Lecture 18: The Renaissance in

Europe
Faculty: Abul Hossain Ahmed Bhuiyan, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Background
 From darkness to light: The Renaissance Begins
 Fall of ancient Rome (476 A.D.) to 14th century (Middle Ages:
“Dark Age”)
 - Pandemics (Black Death)
 - Francesco Petrarch (1304 – 1374)
 - Medici Family
 Famous Persons:
 - Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519)
 - Galileo (1564 – 1642)
 - Copernicus (1473 – 1543)
 - Machiavelli (1469 – 1527)
 - Filippo Brunelleschi (1377? – 1446)
 Age of Enlightenment (Early 17th Century)
Fundamental questions
 The nature of religious faith
 The authority of the Church
 The aims of scholarships
 The sources of moral ideals
 The standards of beauty in the arts
 One minor branch of medieval
educational curriculum, that is rhetoric,
emphasized the art of good speaking and
writing. It was rhetoricians who first
began to argue that ‘education should be
reformed to give more attention to the
classics and to help people lead more
moral lives’.
 Rhetoricians introduced an intellectual movement known as
HUMANISM. Humanism came to mean classical scholarship – the
ability to read, understand, and appreciate the writings of the ancient
world. Humanism sought to undermine traditional religious attitudes.

 The modern use of the word Humanism to denote a secular

philosophy that denies an afterlife has no basis in the Renaissance.

 The most influential early advocate of humanism was Francesco

Petrarch, known as Petrarch (1304 – 1374). He was a lawyer and cleric
who practiced neither of those professions but rather devoted his life
to writing poetry, scholarly and moral treatises, and letters.

 By the mid-1400s humanism dominated intellectual life in much of

Italy, and by 1500 it was sweeping all of Europe, transmitted by its
devotees and also by a recent invention, printing, which made the
texts of both humanists and ancients far more easily available.
 Period
 The Renaissance was the period in Europe between
the 14th and 17th centuries when there was a surge of
interest in and production of art and literature.
"Renaissance art" describes the style of art that came
out of this period. ... The Renaissance began in Italy,
largely as a growth of interest in classical art and ideas.
The bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern
history
 Renaissance is a French word meaning "rebirth". The
period is called by this name because at that time,
people started taking an interest in the learning of
ancient times, in particular the learning of Ancient
Greece and Rome. The Renaissance was seen as a
"rebirth" of that learning.
School of Athens

Painted by Raphael between 1510-

1511
Ceiling of Sistine Chapel of Vatican

Painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and

1512, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance
art.
Mona Lisa

Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503

Vitruvian Man

The Vitruvian Man, or simply

L'Uomo Vitruviano, is a drawing
made by the Italian polymath
Leonardo da Vinci around 1490.
It is accompanied by notes based
on the work of the Roman
architect Vitruvius.
Issues
The humanistic revival of classical art,
architecture, literature, and learning that
originated in Italy in the 14th century and
later spread throughout Europe, marking
the transition from medieval to
modern times.
 It started as a cultural movement in Italy
in the Late Medieval period and later
spread to the rest of Europe.
 Age of Exploration
 The Renaissance was extremely important as
it laid the foundation for the age of
exploration and eventual European global
domination. The rebirth of European interest
in art, exploration, and technology came at the
best possible time in history. While Europe
was being revitalized a lot of the world was
stagnating.
 Significant Changes
 The most significant changes that emerged as
a result of the Renaissance can be seen in
European architecture, art, literature,
mathematics, music, philosophy, politics,
religion and science.
 The Renaissance, a vibrant period of European
cultural, artistic, political and scientific
“rebirth” after the Middle Ages, was led by
people including Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Machiavelli and the Medici family.
Characteristics
 Characteristics of the Renaissance include
a renewed interest in classical antiquity; a
rise in humanist philosophy (a belief in
self, human worth, and individual dignity);
and radical changes in ideas about religion,
politics, and science.
Cultural Movement
 The Renaissance was a cultural movement
that initially began in Florence, Italy, but
later spread throughout Europe. It started
around 1350 and ended around 1600.
During the Renaissance (a word that
means "rebirth"), people experienced
changes in art, learning, and many other
things.
 Before 1450, Italian
Renaissance humanism had little influence
outside Italy. From the late 15th century
(1400s) the ideas spread around Europe.
Writers and humanists of the
Northern Renaissance were greatly
influenced by the Italian
Renaissance model and were part of the
same intellectual movement.
 Patrons, scholars, artists, and engineers of
the Renaissance looked back to their
ancient ancestors in order to help them
craft their world in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.
The Renaissance teaches us the power of
looking to the past for insights and
inspiration in dealing with today's issues
 The Renaissance is perhaps one of the
greatest turning points in all history, and
even more so in Europe. It was a rebirth
of classical culture and ideas, a relaxed life
where people could think and create
marvelous art. The Renaissance was also
key, as it was when humanism started.
Secularism
 One key reason for the Renaissance was
the emergence of secular curiosity. During
the long feudal period in Western Europe,
education was done through the church.
The Black Death, and a combination of
other factors, led to the decline of
feudalism.
 Renaissance people had certain
common values. Among
them were humanism, individualism,
skepticism, well-roundedness, secularism,
and classicism. These values
were reflected in buildings, writing,
painting, sculpture, and science. Every
aspect of their lives!
 During the late Middle Ages and
early Renaissance (1350-1450) the
bubonic plague, also called the "Black
Death, ( 1347, lasted for 4
Years)devastated one half of the
population of Europe. The plague, which
was almost always fatal, spread most
rapidly in cities, where people were in
close contact with each other.
Demise of the Renaissance
 Scholars believe the demise of
the Renaissance was the result of several
compounding factors. By the end of the
15th century, numerous wars had plagued
the Italian peninsula. Spanish, French and
German invaders battling for Italian
territories caused disruption and
instability in the region.
The Medici: Godfathers of
Renaissance
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOA
VRcI6mFU
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-
YyCyrtSrQ
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDF2
KnVuEdE
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxw
34JdSCa0
Discussion