The Renaissance Spirit of the Renaissance Began in

The Renaissance

Spirit of the Renaissance • Began in the city-states of northern Italy. • Spread to northern Europe and Spain. • City-states had become wealthy because of the Crusades. • Created a powerful middle-class of bankers and merchants. • Had the time and money to seek education and support the work of artists.

Interest in the Classics • Learning of ancient Greece and Rome. • Read ancient texts. • Rediscovered knowledge that had been lost or forgotten during the Middle Ages.

New views of the world • Europeans changed the way they thought about themselves. • Had strong religious views. • Read the works of early Christian writers. • Interested in secular affairs. • Focused on “how to behave”. • Machiavelli – “The Prince” – handbook for rulers – “safer to be feared than to be loved”

Achievements of the Renaissance • Confidence in the ability of individuals to shape their own lives. • Stimulated a creative spirit that revolutionized the arts and world of learning in Western Europe.

Art • Studied Greek statues and Roman buildings. • Works reflected realism and grace. • Experimented with new paints and paimting techniques. • Developed “perspective” – a method of painting that makes objects or scenes appear three-dimensional. • Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo

Madonna and Child - Giotto

Da Vinci – Benois Madonna

Literature • Wrote on religious and secular subjects • Petrarch – wrote sonnets (a 14 line poem) most famous are love poems to “Laura” • Cervantes – Spaniard – Don Quixote – novel that mocks the ideals of medieval knights – the musical Man of La Mancha is based on this book. • Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet - Hamlet

The Printing Press • Johann Gutenberg invented a press using movable type. • Used to produce the first Bible printed by machine. • Meant books could be mass produced. • Spread new ideas more rapidly as more people learned to read.

Age of Exploration • Motives – desire to bypass trade routes controlled by Muslims and Italian city-states. • Desire for gold and silver led to conquering of the Americas. • Wanted to spread Christianity to other lands.

Impact of Technology • Renaissance mapmakers produced more accurate maps. • Astrolabe – could be used at sea to calculate latitude – didn’t have to hug the coastline. • Improved the magnetic compass • Adopted the lateen sail from the Arabs. • Used new shipbuilding techniques to build large, seaworthy ships.

Voyages • 1488 – Bartholomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. • 1498 – Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa to India. Led Portugal to build a rich trading empire in Asia. • 1492 – Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. • Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the world.

Effects of Expansion • Had worldwide impact • Spread foods, animals, and ideas from one continent to another. • Known as the Columbian Exchange. • Also introduced European disease to the New World. Wiped large populations of native americans.

Colonies • Established colonies in the Americas and trading outposts in Asia. • Spain and Portugal divided South America. • Spain, France, the Netherlands, and England set up colonies in North America. • Supplied Europe with precious metals, foods, timber, and furs. • Led to increased warfare between nations competing for land power.

Economic Impact Changed the economy of Europe. Trade and commerce grew. Harbor cities grew in importance. Developed new ways of doing business – jointstock companies- raised capital for trade voyages. • Set up banks and insurance companies. • •

• Helped European nations increase their power. • Rulers adopted the economic philosophy of mercantilism. • Colonies supplied the parent country with raw materials – parent country expanded industries to produce manufactured goods for the colonies.