the Greeksand Romans.In universities, scholarsbeganto teachmethodsof observationand experimentation. Renaissance scientistsproposednew ideasaboutstarsand planets.

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Artists and studentsof medicinecloselystudiedhumananatomy. Poetswrote aboutreligioussubjectsand everydayexperiences such as love.Writersproducedworks of historyand studiesof politics.

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The influenceof classicalidealschangedideasaboutgovernment. Humanistsseparatedthe stateand its right to rule from the church.In doing so, they helpedlay the foundationfor modernthinking about politicsand government.

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Humanistidealsalsoaffectedpeople'sthinkingaboutsocial standing.In f'eudaltimes,peoplewereborn into a certainstatusin society.If someonewas born a peasant,he or shewould always have lessstatusthan a noble.Renaissance thinkersprizedindividual achievement more thana person'sclassor family.This emphasis

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on individualismwas an enormousshift from medievalthinking.

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The humanists'new ideassometimesbroughtthem into conflict with the Catholic Church.The churchtaughtthat laws were made by God and that thosewho broke them were sinful. It encouraged people to follow its teachingswithout questionin orderto savetheir

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souls.For the church,life after deathwas more importantthan life on Earth.In contrast,humanistsbelievedthat preopleshoulduse their minds to questioneverything.Most tried to balancereligiousfaith

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and its emphasison the afterlife with an activeinterestin daily life. Sornedirectly challengedteachingsthat were dearto the church.An Italianhumanist.GiordanoBruno,paid for his ideasbv beins burned at the stake.

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Francesco Petrarch is considered thefounder of ltalianRenaissance poet, humanism. A well-known hewearsa laurelwreat-h in this portrait to symbolize hiscrowning poet as laureate in Romein 1341.

28.6 Ghapter Summary In this chapter,you explored the beginnings of the Renaissance. The Renaissancewas a flowering of art and learning that was inspired by a rediscoveryof classicalculture. It beganin Italy and spreadthroughoutEurope,

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Severalfactorscontributedto the Renaissance.The growth of trade and commercecreatedprosperouscities and classesof people with the wealth to supporteducationand the arts. Italian city-states helped spreadRenaissance ideas.The new philosophy of humanism spuned interestin learningand fresh ways of thinking. In the next chapter,you will exploresomeof the advancesthat came out of

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the Renaissance.

The Renaissance Besins 321