Chapter 7

The Renaissance and Discovery

Introduction

Cultural revival in Europe after a long period of darkness

Beginning of a new historical and cultural age
Renaissance made a way to change and progress
Renaissance characterizes a shift from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age, which
was completed during the Age of Enlightenment. The radical changes include
• Economic level [commerce, industry, capitalism]
• Political level [from feudalism to central government]
• Religious level [emergence of Protestantism]
• Social level [emergence of strong middle class]
• Cultural level [clergy lost monopoly over learning; no more otherworldly but secular
orientation]
New periodization of history
Rise of humanism, secularism and individualism
Renaissance was a product of centuries of developments
The Conception of the Renaissance

Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth, but it was invented by Italians,
especially in Florence.
Renaissance implies “what was reborn”
Greco-Roman worldview was replicated or reborn again during the renaissance
Renaissance is a period of European [Italian] renewed interest in classical
antiquity and ‘general’ cultural revival
The term renaissance was popularized by Giorgio Vassari who described the
developments in arts
Although the term renaissance primarily refers to rebirth of Greco-Roman arts it
later acquired a broad range of associations in literature, politics, economy and
philosophy
Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance
Europe before the renaissance or during the Late Middle Ages (1300-1450)
• Economic and social problems and unrests
• The Black Death (1348…1350), up to 33% of European population died
• Hundred Year War between France and England (1337…1453)
• Decline of the Church
 Babylonian Captivity (1309-1377). The papacy moved to Avignon where the popes were
French and under the control of the French kings
 Great Schism (1378-1415). Emergence of two popes one in Rome and one in Avignon
 Radical religious reformers of the church: John Wycliffe, John Hus and Martin Luther
 Anti-clericalism
Renaissance was born in Italy and spread to Europe
What are the conditions that led to the renaissance?
Italian city-states were independent from the Holy Roman Empire and the Papal
States. Thus, northern Italian city-states were living in relative peace
City-states included Florence, Milan, Venece, Rome, Ferrara, Padua, Genoa…
City-states revived Roman republican system of governance and the republican
institutions controlled and run by merchant-aristocrats. Yet many city-states
especially after 1450s were ruled by despotic rulers
Most of these states were republics like Republic of Florence and Venece. In 1434
Cosimo de’ Medici established republican form of government in Florence
City-states also enjoyed economic prosperity, trade and business were highly
developed. Very strategic geographical position of city-states; cross-roads
location. Trading control taken over since the Crusades
Township-trade-culture-civilization. Powerful aristocratic families like Visconti
and Sforza families
 ©2003 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

Renaissance Italy
Renaissance and New Periodization of History

Renaissance is not only important in Western culture but its history illuminates a
modern schemes of historical periodization
The Italian poet Petrarch used “antiqua” [ancient] for pre-Christian period, a
glorious age of achievement, and “nova” [modern] the Christian period, a period
of darkness and decline.
Three-fold periodization emerged: ancient, medieval and modern
A cyclic view of history: ancient, medieval modern.
Renaissance also instigated new interpretation of history which was not directed
anymore by God’s providence
The humanists stressed the importance of human actions and human will in history
Decline of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age. To Jacob
Boochart the renaissance is the point of departure for the modern world.
Renaissance Arts
The renaissance as a term was properly applied only to the visual arts in Italy,
sponsored by the rich, who were patrons of arts
The most recognized aspect of the renaissance was the art, which transformed
Western civilization as a whole
Characteristics
• Innovations in materials and techniques
• New themes
• New markets
Renaissance artists were influenced by Greek and Roman artists
Like Greco-Roman values represented in arts, during the renaissance worldly
matters are more valued such as youth, good looks, fine clothes, money and
success
Renaissance art was representational and humanistic and there was not anymore
place for religious symbolism and spirituality
Art was dealing with external not internal [metaphysical] aspects of reality. Artists
attempted to present viewpoint of man in the universe not that of God.
Departure from Medieval Gothic style
Medieval art was emphasizing Christianity but new art emphasized this-worldly
realm of life or space and time.
Art represent development of man from birth, growth, decline and death, all within
classical secular spirit. Nude and heroic vision of human beings
Church was also interested in the renaissance arts
Renaissance Artists

Giotto di Bondone (1276-1337).

