Why Italy?
The Renaissance began in the Northern Italian city­states because:
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
THE QUATTROCENTO
A. Urban Development: Large, centralized populations provided opportunity for interaction on several levels
1. Communes ­ sworn associations of free men seeking complete political and economic independence from local nobles
2. Citizenship ­ property qualifications, years of residence, social connections needed for citizenship
3. populo ­ non­citizens, disenfranchised and heavily taxed; revolts established republics; these republics eventually failed since they practices the same discrimination the nobles had and did not have the support of the other groups. They were not able to establish civil order
4. 1300, signori (despots, one­man rulers) or oligarchies (rule of merchant aristocracies): facade of a republican government
Venice
Florence
Genoa
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B. Wealth: As centers of commercial activity, northern Italian city­states gave birth to a class of wealthy merchants who had the luxury of money and time to devote to new activities.
1. Merger ­ marriage united rural nobility with the mercantile aristocracy to form a new urban nobility
2. Merchants prided themselves on their individual achievements
3. The new middle class sought to perpetuate itself via the routes of becoming patrons of the arts
4. Merchant guilds built and maintained city walls, regulated trade, raised taxes, kept civil order
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C. Classical Heritage
The physical remnants of ancient Rome were still very much evident in Italy
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D. Contact with the East:
Trade relations between the port cities such as Genoa and Venice and the East gave access not only to new products but also to the manuscripts that had been preserved by Muslim scholars
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E. Interaction with Spanish Moors
Trade between Spanish cities which were controlled by the Moors and the Italian city­states also gave access to manuscripts of ancient authors that had been preserved by Muslim scholars
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Values of the Renaissance:
Celebration of the Individual
Reaction tot he emphasis of the group in the middle ages ­ individual fame, accomplishment, beauty, achievement, etc became more important and eagerly sought after. Because of the emphasis on the individual, portrait painting and the autobiography became popular
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Italian Renaissance Cities:
Love of Classical Learning:
Renaissance people were in love with the writers of ancient Greece and Rome. Along with Petrarch, they bemoaned the backwardness of the Dark Ages and embraced the more glorious heritage of the classical era. they eagerly read about the escapades of the gods and goddesses. they tried to deal with the possibility of accepting the philosophy and learning of the "pagan" past. they adopted Cicero's concept of studia humanitatis, the learning that every educated, civilized person should have. One who accomplished this was a Renaissance Man.
Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures
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In 1494 the French king Charles VIII invaded northern Italy. This was the beginning of a period which saw Italy as a battleground for foreign armies
A concept of balance of power arose to prevent one city from dominating the others. A pattern of shifting alliances developed. Permanent embassies were established with resident ambassadors. by the end of the 15th century, the inability of cities to unit made invasion enticing for other European countries.
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