RENAISSANCE

ARCHITECTURE
HISTORY OF CULTURE
 RENAISSANCE
• The Renaissance was a cultural movement that
initially began in Florence, Italy, but later spread throughout
Europe.
• It's a movement that began in Florence in the late 13th
century. Historians have pinpointed Florence as the source
of the beginning of the ideas that led to the Renaissance.
• Renaissance means "rebirth" and people had a new found
passion for learning and art. Europe had previously
witnessed catastrophic events such as the Black Death and
war between England and France. There was a lot of death
and despair and people were ready for a revival.
 HOW DID THE RENAISSANCE
BEGIN?
• At the beginning of the 1300s, Europe was still very much a
society of the Middle Ages. But change was slowly beginning
to occur. Contact with other cultures was increasing and the
exchange of ideas was spurring change. By the end of the
1300s, in Italy especially, change was happening more rapidly
and society was moving into a new period, later called the
Renaissance.
• western Europe between 1350 and 1600 is referred to as the
Renaissance.
• The period of time before the Renaissance and after the
downfall of the western Roman Empire is referred to as the
Middle Ages or the Medieval Period, since it is in the middle or
in between two major historical times in Europe, stretching
from the 4th century to the 14th century.
 HOW DID THE RENAISSANCE
BEGIN?
• During the Middle Ages, most Christian Europeans shared a
religious worldview that God was the centre of human
existence.
• The beliefs of the poor presented a worldview in which they
accepted a harsh, short life on Earth, believing they would
be rewarded after death by going to heaven.
• Wealthier people also lived life with religion as the central
point of their beliefs. They looked to the afterlife and
donated money and property to the Roman Catholic
Church, hoping that God would reward them with heaven.
 THE CRUSADES
• Crusades are also known as “THE • History shows that the Christian
HOLLY WARS”. control of the Holy Land was short-
lived. Entire armies traveling
• During the late Middle Ages, armies
through the Eastern Roman
from Europe organized crusades to
Empire, or Byzantine Empire, and
try to recapture areas of the Middle
meeting up with the Islamic world,
East that were under Muslim control.
were exposed to a way of life very
Jews, Christians, and Muslims all
different from their own.
considered these areas holy because
that is where their religions had their
roots.

• Each group at the time wanted control

of the area. Christians believed that
control of the Holy Land should be in
Christian hands.
• This map indicates the main travel routes Europeans used during
the Crusades. Control of the disputed areas went back and forth
between Christians and Muslims
 RISE OF TRADE
• When the discovery of the compass was made explorers were
able to travel at farther distances for exploration and trade.
• Along with these explorers and merchants came their goods to
trade and beliefs to share.

• Some men were drawn to the seas out of a curiosity to discover

more about the world. One such man was Prince Henry of
Portugal, known as Prince Henry the Navigator.
• With the help of mathematicians, astronomers, cartographers, and
other navigators, Prince Henry sent expeditions to explore the
west coast of Africa.
• These explorations led to trade for gold and ivory and, soon after,
slaves. Later, Portuguese sailors discovered the route around the
southern tip of Africa that would take them to India entirely by sea.
 THE NEW EXPLORERS

• The Portuguese and the Spanish sailors took the lead in

discovering an alternative sea route to the East.
• Bartholomew Diaz: In 1488, he reached the southernmost
tip of Africa and named it Cape of Good Horn.
• Vasco Da Gama: He followed the same route and reached
India in 1498.
• Christopher Columbus: He also set out to discover a sea
route to Asia but discovered America instead.
• Amerigo Vespucci: He also reached America.
 Christopher
Vasco da Gama Columbus and his
and his sea route sea route

Ferdinand
Bartolomew Dias Magellan and
and his sea route his sea route
 NAVIGATION AND EXPLORATION

