Chapter 6: The Renaissance and Reformation
The Crusades spurred a revival of trade in Western Europe. Towns and cities began to
grow again. Nations formed strong governments and began to challenge church laws
that limited trade and industry. In this chapter, you will learn about changes in art,
literature, and thought that marked a new era in European life, called the Renaissance.
You will also learn about new ideas in religion that challenged the authority of the
Catholic Church.
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Section 1: The Italian Renaissance
In this section you will find out how the Renaissance began and what characterized the
thought of this era. You will learn how Renaissance writers brought classical teachings
and Christian doctrine together. You will also discover how Renaissance art differed
from art of the Middle Ages.
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Section 1 Summary
Following the Middle Ages, an important movement changed Europe’s view of the
world. The Renaissance, meaning “rebirth,” was a movement in the 1300s centered on
the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome. The Renaissance
was also the era when that movement flourished, a time of great advances in art and
science.
The Renaissance began in Italy, where ruins of the Roman Empire still reflected
its glory (Map pg. 162) The Crusades and trade brought Italy into contact with the
Byzantines, who had preserved Greek and Roman learning. Italians also learned of
Arab and African achievements in science and mathematics. Wealthy Italian banking
and trading families such as the Medici ( MED·ee·chee) became great patrons of the arts.
Isabella d’Este, for example, was a powerful, well-educated woman who supported
scholars and writers. Architects, sculptors, and painters designed and decorated her
palace. (History maker pg. 163)
Italian scholars called humanists studied the humanities, which include
grammar, history, poetry, and rhetoric. Renaissance humanists displayed a critical
approach to learning, seeking to verify knowledge through investigation. A classical
education was important to understand how things worked. They believed that people
should lead meaningful lives. They believed in the importance of individual
achievement in this life, not
just the afterlife. Many Renaissance people displayed talents in multiple areas, such as
poetry and science.
Francesco Petrarch was an early humanist scholar and teacher who wrote
some of the world’s greatest love poems. Because ancient Greek and Roman writers
emphasized virtue, Petrarch believed study of the classics was essential in education.
Petrarch thought it important to lead a full and active life on earth, but he worried that
his desire for fame might hurt his chances for salvation.
Niccolò Machiavelli (mahk·yah·vel·lee), a Florentine diplomat and historian,
wrote a famous essay called The Prince. It described how rulers could gain power and
achieve political success. Today, ruthless behavior to gain power is called
“Machiavellian.” Machiavelli looked to the ancient Romans as models, but his lack of
concern for morality is not typical of other humanists.
Renaissance artists produced great masterpieces. Renaissance art was more
realistic than medieval paintings, which used formal figures to depict religious themes.
Italian Renaissance artists also portrayed background scenes from their countryside
instead of imagined scenes of the Holy Land. Renaissance painters used perspective to
create the illusion of depth on a flat canvas. This art technique makes distant objects
smaller than those in the foreground.
Four great painters made outstanding contributions to art during the High
Renaissance in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Leonardo da Vinci was a great
architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and scientist. His most famous painting is the
Mona Lisa. Another Renaissance master, Michelangelo, painted frescoes on the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel in Rome (Image pg. 165)His human sculptures are also highly
admired. Another painter, Raphael (RAF·ee·el) painted frescoes in the Vatican, the
pope’s residence in Rome. Titian, whose patron was the Holy Roman emperor, was the
first painter who became wealthy from his work.
Summary:
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Chapter 6, section 1: Self-Check.
Develop the following in your Notebook under the title
“Italian Renaissance”
I. Define the following key terms:
a) Renaissance: Was a movement in the 1300s centered on the
revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome,
a time of great advances of art and science.
b) Isabella d’Este: A powerful, well-educated woman who supported scholars
and writers.
c) Humanists: Italian scholars that studied the humanities which
include grammar, history, poetry, and rhetoric.
d) Francesco Petrarch: An early humanist scholar and teacher who
wrote some of the world’s greatest love poems.
e) Niccolò Machiavelli: A Florentine diplomat and historian who
wrote a famous essay called The Prince.
f) Perspective: Art technique that makes distant objects smaller
than those in the foreground.
g) Leonardo da Vinci: Was a great architect, engineer, painter,
sculptor, and scientist. His most famous painting is the Mona
Lisa.
h) Michelangelo: Painted frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel in Rom
II. Answer the following questions:
1. What were the main features of Renaissance humanist thought?
It focused on human potential and achievements. Humanists
thought a classical education was important to understand how
things worked. They believed in the importance of individual
achievement in this life, not just the afterlife (that people should
lead meaningful lives).
2. In what way does Machiavelli’s work differ from that of other
humanists?
It didn’t work with the use of moral, values and ethics he only
based his work (The prince) on how rulers could gain power and
achieve political success.
3. How did Renaissance and medieval art differ from each other?
Renaissance art was more realistic than medieval paintings, which used formal
figures to depict religious themes. Renaissance artists also portrayed background
scenes from their countryside instead of the Medieval artists, who imagined scenes
of the Holy Land.