• His paintings [frescoes] looked alive.
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446)
• Designed churches like Church of San Lorenzo
• He invented the rule of mathematical perspective in arts.
• Realistic, natural and nudist representations
Donato di Niccolo known as Donatello (1386-1466)
• Made sculpture of St. George in 1416 which represented artistic realism
Jan van Eyck
• He developed oil painting, which enabled the artist to use a wide variety of colors and
create fine details. He painted “Giovanni Arnolfini and Bride.”
Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510)
• On his picture “the Birth of Venus” he represented the beauty as it came to earth
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
• He was scientist, engineer and artist
• He contribute “Mona Lisa” “The Last Supper” and “St. John”
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564)
• Sculptures of “David” “Moses” and “the Dying Slave”. Sculptures proclaim the beauty
of human body and the glory of human beings
• He designed St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
• He also ceiled the Sistine Chapel of Vatican with frescoes on the Creation of Adam
Raphael Santi (1483-1520)
• Painted Madonas or Virgin Marry
The iconography of Giotto's Betrayal (c.1305), from his fresco cycle in the Arena Chapel in Padua,
follows a typical medieval pattern. The artist, however, has introduced a kind of psychology of
relationships in his representation of human facial and bodily movements. (Alinari/Art Resource,
NY)
Donatello's famous bronze, David (c.1430-32), was the first life-size, freestanding nude statue since
classical antiquity. This figure of the adolescent boy hero in a graceful, sinuous pose is among the
greatest achievements of Early Renaissance sculpture. (Scala/Art Resource, NY)
The Flemish master Jan van Eyck's attention to detail is obvious in this wedding
portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami (1434). It is signed Johannes de
Eyck fuit hic 1434 (Jan van Eyck was here), testimony that he witnessed the ceremony.
 The Sistine Chapel, decorated with biblical frescoes by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and other
Renaissance artists, is crowned by Michelangelo's magnificent ceiling frescoes depicting scenes
from Genesis and his enormous Last Judgment behind the altar. (Scala/Art Resource, NY)
The event portrayed in The Last Supper is taken from John's Gospel (13:21-24) when Jesus says that
one of his disciples will betray him. Saint John is at Jesus' right hand; the older man talking to John
is Saint Peter, asking John to ask Jesus who the betrayer is. Judas, the betrayer, next to Peter and
clutching the money bag, draws away from Jesus. (Scala/Art Resource, NY)
 The Renaissance emphasis on the individual is epitomized by Leonardo da Vinci's perfectly
proportioned drawing of a Vitruvian man (1485-90). A scholar, scientist, artist, and inventor,
Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the ideals of the Renaissance. (Accademia, Florence/Bridgeman Art
Library)
Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda (c.1503-1505; Louvre, Paris), or Mona Lisa, the name by which
it is best known, is probably the most famous of all paintings. The mysterious smile of this
fashionable Florentine lady has never failed to puzzle and fascinate. (Erich Lessing/Art Resource,
NY)
In this detail from The Creation, one of Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Adam
is being given life by God. The Sistine Chapel paintings in the Vatican, Rome, occupied
Michelangelo from 1508-12. (Michelangelo Buonarroti/Wood River Gallery/PNI)
Michelangelo's David (1501-04), a magnificent 18-ft (5.4-m) marble statue, exemplifies the powerful
conception of human beauty and spirituality realized by the sculptor in all his work. (Accademia,
Florence/Bridgeman Art Library)
The School of Athens represents the founders of schools of philosophy that rose in Athens in the 4th
century BC. The two chief figures in the center are the older man and his younger companion. The
older man is Plato; the younger, Aristotle, Plato's pupil. Plato has his right arm raised, implying that
one should find truth in lofty things. Aristotle has his right arm stretched down lower, as if to say
we should find truth in things closer to our experience. (Scala/Art Resource, NY)
Secularism and Individualism
Jacob Boochart wrote “The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy” and invented
some terms like individualism, humanism and rationalism. So these terms were
used more frequently after that
Society during this period began to move to secular outlook
Society was eager to enjoy the worldly pleasures and move away from medieval
preoccupation with salvation
The challenge and pleasure of living well in this world seemed more exciting than
the promise of heaven
Greco-Roman emphasis on material satisfaction was revived. Living lavishly,
spending the money and enjoying in all pleasures
Urban life released people of wealth and talent from the old constrains of the
church
During the renaissance individuals showed an increasing concern with worldly life
and self-consciously aspired to shape their own destinies; an attitude that is the key
to modernity
So individualism revived well-known stand of Protagoras who said “man is the
measure of all things.” Individual should freely realize his/her potential and should
act upon it.
Aim to explore all possibilities in this world, which became a new trend in
Western civilization. Worldly life and self-interest.
Humanism
The most important characteristic of the Renaissance was humanism; an
educational and cultural program based on the study of ancient Greek and Roman
literature. It was an intellectual movement
Humanism can mean concern for human beings. It could also mean preoccupation
with this world
Fathers of humanism were Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) and Giovanni
Boccaccio (1313-1375). Petrarch died reading Virgil
The humanist outlook differs from Medieval scholars who had taken pains to fit
classical learning into a Christian worldview
Renaissance humanists did not subordinate the classics to the requirements of
Christian doctrines; rather they valued ancient literature for its own sake
Reason not revelation; science not theology and classical literature not Christian.
People are capable of excellence and they should be shapers of their own destiny
Future of people is not determined by providence but by their free will. Man’s
duty is to realize his/her own potential. “one has to grow up”
Augustinian view that people are sinful and incapable of making excellence was
rejected
Humanists defined how to live well in this world and how to perform one’s civic
duties.
Good life and active life included self cultivation, to write well, to speak well and
to live well
 The 14th-century Italian poet, humanist, and man of letters Francesco Petrarch ranks among the
giants of Western literature. One of the most celebrated of all lyric poets and the brilliant exponent of
the Italian verse form that came to be known as the Petrarchan sonnet, he had an enormous and
lasting influence on the history and development of both European and English poetry. (The
Bettmann Archive)
New Conception of Education

