Renaissance in Europe
1300-1600
Renaissance means "rebirth".
**Northern Italy
1. Feudalism in Northern Europe had a strong hold.
2. Northern Italy had bustling cities and villages.
3. Three major seaports with populations over 100,000.
Genoa, Venice and Florence
4. Merchants were wealthiest and ruled the cities.
**Values that shaped the Renaissance
1. Celebration of the Individual.
a. Individual fame was important.
b. Portraits, autobiographies and self-portraits popular.
2. Love of Classical Learning
a. Despised Middle Age Art
b. Looked to Greek and Roman works!
c. Humanist- learning all one should have.
3. Ideal Man
a. The Courtier book on being ideal man
b. Well educated in Greek and Latin classics
c. Physically graceful, strong rider, wrestler and swordsman
4. Ideal Woman
a. Well educated and like men except for seeking fame
b. Isabella d'Este: Art collection, defencded Mantua, less influential than in Middle Ages
**Artists of Florence
1. Giotto- early 1300s, died in 1455
a. Painted a merchant's chapel with Bible scenes.
b. Fresco- painting on wet plaster
c. Human, lifelike figures with emotion and expression
d. Revolutionary art
e. Created depth
2. Ghiberti- early 1400s
a. Goldsmith who made Bronze doors for a Baptistry.
b. Worked for 50 years on the 2 doors.
c. Bible scenes on the panels.
d. Michelangelo compared them to the Gates of Paradise
3. Donatello- (1386-1466)
a. Sculptor of freestanding items (new concept!)
b. "David"- adult male who was a freestanding large nude
c. Men on horseback was frequent, intricate subject
4. Masacchio- (1401-1428)
a. Changed painting by using perspective.
b. Used lines to create depth.
5. Brunelleschi- (1420-1436 worked on . . .)
a. Cathedral of Florence
b. Rose higher than Dome of the Hagia Sophia! (Twice as high!!)
c. 370 feet above the street with a Cross on the top.
6. Michelangelo- (1475-1564)
a. Painter and sculptor
b. Created "Pieta" and was declared a "masterpiece"
c. 1504- "David" 16feet tall, muscular and marble
d. Sistine Chapel- (1508-1511) in the Vatican (Julius II- Pope)
i. Creation, Adam, Noah and six other stories
ii. Lifelike and humanlike
iii. Designed huge dome, poetry
iv. Put one more design into the Sistine Chapel
7. Raphael- (1508 began work and died in 1520)
a. Painted walls for Julius II private office.
b. Worked with Michelangelo
c. "The School of Athens"
d. Pleasant temperament that made him popular! (Not a typical artist!!)
8. Leonardo da Vinci
a. Painter, Scientist
b. "Human Personality"
c. "The Mona Lisa" (His favorite)
d. "The Last Supper" (Bold)
e. Hydraulics, masonry, and other items including "flying plan!!"
**The Politics and Economics of the Renaissance
A. Florence
1. Economics
a. Merchants and bankers ruled the city.
b. "Florins" (city coins)
c. Two industries: Textiles and banking
d. Became financial center of Europe!
e. 100 Years War between France and England were
paid with loans from Florentine Bankers!!!
2. Politics
a. Guild members could hold office.
b. 3% of population could vote.
c. "Democratic social atmosphere"
3. Medici family
a. Powerful and wealthy family
b. Cosimo de Medici "dictator" for 30 years
c. Beautified Florence
d. Made 1st public library in Western Europe
e. Grandson gained power after a few years
f. "Lorenzo the Magnificent" was well loved and continued beautification of Florence
g. Attacked by French and delivered Florence without a fight by Piero, son of Lorenzo to protect the valuable treasures there!
4. Machiavelli
a. All cities fell or allied with a foreign power
b. Turmoil was prevalent
c. The Prince gave advice to rulers on how to gain and keep power. "Rulers might have to deceive enemies and own people for the good of the State."
d. Not concerned with moral right but political effectiveness.
e. His name now means trickery and double dealing even though he was just
***The Renaissance Spread
1. The Popes rebuilt Rome because it was in despair and disrepair!
2. Renaissance spread to Northern Europe in the 1500s
a. Royal Courts- Italians commissioned for building and art projects in France
b. German Masters
i. Durer wood carvings
ii. Holbein portraits like photographs, painted Henry VIII and other royal families
iii. Flanders (Netherlands/Belgium) artistic city of Northern Europe, Realism emphasized
3. Renaissance ideas remained after 1600s but new ideas and artistic styles appeared.
Exploration & Discovery
**Historians believe that the Renaissance spirit played an
important role in the launch of the 'Age of Exploration'.
Factors Encouraging Exploration:
1. Search for spices and profits.
a. Crusades gave a taste of what the world had to offer.
b. New routes to Asia sought because Italy controlled theMediterranean and had a monopoly and Muslims controlled the Indian Ocean!
