A) Why did the Renaissance start in Italy? Describe the role of the aristocratic courts of such powerful figures as the de Medicis and the papacy in engendering and sustaining this cultural revival.
There were a few reasons that the renaissance started in Italy. First and foremost, was their geological location. The city-states of Italy were positioned on the Mediterranean Sea, which was a huge hub for trade and commerce at the time. Families within Italy were wealthy and culturally diverse, with an interest in scholars and artists. These families, more so the Medici’s in particular, supported various scholars and artists to make Italy itself a place of cultural significance, increasing the demand for trade within the city-states.
Italy, was not always a place of such importance and significance. The Medicis were a huge factor in making Italy the birthplace of the Renaissance. The family went through various “bumps in the road” as a wealthy and powerful family, including one of their previous family members, Lorenzo “The magnificent” who everyone admired for bringing peace and prosperity to Italy, being targeted for a plot of murder in order to seize their power. Although Lorenzo survived this attempt, he died of natural causes
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Art works such as these, show a clear effort for the artists during the renaissance to popularize the recognition and familiarity of antiquities such as early Christian history. The idea behind art and literature with the same idea behind it as this was to take the history of man and all who reside in it, and redefine the significance of it was into something that can be of significance within everyone that lives
Without the renaissance people today would not be as highly educated and would be less open-minded. In the Renaissance man’ s view of man changed to one that views itself as perfect, as seen in the art, literature, and scientific discoveries. If the Renaissance was to be known only for one thing it would be art.
Artists started to take pride in their artwork and began exploring new humanist themes in their art rather than focusing on the traditional biblical subject matter that was popular during the middle ages. Italian scholars and artists saw themselves as reawakening to the ideals and achievements of classical Roman culture. Renaissance art gave philosophers a different perspective on reality and this affected their writings from then on. Artists used the idea of symmetry and linear perspective which also led to people developing interests in math and science. Scientists and Mathematicians became inspired by the work of art being created just like how artists became inspired by philosophies and new theories coming into the time period.
Lorenzo de’ Medici was a powerful and extremely wealthy Italian statesman. In effect, he was the ruler of the Florentine Republic. The Medici family itself had gained great wealth in their era as bankers and captains of industry. They controlled just about every aspect of local society through their monopoly on the monetary
Medici was the first princely dynasty to win through commerce but not by warfare, marriage or inheritance. The Most powerful family in Italian Renaissance period came to power through business dealings banking. – Bank of the Vatican and papacy - Spent tremendous amount of money supporting the arts and the cultural development of the city.
Their wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade guided by the guild of the Arte della Lana. Like other signore families, they dominated their city 's government, they were able to bring Florence under their family 's power, and they created an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They along with other families of Italy, such as the Visconti and Sforza of Milan, the Este of Ferrara, and the Gonzaga of Mantua, fostered and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected institutions in Europe.
In the sixteenth century, Europe experienced many changes. The Renaissance period brought change in art, scholarship, education and literature. The progressive flow of change originated in Italy with the revival of ancient works. The Italians had at their disposal the remains of one of the most powerful and advanced empires that controlled the world. An empire far older once had dwelled in a distant neighbour, Greece, and with the conquering of this country in the late 15th century by the Ottoman Empire, many knowledgeable Greeks travelled and settled in parts of Italy.
EQ: What factors made Italy the birthplace of the Renaissance? A: Marco Polo’s journey Europe and Asia trade, which opened up new goods and ideas . People looked to the past to gain greater knowledge and fulfillment. Humanism stresses to live a good life and the goal is to make well rounded people.
In the Renaissance, the world changed forever. New thinking about humans being the most significant rather than religious figures would have been unheard of in the Middle Ages, but now in this new period, the world has begun to accept this. These new ideas led to them being present in art, leading to a new beginning for art. In “The Last Days of the Renaissance & The March to Modernity” by Theodore Rabb, he discovers that what occurred in the Renaissance changed art permanently. He said, “The new artistic styles would echo the broader movements and interests of the new age ....
The emergence of private families, governments, and other secular groups as patrons of the arts during the Renaissance had a profound impact on the artistic landscape of Europe from the 15th to the 18th centuries. This new diversity in patrons allowed artists greater freedom of expression and creativity, leading to a flourishing of artistic styles, techniques, and themes that reflected the changing political, social, and economic landscape of the time. Private families, in particular, played a significant role in shaping the artistic output of the period. Wealthy families such as the Medici in Florence and the Sforza in Milan became major patrons of the arts, commissioning works that celebrated their wealth and power. This led to a rise in
Although today the city-limits of Florence is advised absolutely small, at the time of the Medici it was the a lot of busy and richest city-limits in Europe and home to those who in fact were the better coffer owners. Florence was able of announcement barter and the accounts added in the a lot of important states of the time, such as France and England. The brightness of Florence accordingly led development in the accomplished Tuscany, although the relationships with added cities such as Siena and Pisa were not affable and generally resulted into wars. Nevertheless, the political accent and the above alliances of the Medici ancestors brought Florence to be the complete advertence point for all of Tuscany.
Journal Entry: Bruni “Excerpt from a Treatise” Leonardo Bruni was a Florentine humanist, and contributed to Florence flourishing during the Renaissance. So many of the great Italian Renaissance figures where from Florence, including Petrarch, Bruni, and Machiavelli. Also many of the famous Renaissance artists were from Florence including, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Botticelli. This shows how much of an epicenter Florence was for the Renaissance. I though it was interesting how the fall of the Florentine Republic which is in 1530, according to our notes, corresponds with the end of the Italian Renaissance in the late 15th century.
Their clever and strategic selves knew that by investing in art, as a form of gratitude, their names would be placed on plaques. Even in present day, this family still has many buildings in Italy that are named after them. To add to this, their money created power, while their fortitude and tenacious pursuit led them to the top. For years they ruled, and held complete control of their variables. When threatened by other families they retaliated in order to send messages that they will remain in power.
Bardi and Peruzzi were two wealthy banking families. They offered financial services. This led to European leaders being in debt to the families. Florence remained a great banking center even after the fall of the Bardi and Peruzzi. The Medici would eventually become a supreme banking family and power in Florence.
The Renaissance era took place between 1300 – 1700 AD. The well suited title of this era, Renaissance, is Italian for “rebirth.” During this period a “rebirth” or resurgence of interest for the Classical era and values was shown, starting with the Italians and eventually spreading throughout Western Europe. Despite being stated as an epicenter of social revolutions, the time period very much enforced gender discrimination and female stereotyping. These values were usually displayed through the paintings of the era that portrayed woman.
They are not only responsible for being patrons to some of the greatest innovators of their time but also changing the way life was done around them. The influence of the Medici family throughout the Renaissance period is an example of the common themes theory as the family helped with new economic development through their patronage in the arts and education. At the start of the Renaissance there was not a unit of power that truly took control of the city of Florence, until the Medici came into power. There was only religious control telling the people what they could and could not do and even those in charge of religious positions fell to corruption. People were unable to make decisions with out fear that they will be killed or persecuted for those actions.