Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy? •  The nature of •  Nature of the Italian City-­‐states –  Compe55ve –  Varied culture –  Geographic divides the Italian city states Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy? •  Trade –  Crossroad btwn Asia & Europe –  Enriched by new products –  Influenced by ideas from afar …
par5cularly from Byzan5ne culture Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy? - Medici Banks Cosimo de Medici Medieval Bankers The Renaissance: Antiquity
Civic Humanism: Florence Cathedral Why did the Renaissance begin in
Italy?
•  Italian genius •  Leonardo da Vinci (1452-­‐1519) •  Michelangelo Buonara5 (1475-­‐1564) •  Raphael (1483-­‐1520) Leonardo da Vinci, "Vitruvian Man" •  What a piece of work is
a man, how noble in
reason, how
infinite in faculties, in
form and moving how
express and
admirable, in action
how like an angel, in
apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of
the world, the paragon
of animals—and yet,
to me, what is this
quintessence of dust?
Man delights not me—
nor woman neither,
though by your smiling
you seem to say so.
•  Shakespeare from Hamlet Leonardo the artist
Leonardo the scientist How did the Renaissance lead to
religious change?
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-­‐1536) Mar5n Luther (1483-­‐1546) Francois Rebelais, Gargantua and Pantagruel •  All their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they thought good; they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to it and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to constrain them to eat, drink, nor to do any other thing; for so had Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest 5e of their order there was but this one clause to be observed, •  Do What Thou Wilt; •  because men that are free, well-­‐born, well-­‐bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an ins5nct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous ac5ons, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour. Habsburgs under Charles V Geography and poli5cs of the Reforma5on Catholic Reforma5on: Tradi5on, sacraments, and a`acking heresy