1. The Renaissance
1300-1600

2. Bell Ringer
• Think back to the end of the Middle Ages:
–The Bubonic Plague (killing 1/3 of Europe’s
population)
–The 100 Years War
–The Great Schism
• Journal Entry: Describe how you would feel about
life in general. Would all this suffering overtake you?
Would you do something about it?

3. • Those who survived wanted to celebrate life and
the human spirit.
• They began to question the church.
• How can they express this new spirit?

4. The Renaissance (1300-1600)
• Started in Italy - an explosion of creativity in art,
writing, and thought
• “Rebirth” = a revival of art and learning from what
culture?
– Greece and Rome (aka Classical)
• Led to new values, styles, and art.

5. Why Italy?
• During what time period of the Middle Ages did
trade rapidly increase?
–Crusades
• Large city-states grew in Italy because of trade
• Why are cities an ideal breeding ground for an
intellectual revolution?

7. The Rise of Merchants and Florence
• > 60% of the population had died,
so more citizens could become
involved in political life
• Fewer laborers – so merchants began
to pursue other interests
• Florence, a city-state, came under
rule of the powerful banking Medici
Family
– Expanded learning, art, and architecture
in Florence

9. Humanism
• Thinkers studied classical texts (Greece and Rome)
and focused on human potential and achievements
• Movement to secular society
• Increased understanding of the world
• Have you heard of the “Humanities” subjects?
–Philosophy, history, and literature
–http://www.wfu.edu/humanities/

10. Are these the “ideal men” of our
society?

11. The ideal “Renaissance Man”
• Volunteer?
• Create art
• Educated
• Charming
• Dance
• Sing
• Play music
• Write poetry
• Skilled rider
• Wrestler
• Swordsman

12. Leonardo da Vinci
(1452-1519)
• Painter, Inventor, Sculptor,
Scientist
– A true “Renaissance man”
• 3,500 pages of drawings
and writings survive
• Only 17 of his paintings
survive
• Perhaps the most talented
artist ever?

13. Mona Lisa
• A wealthy merchant
of Florence
• So real looking
– What’s behind that
smile?

14. The Last Supper

15. Vitruvian Man

16. spiral screw achieving flight

18. Michelangelo Buonarroti
(1475-1564)
• Another Renaissance Man
• Painter, Sculptor,
Architect, Poet
• Portrayed the human
body in painting and
sculpture
– Forceful and heroic
figures

19. Statue of David

20. Sistine Chapel

21. Sistine Chapel

22. The dome of St. Peter’s

23. Summarization Activity
• Write down three truths and a lie about what
you learned today.
• Then we will go around the class and see if we
can figure out the lie.

24. Homework
• You need to find out the contributions of the following
people. Why were they important during the
Renaissance? Describeeeeee!
– Machiavelli (pg. 476-477)
– Petrarch (pg. 475-476)
– Dante (pg. 392)
– Erasmus (pg. 482)
– Guttenberg (pg. 484)

25. Humanist Literary Contributions
(Cornell Notes)
• What is humanism? (p. 472)
• What is Christian
humanism? (p. 482)
• Who was Petrarch? (p. 475)
• Who was Erasmus? (p.
482)
• Who was Dante? (p. 382/
475)
• Who was Machiavelli? (p.
476)
• Who was Gutenberg? (p.
484)
Summary

26. Humanist Literary Contributions
Activities (due Monday)
• Part 1 (do all):
1. Explain the contributions of each writer.
2. Explain the importance of the printing press.
3. What were some of Machiavelli’s main points?
• Part 2 (pick one [do more for E.C.]):
1. Write a letter to Machiavelli discussing which of his points you agree with or do not
agree with and explain your reasons.
2. Create an advertisement for the printing press.
3. Write a eulogy for either Petrarch or Erasmus.
4. Pretend you have been asked to write the forward/introduction for Dante’s book, The
Divine Comedy. What would you write/say?
5. Make an I AM Poem about one Machiavelli, Dante, Erasmus or Petrarch.