Vocabulary
Renaissance - refers to the period that followed Europe's Middle Ages
humanism - study of humanities led to a new way of thinking and learning
Christian humanism - resulting combination of humanist and religious ideas
perspective - method of showing a three-dimensional scene on a flat surface so that it looks real]
interest - a fee that borrowers pay for the use of someone else's money
*The picture at right shows one of the many sketches of da Vinci. This particular one is of an automobile car, perhaps the original idea for one.
Geography
The Renaissance, or "rebirth" of Europe, began after the Middle Ages, and after the Black Death had come to an end. People started to become interested in art and education. The renaissance began in Italy. After the Black Death, the surviving people could start demanding money for their work. There was a surplus of food, trade began to grow, and many new things appeared on the markets. Over time, the idea of "rebirth" spread all over Europe, but it originated in Italy.
Religion
During the Middle Ages, everyone relied on the Christian church to make all the rules and lead their lives. By the start of the Renaissance, however, people started to turn to new ideas. Everyone was still extremely religious, but people started to discover new ways to see the world. They studies history, literature, public speaking, and art. Study of humanities led to new ways of thinking and learning, known as humanism. Basically, everyone during the Renaissance were still devout Christians, they just had new ideas to add to that.
Achievements
Achievements during the Renaissance...Where to begin? So many new and creative things, all in one time period. So, I'll just cover some of the most well known ones!
Literature --
*written in new language
*set examples for readers
*stories follow grand adventures
Art--
*colorful and realistic
*fine detail
*people in 3D
*scene in background are smaller and faded- perspective
*artists used human statues as their guides
*since they followed statues, many of their people resembled Greek gods
*people have distinct personalities
Mathematics--
*studied ancient math texts and built upon them
*created symbols, such as the square root symbol (√), and symbols for positive and negative numbers (+,-)
Architecture and Engineering--
*mathematical formulas to strengthen buildings
*built domes
*used two thick layers, instead of one heavy one
*huge cathedrals
Astronomy and Cartography--
*studied sun, stars, and planets
*discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and that the sun is the center of the universe
*wanted to know earth's exact shape and size
*used complex measurements and calculations
*created better, more accurate maps
Education--
*many people could learn about the discoveries in literature, art, science, and technology
*students learned about humanities
*spread lots of information around Europe
You see, the Renaissance was an essential time in history. Many new things were discovered and enhanced during this time, and we wouldn't be where we are today without it.
Important People
Marco Polo (1254-1324) - Italian trader; spent 20 years living, working, and traveling in Asia
Cosimo de' Medici (1389-1464) - Italian banker and leader of Florence; tried to make Florence the greatest city in the world, and in doing so, helped bring about the Renaissance
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) - Italian Renaissance politician and poet; wrote The Divine Comedy in Italian
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) - Italian write and politician; wrote The Prince, which advised leaders on how to rule
Johann Gutenberg (c.1400-1468) - German printer who developed a printing press that used movable type
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) - Dutch priest who published Praise of Folly , in which he criticized corrupt clergy; helped inspire Protestant Reformation
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) - German Renaissance artist who is famous for his prints and woodcuts
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) - Spanish writer; wrote Don Quixote
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English Renaissance writer and playwright, he is considered the greatest English writer of all time; responsible for more than 2,000 words of the English language, plus many phrases like "fair play"
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be the greatest genius who ever lived. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, town planner, mapmaker, and engineer. One of the most famous paintings in the world is his Mona Lisa, pictured under "Achievements" (above). He studied human anatomy, dissecting human and animal bodies to see how they work. His understanding of the human body and how it works is truly astonishing. He made many sketches of his discoveries on paper. Some of them include things such as the first design for a wing. Others are the human bones, muscles, heart, etc. Many of his ideas are in use today. But he thought of all these things way before they were ever put to use, or even heard of. His discoveries were astounding, in both content and quantity, and are amazingly accurate. He truly is a genius.
Part of his eccentricity was his writing. He was left handed, which was extremely uncommon in his time. Most left handed children were forced to write with their right hand. Da Vinci was not only left handed, but he wrote backwards, from the right side of the page to the left. This might have been to keep his ideas secret, to hide it from the church, or simply because the ink wouldn't smear on the page. You can click here to type in a phrase, then see how it would have looked if da Vinci had written it.
I would post pictures of his achievements here, put it would take up the whole page. Instead you can go here to see sketches of some of his ideas, and test your knowledge.
Michelangelo
One of the greatest Italian writers was named Michelangelo. He designed buildings, wrote poetry, carved sculptures, and painted pictures. Like da Vinci, some of his most famous achievements were paintings, which cover the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In fact, you can click here to get a close up view of what that ceiling looks like.
Another great achievement was the Pieta. This marble statue depicts the body of Jesus on his mother's lap after the Crucifixion. It stands in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and is considered one of the greatest sculptures in history.
Also, like da Vinci, he was considered a Renaissance person. Each of these men were extremely gifted, and could do practically anything well. These two outstanding men stood above the rest of the crowd to make their way in history.
Trade
At the beginning of the Renaissance, Marco Polo set out across the Silk Road, and opened up trade there. He stayed in China for a while, serving as a government official. He discovered China's used of paper money, as well as their abundance of coal. When he went to India and Southeast Asia, he served as messenger for the emperor. When we returned to Italy, he told everyone Asia's wonders, and set up trade routes once more. At first Italy didn't believe him, but his stories grew, so trade with Asia began.
There were four main trading centers: Milan, Genoa, Venice, and Florence. There, people from all over the world could meet with one another, trade, or shop. But they played even more important roles than just trading centers. They set up Mediterranean ports, so that Asian ships could bring their goods there. The two main cities for sea trade were Venice and Genoa. Then there were the manufacturing centers. Venice produced glass, Milan made weapons and silk, and Florence made cloth and served as the banking city. You see, all the cities had different jobs to improve trade. So, once again, Europe flourishes in trade.
Government
During the huge trade between Europe and Asia (see above for more details), the government was based around trade. Italy was not a single country, but made up of independent states. These states were ruled by a single rich merchant family. This form of government is called signoria. The signore, or ruler, competed against other area for the most trade, greatest goods, and richest merchants.
Social Structure
The Renaissance was a time of rebirth for Europe, so there was no set social structure. The only real social structure was the signora, mentioned above. This was the rich merchant that ruled an independent state. Below him were the traders, and that's about it. In Italy, everyone was so happy about getting out from under the church, there wasn't much need to rulers. They were tired of rulers, and made their own way.
Animal of the Day: Rats! The disease carrying little bundles o' joy! No, really, they're okay. And without
them, the Renaissance could never had happened. The rats carried the plague, which wiped out
27 million people. This is a horrible thing, but it led to the Renaissance. People could charge
money for their services, and the manor system fell apart. More goods became available, and
prices went down. Trade increased. You see, Europe's economy could grow again. So, really,
we have these rats to thank (and the fleas, of course).
