THE RENAISSANCE

1. THE RENAISSANCE The Italian Renaissance & Italy's Transformation LITTLE FLOWER CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

2. LEARN FROM THE PAST • To dwell in the past is foolish. To forget the past is a disgrace.

3. WHO WAS THE REAL MONA LISA?

4. BIG IDEAS OF RENAISSANCE

5. THE SPIRIT OF THE RENAISSANCE • Vast changes in culture and ways of life • Rational thinking - new attitudes and a new curiosity about the world • Science embraced as a means of understanding the world • Scientists developed new views about the universe • New forms - painting, music, literature and architecture • Advances - medicine and the study of anatomy • Printing press - major impact on the quality of life • The need to learn to read and write became critical for a new economy

6. ECONOMIC & SOCIAL CHANGES • Trade - key to prosperity, status and power • Expansion and exploration of the New World - start of a profitable commerce in trade • Competition grew fierce and a commercial revolution resulted • Voyages were undertaken to conquer new territories • The spice trade with China, India and Japan - critical to the growing economy • Entrepreneurs and capitalists - key roles in the commercial revolution • Mercantilism rose • The commercial revolution brought about major change in the quality of European life

7. EXPANSION & EXPLORATION • New technologies made it possible for ocean explorations to the New World • Explorations of the world - led by the Portuguese and Spanish to open new trade routes • North America was apportioned among Old World Empires • English settlers arrived in North America and began to build colonies

8. IMPERIALISM • Spanish and Portuguese founded large empires in the Americas • Native Americans were subdued, repressed, murdered and decimated by disease and their civilizations destroyed • To make explorations profitable, Spain and Portugal began bringing slaves to America and established the plantation system

9. AGE OF ABSOLUTE MONARCHS • The empires of the Old World grew big and rich, reaping harvests from their exploitation of New World resources • Monarchs rule with absolute power over their subjects • Nations increased their power and solidified their "nationhood” - nationalism • Religious passions lead to holy wars • The Ottoman Empire becomes powerful in Eastern Europe • Russia rises as a new power

10. RELIGION BECOMES MORE DIVERSE • The Reformation occurs as a result of complaints about the corruption in the Catholic Church • The Catholic and Protestant churches battle for power, resulting in the Thirty Years' War • Protestantism spreads across Europe and breaks into many sects • Islam divides into different sects

11. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • Does art reflect the values of the society or does society reflect the ideas of the artists? • What is power? • How are economic resources distributed? • What impact does trade have on a society? • What happens when cultures collide? • What does it mean to be civilized? • Are modern civilizations more “civilized” than ancient ones? • What are the significant symbols and icons of civilizations/cultures? • What causes change over time? • How does the evaluation of past events help us to make future decisions? • How can we know if we weren’t there? • How am I connected to those in the past? • Can an individual make a difference in history? • Why do people fight? • Is conflict inevitable? desirable? avoidable? • What is worth fighting for? • What is revolution? • Is new technology always better than that which it will replace?

12. Students will understand that… • knowledge of the past helps one understand the present and make decisions about the future. • conflict resolution can involve aggression, compromise, cooperation, and change. • decisions concerning the allocation and use of economic resources impact individuals and groups. • relationships are affected by economic transactions. • global societies are diverse, creating varied perspectives, contributions, and challenges. • scientific and technological developments affect people’s lives, the environment and transform societies.

13. OVERVIEW • This lesson will discuss the three main reasons why Italy transformed from a group of competing city-states to the home of the birth of the Renaissance.

14. ITALYBIRTHPLACE OF THE RENAISSANCE • Renaissance - historical period beginning in the late 14TH century. • People started taking an interest in the learnings of earlier times, specifically in the cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome. • As the French word 'Renaissance' implies, it was a rebirth in the appreciation and study of these classical times. • It was also a rebirth in the interest of the individual and the human capacity to learn, otherwise known as humanism.

15. CITY-STATES • The great Italian city-states of Florence, Venice, Milan, and the Papal states centered in Rome. • Wealth, creativity, intelligence.

16. REASON #1 - LOCATION • Location, location, location! • Italy is located directly in the middle of Eastern and Western Europe – perfect for trade. • Trade - spread her new ideas all over the continent. • Overseas trade, spurred on by the Crusades, had brought great wealth to Italy. • Italy is the home to ancient Rome and many of the Greek beliefs that Rome held. • Inspiration from the ruins of Rome that surrounded Italy.