2. Desire to spread Christianity
a. Sacred duty to convert non-Christians
b. Many missionaries go with explorers or just thereafter!
3. New Technology
a. Caravel- triangle and square sails made riding out storms easier.
b. Astrolabe and compass were "rediscovered"
c. All used to travel across the Atlantic.
Portugal Kicks it off!
1. Prince Henry the Navigator opens a navigation center and this launched the exploration frenzy!
2. 1441- gold and slaves commanded a high price. over 60 years 50,000 Africans were enslaved.
3. By 1460 many trading ports were established along Western Africa for gold, ivory and slaves.
4. 1471- Ghana and Gold Coast were exploited by traders (African and European!)
5. 1488 Bartholomeu Dias
a. Reached Southern tip of Africa
b. Named it the Cape of Good Hope
6. 1497-1498- 10-month voyage of Vasco da Gama from Lisbon to Calicut, India!
a. Traded for cinnamon and pepper
b. Returned home a RICH success!!
Spain:
1. Christopher Columbus
a. This Italian approached Isabella and Ferdinand with
a "Round World Theory"!
b. He was looking for a shorter way to India
c. After years of rejection he finally was given the
opportunity to go!
d. After a month at sea there were rumors of mutiny.
e. Landed on October 12, 1492 in the Bahamas.
f. No goods were there to be traded so he moved on
for Japan!
g. Discovered Caribbean Sea.
h. Other voyages 1493, 1498 & 1502
i. Central America
ii. Venezuela
iii. He insisted until his death he had found Asia!!!
Americas:
2 Amerigo Vespucci- Italian sailed 1499-1501 "Declared America not Asia but a whole new continent!"
3. Balboa- 1513- walked across the forests of Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean! Claimed all in the name of Spain!
Spain and Portugal get into a heated rivalry!
1. Line of Demarcation- 1493
a. Pope Alexander VI
b. North to South line. East= Portugal and West= Spain
2. Treaty of Tordesillas- 1494
a. Moved the line a little west
b. Gave Portugal most of Brazil and they find the Amazon River and claim all of that area
3. 1519- Ferdinand Magellan
a. Spanish King paid for sail around the Southern tip of
South America
b. Gave him 5 old ships and for 3 years there was no
word!
c. 1522- 1 ship sailed into Spain
d. 18 out of the original 230 men survived!
e. Crossed the Pacific but very large size of ocean and
little food caused deaths!
f. The one ship told how large the world was and
Magellan had been killed in a battle by a poison
arrow off the coast of South America on the Western
side or maybe the Phillippines..
France:
1524- Verrazano found New York Harbor
1534- Jacques Cartier found the St. Lawrence River and
Montreal
1608- Champlain found Quebec and established the fur
trade. Allied with the Algonquin and Huron Indians
1673- Joliet & Marquette went down the Mississippi and
sailed 700 miles. They were disappointed with
what they found!
1682- LaSalle claimed Louisiana for Louis XIV; it was a
large area with few people
England:
1497- John Cabot- Newfoundland
1577- Drake all around America claiming California
1585- Sir Walter Raleigh settled Roanoke, which was a
failure
1587- Sir Walter Raleigh settled Jamestown, the first permanent settlement of Europeans
-a company invested in Jamestown
-tobacco became the cash crop
-indentured servants and Africans worked the land
-King James took over and made it a Royal Colony that flourished
1620- Plymouth settled by the Pilgrims in Plymouth Rock, MA
1629- Puritans settled in Massachusetts Bay; known as the "Dissenters"
By 1750- 1.2 million colonists in America!
Dutch:
1609- Henry Hudson hired to look for a Northwestern Passage; sailed up "his" river and found a rich fur trade! The Dutch West India Company built Ft. Orange
1624- "Albany" tried to exploit Hudson's trade. New Netherland allowed to do their own worship, very bad rulers ruined this settlement.
1664- English captured New Netherland; "Surrendered without a shot!"
**From the Carolinas to New England now belonged to England!!!
Worldwide Changes:
**Contact with the whole world brought:
1. Epidemics (Pandemic)- smallpox, influenza, measles
a. Millions of Native Americans died
b. Hispaniola: 2560,000 to start and 60 years later= 60,000
2. Corn and Potatoes
a. Went to Europe for more stable, healthy diets enriched around the world!
b. Europe sent farm animals and new plants
3. Slave Trade
a. Slaves taken from Africa for large plantations in
Americas.
b. By 1540- 10,000 African a year were traded to
America.
c. Transatlantic trade continued for 350 years!
d. As Europeans were not allowed inland of Africa,
other Africans would raid villages and take captives
to sell into the slave trade
e. Estimates say for every 2 Africans traded on died on the way. (1/2)
4. 1500s-1900s- Europe dominated most of the world
a. North and South America conquered
b. Oceans under their mastery
c. Africa, America and Europe tied by economic and political ties
d. Europe manipulated everyone, anywhere for its own advantage