TOPIC : What Was the Renaissance?

Florence: Heart of the Early Renaissance

The Italian city of Florence became the artistic center of the Renaissance. One of the most
powerful banking families in this city was the Medici (med EE chee). The Medici spent large.
sums of money on art and building projects. Other Florentine merchants and groups also
supported the arts. Florence became a showcase of Renaissance art and architecture.

New Viewpoints
In the Middle Ages, people focused on God and faith. During the Renaissance people began to
study human beings and the world. This thinking led to new ideas: humanism, secularism, and
individualism. Humanism was a movement based on the study of classical works of ancient
Greece and Rome. Secularism was a movement that focused on matters of life other than
religion. Individualism stressed the importance, worth, and ability of the individual.

Renaissance Ideas Spread

During the Renaissance, scholars throughout Europe were drawn to Italy. They took the ideas of
the Renaissance back to their home countries. As the ideas spread, northern Europe became an
important center of humanist scholarship. Northern scholars sought to use the new learning to
bring about reforms in the Catholic Church and in society.