• Advances in technology helped to make exploration of the

world possible.
• The introduction of latitude lines on maps made it easier for
navigators to find their way.
• Discovery of new ocean currents.
• New instruments allowed sailors to locate their positions.
• New ships could carry enough food and water for longer
voyages.
• Larger ships with new sails and better steering devices made
longer voyages possible.
EXPLORATION INSTRUMENTS
Johannes Gutenburg is credited with inventing the first printing
press in Germany around 1400. By 1476 William Caxton had his
own printing press up and running in Westminster, England.
• Trade became very important during the Renaissance
because Italy had few natural resources.
• During this time period there was a great demand for
products that were not produced in Italy or were produced in
insufficient quantities. The most important commodity at this
time was grain, and there were always grain shortages.
• The shortages often resulted in famine. Grain was widely
grown, but it was in short supply because of repeated crop
failure and the demand created by the heavily populated
cities.
• These cities often needed more grain than could be
produced by local farmers. Before long, the constant
shortages forced Italy to develop long distance trade.
Unfortunately, it took up to a year to transport grain from
eastern to western Europe.
• From the Americas, Europe
imported Native American
slaves, potatoes, sugar,
tomatoes, corn, tobacco,
and chocolate. Europe also
imported huge amounts of
gold and silver from the
Americas. These enormous
amounts of gold and silver
were squandered by Spain
on numerous futile wars.
This constant pumping of
precious metals fueled
inflation across Europe. As
a result prices soared in
Renaissance France and
Italy.
 THE DE MEDICI FAMILY
• The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, first
attained wealth and political power in Florence in the 13th
century through its success in commerce and banking.
Beginning in 1434 with the rise to power of Cosimo de’ Medici,
the family’s support of the arts and humanities made Florence
into the cradle of the Renaissance, a cultural flowering rivaled
only by that of ancient Greece. The Medicis produced four
popes (Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV and Leon XI), and their
genes have been mixed into many of Europe’s royal families.
The last Medici ruler died without a male heir in 1737, ending
the family dynasty after almost three centuries.
 SPREAD OF KNOWLEDGE AND
LITERATURE
• Renaissance literature refers to
European literature which was
influenced by the intellectual and
cultural tendencies associated with
the Renaissance.
• Renaissance was written by within the
general movement of the Renaissance
which arose in 14th-century Italy and
continued until the 16th century while
being diffused into the western world.
It is characterized by the adoption of a
humanist philosophy and the recovery
of the classical Antiquity.
• It benefited from the spread of printing in the latter part of
the 15th century. For the writers of the Renaissance,
Greco-Roman inspiration was shown both in the themes of
their writing and in the literary forms they used. The world
was considered from an anthropocentric perspective.
• Platonic ideas were revived and put to the service of
Christianity. New literary genres such as the essay and new
metrical forms such as the Spenserian stanza made their
appearance.
 RISE OF OLIGARCHIES

• The smallest and most unusual political unit was the city-state
consisting of a major town or city and its surrounding territory of
farms and villages. Oligarchies, usually drawn from the merchant
elite of the town, ruled republics. Flanked by the professional
classes, the merchant community first dominated the commerce
of the city. Then in the Middle Ages they threw off the authority
of prince, king, or emperor. In their place the merchants created
a system of government through interlocking and balanced
councils. Large deliberative assemblies, comprising of one
hundred, two hundred, or more adult males, elected or chosen
by lot, debated and created laws. Executive committees, often
six, eight, or a dozen men elected for two to six months, put the
laws into action.
• Short terms of office and rules against self-succession made it possible for
several hundred or more adult males to participate in government in a few
years. The system of balanced and diffused power ensured that no
individual or family could control the city. It was a government of balanced
power and mutual suspicion.
 LOSS OF INFLUENTIAL PAPACY
• The Renaissance was in many ways a golden age for the Popes,
they returned to Rome after almost a hundred years and
became once more independent of the French monarchs. They
Papacy recovered most of their lands in Central Italy and would
remain a power in Italy until 1871. The Papacy was also tolerant
and this was essential in the great cultural flowering in Italy at
his time. However, this all came at a great cost. The Popes
became wealthy, powerful but corrupt and secular and
neglected their spiritual role. They often advanced the interests
of their families and personal ambitions no matter what the
costs. The prestige of the Church declined and this lead to
increasing disillusionment with the Church and ultimately it was
to lead to the rise of Protestantism and the division of
Christendom into two hostile religious groups, Catholics, and
Protestants.
• The Pope was the head of the
Catholic Church and the spiritual
leader of millions of Christians in
Europe. However, the great wealth
and power of the Papacy corrupted
the various holders of the office and
this was to have a marked effect on
Renaissance Italy. Many Popes were
more interested in advancing the
interests of their families and they
often lavished money and lands on
their family members. The Popes
often showed great favors towards
their nephews. Many nephews of
Popes became very powerful in Rome
in the Church and politics. For
example, Pope Calixtus advanced his
nephew to high office in the Curia
and he eventually became Pope
Alexander VI.
THANK YOU