Renaissance

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 * Italian Renaissance**- opening phase of the renaissance. a time of many artistic and intellectual achievements. people began to look at life in a different way. They started to believe that life was an opportunity to enjoy rather than a painful pilgrimage to the City of God.


 * City-states-Genoa, Pisa and Milan**
 * Milan-** mercantile crossroads between east and west
 * Florence**- home of rich bankers for the church (Medici family) and monarchs of Europe
 * Venice -** large merchant marine for trade; ruled by an oligarchy of wealthy merchants; The most powerful and longest lasting of all the great Italian city-states
 * Genoa-** was a mercantile crossroad between east and west; produced technological advances in shipping to allow for year-round sailing


 * Signori**- despots/one man rulers that ruled in many Italian city-states by 1300


 * Oligarchies-** "rule by the wealthy" A form of government that gives power to a few people that are of the dominant class or social status. This method of government was embraced by Renaissance Italian city-states.


 * Commenda system- contract between merchant and merchant adventurer who agreed to take goods to other locations and return with proceeds (1/3 profit)**


 * Condotierri-** Hired foreign mercenaries, used in order to help the Italian city-states with their small armies survive.


 * Republic of Florence- A republic in name only that was ruled by the Medici banking family between 1434-1494 and was located in north-central Italy.**


 * Medici Family**- A Florentine banking family that essentially ruled Florence that funded massive sums of money for the arts and were a large reason why the Renaissance started in Italy.


 * Cosimo de’ Medici-** Allied with other powerful families of Florence and became unofficial ruler of the republic and most powerful of the Medici rulers


 * Lorenzo de’ Medici (the Magnificent)**- (1449- 1492): significant patron of the arts (son of Cosimo)


 * Duchy of Milan**- a state in northern italy, was a part of the holy roman empire. Ruled by the Sforza family.


 * Sforza Family**- italian family that ruled the dynasty in milan


 * Republic of Venice**- An Italian city-state, enormous trade center governed by an oligarchy of merchant aristocrats in Eastern Italy across the Adriatic Sea


 * Papal States**- Italian city-states that were ruled by the pope from Rome in Central Italy.


 * Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies** - An Italian city-state that was controlled by a king in all of Southern Italy, and at times Sicily


 * Girolamo Savonarola**- Dominican friar that in 1494 ousted the Medici family from Florence and started a democratic government that was severely puritanical and controlled by him. He is known for the Bonfire of the Vanities in which frivolous materials were burned. He was opposed by Alexander VI and was tried and burned in 1498.


 * Machiavelli, The Prince**- showed thoughts on the ideal prince; should be merciful but not cruel, loved and feared (but since being loved in most cases cannot coexist with being feared then it is better to be feared than loved), keeps good faith and lives with integrity, knows how to fight like a lion yet is tactful like a fox and seems, merciful, faithful, humane, sincere and religious.


 * Cesare Borgia**- Son of Rodrigo Borgia who would later go on to become Pope Alexander VI. He was captain of the papal armies during Alexander VI's reign and ruthlessly took over the lands that had broken away from the Papal States during the Babylonian Captivity. He was the hero of Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince. Although when his father died the duchy that he had carved out for himself crumbled before him. He was killed by Navaresse (Spanish) rebels in 1507.


 * Individualism** - stressed personality uniqueness, genius and full development of one's capabilities and talents.


 * Secularism** - concern with the material world, as opposed to eternal world or the spirit; while people did have spiritual interests during the Renaissance, they were not as concerned with the afterlife as their medieval counterparts. Life became more than just a painful journey to the afterlife.


 * Sack of Rome, 1527**- 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of charles V holy roman emperor, then part of the papal states. It marked a crucial imperial victory in the conflict between Charles and the league of cognac (1526–1529). Sack of Rome also proved key in the conversion of King Henry the VIII of England to Protestantism


 * Charles V** - King of the Holy Roman Empire. Allowed the Protestant Reformation to begin to occur by legalizing Lutherism, and being concerned with the Empire as a whole and not focusing on Germany


 * Petrarch**-"Father of humanism" scholar and poet. became a model for lyrical poetry.


 * Lorenzo Valla**- (1407 – August 1, 1457) was an italian humanist. He developed a technique of critical textual analysis through the use of language. Also he discovered the //On the False Donation of Constantine// was a forgery and was not written at the time it stated.


 * Castiglione, Book of the Courtier**- showed thoughts on the ideal gentlemen; they were literate, knew latin, greek and their own vernacular, can read and write poetry, is a musician.


 * Johann Gutenberg, printing press**- was invented in 1455, made it very easy to produce written objects, used by the government for propaganda and increased literacy in the populace.


 * Pope Alexander VI** - Real name was Rodrigo Borgia and was pope from 1492-1503. He was the epitome of a corrupt pope and sold off cardinal positions to support his son's military campaigns and his lavish lifestyle. He sired 12 children with his most famous being Cesare Borgia.


 * Brunelleschi, Il Duomo**-The Domes made on a famous cathedral in Florence. Brunelleschi was chosen as the dome maker after extensive competition.


 * Ghiberti-** famous for his bronze doors on a cathedral in Florence.


 * Donatello, David** - created his own version of David in bronze, the first bronze sculpture since antiquity.


 * Botticelli, Birth of Venus** - a true humanistic paining; it included elements such as a pagan goddess, nudity, shading, and some three dimensional images.


 * “High Renaissance"** - centered in 16th century Rome, contained classical balance, harmony and restraint.


 * Leonardo da Vinci** -the "Renaissance Man;" he was skilled in many things (architecture, inventing, paining, sculpting, engineering...etc.).


 * Raphael, School of Athens** - described as humanism at its best: set in Athens, subject matter is the gathering of famous philosophers and thinkers of the Greek and Roman times, Raphael painted himself into the picture, depth, shading, individual faces.


 * Michelangelo** - Mainly worked for the pope. painted the cieling of the sistine chaple. Sculpted David and Pieta. Also designed the dome of St. Peters Basilica and the Last Judgement.


 * David**- sculpture by Michelangelo out of marble. Depicts the Israeli King David in the style of antiquity: nude, weight on one leg, to be seen from all angles.


 * ceiling of the Sistine Chaple-** it was painted by Michelangelo on his back. There are 9 scenes from the book of Genesis on the ceiling. Its about 40 ft long and 13 ft wide. It took about 4 years to paint.
 * Pieta-** sculpture by Michelangelo of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after His crucifixion**.** Incredibly life-like, well-balanced.


 * Mannerism** - the style of art that rebelled against perfection of the High Renaissance artwork; the colors were unnatural, and the shapes were elongated and exaggerated shapes (El Greco). Michelango's painting of the Sistine Chapel is in this style


 * El Greco** - the most famous of the mannerism painters; a Greek man who painted in Rome.


 * Northern Renaissance**- Any countries located north of Italy in Europe during the Renaissance that had a more Christian perspective to it.


 * Christian Humanism** - attempted to join humanistic principals (calm, stoic, broadminded) with Christian values (love, hope, faith). It began in the north, and lead to less secularism.


 * Erasmus, In Praise of Folly** - applied humanism to the Bible. Believed in themes, that education was key to reform, and Christianity was the inner spirit.