Ch. 17 Sec. 1 & 2

Question 1

why Renaissance?

Answer 1

those who survived war & plague began to question institutions of the Middle Ages, which had been unable to prevent war or to relieve suffering brought by the plague. Some ppl questioned the Church, which taught Christians to endure suffering while they awaited their rewards in heaven

Question 2

Renaissance

Answer 2

~1300-1600
“rebirth” - revival of art & learning
educated men & women of Italy hoped to bring back to life the culture of classical Greece & Rome
innovative styles of art & literature
spread from northern Italy to the rest of Europe

Question 3

advantages of Italy

Answer 3

thriving cities, wealthy merchant class, & the classical heritage of Greece & Rome

Question 4

thriving cities

Answer 4

overseas trade spurred by Crusades → growth of large city-states in northern Italy
also many sizable towns ↓↓↓
thus, northern Italy = urban while rest of Europe still mostly rural; ideal breeding ground for an intellectual revolution

Question 5

bubonic plague

Answer 5

1300s, struck the cities hard, killing up to 60% of the pop. → economic changes
because fewer laborers, survivors could demand higher wages
w/ few opp’s to expand business, merchants began to pursue other interests like art

Question 6

wealthy merchant class

Answer 6

a wealthy merchant class developed in each Italian city-state & because city-states likes Milan & Florence = relatively small, a high % of citizens = intensely involved in politics
unlike nobles, merchants didn't inherit social rank; used their wits → many successful merchants believed they deserved power & wealth because of their individ merit → led to important belief in individ achievment

Question 7

Medici (txtbook)

Answer 7

since late 1200s, Florence had republican form of gov’t
during Ren, came under rule of 1 powerful banking family - the Medici
branch offices thruout Italy & in the major cities of Europe
Cosimo de Medici = richest European of his time
1434, won control of Florence’s gov’t
didn’t seek political office for himself, but influenced members of the ruling council by giving them loans → dictator of Florence for 30 yrs
1464 died, but family continued to control Florence;
1469 grandson, Lorenzo de Medici came to power; Lorenzo the Magnificent; ruled as dictator but kept up the appearance of having an elected gov’t

Question 8

classical heritage of Greek & Rome

Answer 8

Ren scholars looked down on the art & lit of the Middle Ages; wanted to return to the learning of the Greeks & Romans
artists & scholars of Italy drew inspo from the ruins of Rome that surrounded them
Western scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts that had been preserved in monasteries
Christian scholars in Constantinople fled to Rome w/ Greek manuscripts when the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453

Question 9

humanism

Answer 9

the study of classical texts led to humanism, an intellectual movement that focused on human potential & achievements
instead of trying to make classical txts agree w/ Christian teaching as medieval scholars had