Renaissance

The re-birth of man kind and civilization

 What is renaissance?
• A French word that means “rebirth”
Italian: Rinascimento means ‘re-again’
Nascere means “be born”
• During 1340 to 1600
• A man’s spirit was being reborn; hence
the name Renaissance
• Changes: men wrote, paint, sculpt and
delved in architecture and other aspects
of life.
When does it occur?
 At the end of the middle ages
 Before Renaissance:
People only concern about death
of which one wants to save his soul
in the next: God was the centre of
everything.
 During Renaissance:
they thought less of death and
more to life, thus making them
eager to find out all they could.
Where did it happen?
 Florance, Italy
 England
 France
 Germany
 Netherland
 Northern Europe
 Poland
 Spain
Changes in political & religious structure.

 The Holy Roman Empire (political unity of

Europe) no longer counted for very much.
 The Papacy (religious unity) was
disgraced.
 People are less excited of the idea of
belonging to Christendom but are more
conscious of belonging to one part of it—
their own country (England & France)
 Meanwhile, in the Portuguese and
Spaniards were discovering the New
World, sailing around Africa and
penetrating to India.
 In the 16th century, in Switzerland,
Germany, and northern Europe,
there was the spirituous and
religious crisis of the Reformation.
Intellectual excitement!

 Started in Italy, people interests in the

works of the ancient Greek and Roman
writers grow.
 The poet Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)
first appear in ancient writing.
 Although known as a poet, he was much
more interested in going through old Latin
writings than composing Italian poetry.
 Fascinated by what they found out about
the ancient world.
 Spread to other scholars making them
aware of the achievements of ancient
Greek and Romans, and of how they had
lived.
 Greek scholars from Constantinople
began to settle in Italy (Constantinople
was threatened by Ottoman Turks—
before being captured in 1453)
Francesco Petrarch
 Father of Humanism
(a philosophy centred
around humankind )
 He reconciled ideas
of ancient Greece and
Rome with the
Christian faith, so to
be accepted by the
public.
Niccolo machiavelli
 an Italian philosopher,
writer, and politician
and is considered one
of the main founders
of modern political
science.
 most famous for a
short political treatise,
The Prince, a work of
realist political theory
Painters & paintings.
Influenced by the atmosphere of the
Greek and Roman myths.
Painted majorly religious pictures,
though in a different way; unlike the
earlier painters.
The earlier painters were not content
with painting the human body.
Renaissance painters tried to bring out
its beauty, along with the sculptors.
Michelangelo
 an Italian Renaissance
painter, sculptor,
architect, poet, and
engineer.
 the best-documented
artist of the 16th century.
 As an architect,
Michelangelo pioneered
the Mannerist style at the
Laurentian Library.
Raphael
 was an Italian painter and
architect of the High
Renaissance, celebrated
for the perfection and
grace of his paintings and
drawings.
 A travelling artist but
spent most of his time in
Florence.
New inventions.
 The printer—took the scholar’s writing
cheaply to those who could read.
 Mariner’s compass—enabled the voyages
of discovery to be made.
 Gunpowder—made nations stronger and
war more terrible.
 Growing use of money in Europe—use the
money to buy the work of artists and
writers, to help them.
Leonardo Da Vinci
 an Italian polymath, scientist,
mathematician, engineer,
inventor, anatomist, painter,
sculptor, architect, botanist,
musician and writer.
 As a scientist, he greatly
advanced the state of
knowledge in the fields of
anatomy, civil engineering,
optics, and hydrodynamics.
 he collaborated in his studies
with the doctor and together
they prepared a theoretical
work on anatomy for which
Leonardo made more than 200
drawings.
Examples of his work..
 Reformation

An act of thought & supremacy

What is reformation?

A religious movement started by

Martin Luther (1483-1546) which
resulted in the form of Christianity
called Protestantism.
Later, Luthersim was created.
Who is Martin Luther?
A german friar who
did not agree to the
idea that humans
could buy salvation
from god.
 Against the
catholic church.
Why?
 1517

-protesting against sale of indulgences.

- Catholic church was corrupted.
- important church offices held by priests,
thought more of making money than
of carrying out their duties
-got their work done by others
-some were immoral priest
 The Pope took much money from
Germany in taxes
 ignorance of religion
 superstition among followers
Significant Effects
 InEngland
- The rise of
Anglicanism or the
“English Reformation”
-King Henry the 8th
converted the church
of England to an
Anglican church.
His wives..