17. HUMANISM • Dark Ages - suffer through life and wait for some eternal reward. • Humanism - live now like my ancestors did in the ancient glorious Roman Empire. • Petrarch - citizen Italy - Father of Humanism. • Exchange the stuffiness of old medieval ideals for the beautiful, human-oriented works of Ancient Rome - specifically those of Cicero and Virgil.

18. REASON #2 WEALTHY MERCHANT CLASS • Unlike most of Europe, feudalism, or the idea of wealth through land ownership, never gained a firm hold in Italy. • Italy, specifically northern Italy, was urban, while the rest of Europe was mostly rural. • Fortune in Italy – not land ownership but commerce and trade. • This gave rise to a wealthy merchant class.

19. EFFECTS OF BUBONIC PLAGUE • The Bubonic Plague struck Italy in the 1300s, decimating over 60% of her population. • This brought more wealth to the common class. • Because there were fewer laborers, the surviving workers could demand more money. • Decimation of the population - wealthy merchant class – business slows down. • This freed their money up to be spent on more interesting things, like the arts, architecture, and literature. • Medici family of Florence, a banking family who financially backed many Renaissance artists, the greatest of these being Michelangelo himself.

20. REASON #3 – THE CITY-STATES • Florence - grew powerful due to the trade of wool. • Venice - gained power through trade at sea. • Milan - strong monarchy and was ruled by a powerful line of dukes. • Papal States - funded by the Catholic Church centered in Rome.

21. ITALY - DIFFERENT KIND OF GOVERNING STYLE • Different governing style than that of the other European countries. • She did not rule over her household with an iron fist. • She did not unite her city-states under one kingdom or one supreme head. • Much more independent, each forming their own sovereign city-states, making their own decisions, and having their own forms of government.

22. CONFLICTS • City-States - habit of fighting and causing some real trouble. • The beginning period of the Italian Renaissance was marked with warfare between the city-states – both the wealthy ones & the smaller ones. • Not fought by the actual citizens of Italy but were instead fought by mercenaries – condottieri. • Soldiers for hire - northern countries of Europe, specifically Germany and Switzerland. • The city-states with the most money could hire the most soldiers. • Florence, Venice, Milan, and Rome quickly absorbed the smaller ones into their folds.

23. HEGEMONY & CORRUPTION • Florence, Milan, and Venice emerged as the most dominant players. • At sea, there were also many battles with the weaker city-states of Pisa and even Genoa. • Wealthier Venice reigned supreme, giving her hegemony - domination and absolute rule over the Italian seas. • Papal States of Rome were also growing and changing. • The Pope - responsibility of the Catholic Church but also ruled Rome. • As the wealth of the city-states increased, the Pope became more of a politician than a spiritual leader. • Corruption infiltrated the Church - money followed the corruption, giving Rome her place as one of the wealthy city-states of Italy.

24. PEACE • Peace of Lodi in 1554. • Truce - period of peace reigned over these cities. • Without the need to spend money on war, the city-states focus on the culture of the arts, ancient Latin, architecture, and the humanistic ideals. • Beauty of Michelangelo, the wisdom of Leonardo, and the architecture of Brunelleschi.

25. LESSON SUMMARY • Italy - birthplace of the Renaissance. • Historical period beginning in the late 14th century. • People again started taking interest in the learning of the earlier times during Greece and Rome. • French word 'Renaissance’ - rebirth of these ideals. • Italy was the perfect place for the birth of the Renaissance. • Reason #1 - location. • Reason #2 - wealthy merchant class. • Reason #3 - wealthy and powerful city-states of Florence, Venice, Milan, and the Papal States in Rome. • Spread her ideals past her boundaries to Northern Europe but also to history and to our modern world.

26. MY JOURNAL • How can you connect the history of the Renaissance to other world events and to the world you live in today? • Reflect on what you have learned and consider what this study means to you personally and as citizens of a democracy. • I did not know that… • I couldn’t believe that… • If I were _____, I think I… • If I were _____, I wish I… • This incident reminds me of a time when… • This incident reminds me of a book in which… • This incident reminds me of an experience that… • When I read ______, I… • I think that… • This person, ______, is similar to _____ because… • This event is ______, is similar to because…