Generalist approach to knowledge

Emphasis on liberal arts for they were liberating. They were key to human
freedom and self-realization.
Seven traditional liberal arts conception of education. Study of liberal arts such as
grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. Those
subjects they called humanities.
Emphasis on oratory skills from Virgil and Cicero. Education should emphasize
on rhetoric and moral philosophy and wisdom combined with eloquence.
Aim to produce complete citizen.
More extensive development of European universities especially in Italy. Among
the earliest universities included the University of Bologna and the University of
Padua
John Locke “Toleration.” You have a right to say anything against religion.
Renaissance Diplomacy and the Statecraft

1454 Peace of Lodi among five major powers (Venice, Milan, Naples, Florence,
and the Papal States)
Balance of power and attempt to neutralize one state supremacy in Europe
A revolution in political thought by Niccolo Machiavelli.
• He wrote “The Prince” as one of the most influential works on political power. Major
theme of a book is how to acquire power and how to keep it.
• Stressed on political theory, practical rule, political power and leadership
• To him politics isn’t theoretical but practical
• No to political idealism, virtues and justice
• Rejection of Platonic political theory which is based on moral idealism and moral
principles
• Man is by nature self-centered, so prince should be also self-centered. He should act
upon the situation.
 Nicolo Machiavelli, considered the first modern political thinker, is best known for the theories of
government expressed in The Prince (1513) and in Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy (1513-
21). Both works--the former treating the ways in which a ruler may achieve and maintain absolute
power and the latter exploring a republican political system--while dissimilar in emphasis, are
notable for their advocacy of expedient policies in government. (Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)
Factors that Encouraged Overseas
Voyages
Trade with the East which began during the Crusades and
aim to take control or monopoly of the trade from Muslims
and Italians who acted as middlemen
European curiosity about the East stimulated by Marco
Polo and his accounts on China
Interest in wealth by ambitious European monarchs who
sought colonial empires
Population increase in Europe, which required new lands
and consequently colonialism
Scientific progress that dealt with ocean traveling.
Improved maps and compass used
 Discovery of a New World
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)
Portuguese the first to reach the East, out of interest in gold and spices
[pepper]
Henry explored African coast beginning from Guinea, reaching Siera
Lione
Question emerged about sailing directly to India and exclusion of Arabs as
middlemen
Desire to bypass Muslim land trade routes, because they acted as
middlemen
Bartholomew Dias
He rounded Cape of Good Hope in Africa in 1487.
He proved that India can be reached and that the earth can be
circumnavigated.
Vasco da Gama
Sailed on from Africa to India in 1498. Colony at Goa in India was
founded. He got into conflict with Muslim traders in India, demanding
from them to turn the control of trade to Portuguise.
Returned 60 times the cost of the voyage, inspiring other expeditors for
the same venture
 Voyages of Columbus
Spanish decided to sail across Atlantic and financed two important
expeditions
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)
Influenced by Marco Polo’s account of his years in China. He
wrote The Travels of Marco Polo.
Used global map of Martin Behaim, which was proven wrong
He aimed to reach India
Reached San Salvador in 1492, with belief that he had reached
Japan not America
There Columbus found gold, silver, cotton and tobacco
Taino Indians – generous and easily enslaved
Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) conformed Columbus discovery
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)
Exploration of coastline of South America
He circumnavigated the world proving that the world is round not
flat.
He was killed by the natives in Philippines
Map 16.2: European Exploration and
Conquest, Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
 Impact of Discovery of the New
World
Exploration became journeys of conquest:
To secure sea routes
To secure monopoly over gold, silver, spices and other
products
To convert natives to Christianity
To exploit new colonies for the benefit of mother
country
Virtual destruction of American societies
Warfare, diseases, exploitation of labor