Italian Renaissance

What do eyeglasses, gelato, and telescopes have in common? Besides being helpful (and yummy) items we still see today, they were all invented during an important time in European history: the Italian Renaissance. In this article, we will explore when, how, and why the Renaissance shaped the world we live in today.

Italian Renaissance Timeline

The Italian Renaissance is considered to have lasted from the mid-1300s to the mid-1500s. This era had many transformations and important advances. Here are some key events of the era:

Italian Renaissance Summary

After the fall of Rome in 476 AD, the Western world was plunged into figurative darkness. This era between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance is called the Middle Ages (you may have previously heard this time be called the Dark Ages). Over and over, the world fell in and out of plague, famine, and war, and the Western world made little advancements in the way of arts, culture, mathematics, and philosophy. The Middle Ages came to an end in the mid-1500s.

The seeds of the Italian Renaissance began to sprout in the city-states of Italy. Each city-state had its own personality, and often they found themselves competing with other city-states. Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, but Venice and the Papal States were also very influential during this time. Other city-states were Milan and Naples.

Fig. 1: Map of Italian city-states during the Renaissance.

There were many artistic, scientific, and cultural achievements during the Italian Renaissance, which has become to be understood as a rebirth or revitalization of intellectual thought and culture. Renaissance artists and thinkers re-introduced many aspects of Ancient Greece and Rome into society, such as appreciation of art, philosophy, and culture. This re-emergence is referred to as humanism.

Petrarch was one of the first humanists to analyze Ancient Greek and Roman texts and believed that those civilizations should be the main source of knowledge. He was adamant that the Renaissance was a departure from the previous era, which he labeled the "Dark Ages."

Fig. 2: The Gutenberg Bible.

In 1545, Johannes Gutenberg perfected his printing press, which gave the ability to printed texts to circulate at an unprecedented speed. The first book printed by the printing press was the Gutenberg Bible, and while most of the books stayed on this trend with religious printing, the thousands of printing presses that were established across Europe also printed Latin and Greek classics. Books were also printed in vernacular languages (rather than in Latin, which few understood), meaning that the regular person would have been able to understand and interpret the meaning of a text for themselves. The printing press allowed the ideas that had flourished in the Italian city-states to spread to other parts of Europe.

Important Characteristics of the Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance transformed almost every aspect of life. Humanism led to an increased interest in various studies, and this secular view of society and emphasis on creation led to many achievements. The most visible characteristic changes were seen in philosophy, economics, and arts and culture. These seem like separate fields, but they often influenced each other and drew from the same humanist inspiration.

Philosophy and Education

During the Renaissance, Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers were rediscovered. Scholars brushed the dust from ancient texts and began to translate and interpret their meaning for themselves, rather than rely on a published interpretation.

There was also a shift from religious to secular values during the Italian Renaissance. In contrast to those living during the Middle Ages, who tended to view their life on Earth as something to get over with before their afterlife in heaven, many began to embrace the idea that this life should be enjoyed to its fullest rather than treating it as less important than the afterlife. The acceptance of this idea, which is referred to as secularism, led to a rise in artistic pursuits and a broader appreciation for life.

People during the Renaissance also considered education to be critical. Education was considered to be humanist since it would also a person to become a more well-rounded individual. Women were also encouraged to seek education, within limitations.

Economics and Banking

The economy of the Renaissance saw an increase in trade overall. The Middle Age practice of feudalism, in which peasants worked the land of nobility, was largely abandoned and society saw a rise in the merchant class.

This movement toward trade being the center of the economy is descriptive of almost the entirety of Europe, but in terms of the Italian Renaissance, there is one family you need to know about: the Medici Family.

The Medici family, based in the city-state of Florence, founded their own bank (called The Medici Bank) and created a new system of banking. Medici bank branches were in operation all over Europe, expanding their trade network to major cities like London and Geneva. Their control of the banking system allowed them to become the underground rulers of Florence and allowed them to influence the world of politics.

The House of Medici family was not only influential in the world of banking but also expanded their influence to the art and religious spheres. The Medici Bank became the bank of the papacy, allowing them to be close to the Pope and religious decisions. They are also considered one of the founders of the tradition of patronage.

Art and Science

Painters, sculptors, and architects flourished during the Renaissance. Just like philosophers, artists were also inspired by the Ancient Greeks and Romans and influenced by the same ideas. During the Renaissance, artists began to claim their artworks as their own. This was a departure from the Medieval standard, which left artists anonymous as the focus was intended to be on God and religion. This was attached to the idea of individualism.

Although science and math may be seen as very different areas of study today, the art of the Renaissance was actually heavily intertwined with many contemporary mathematic and scientific discoveries. Both artists and scientists partook in dissections, trying to further their knowledge of human anatomy, which added to their scientific knowledge about the inner workings of the human body and allowed the artists to depict the human body more accurately in their work.

One of the most famous artists, Leonardo da Vinci, was an artist of the Italian Renaissance. He is commonly referred to as the original "Renaissance Man." His work favored a more realistic style, which is also indicative of the shift to the High Renaissance. The style of the High Renaissance incorporates and mastered the techniques that were created during the beginning of the Renaissance.

Artists were also able to focus on their art thanks to patrons who supported their work. It was not only wealthy individuals who paid artists, but also churches, businesses, and even the Pope. In fact, the High Renaissance was largely funded by a series of popes called the "Renaissance Popes," referring to Alexander VI, Julius II, and Leo X.

Northern Renaissance vs Italian Renaissance

As mentioned before, the ideas of the Renaissance began to be dispersed throughout the European world thanks to the printing press. This allowed other regions, such as Northern Italy, to interpret the new ideas and incorporate them into their own society.

As the Italian Renaissance slowed down, the Northern Renaissance gained speed. The Northern Renaissance combined the ideas of the Italian Renaissance (humanism, secularism, and individualism) with their interest in reforming the church.

The Italian Renaissance was interested in using these philosophies in the arts and science, whereas the Northern Renaissance used these philosophies to create reforms within the church. Some of these ideas would eventually inspire elements of the Protestant Revolution.

The main difference between the philosophies of the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance was its application of humanism. In the Northern Renaissance, the leading philosophy was Christian Humanism.

Start and End of the Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance pulled the world out of the Middle Ages and became known as a time when painters, inventors, scholars, and merchants flourished. However, while their ideas started in Florence, Italy, they were too big to stay. By the beginning of the 15th century, they began to spread to other places in Europe, and the rise of Renaissances in Northern Italy and other European countries eventually led to the decline of the Italian Renaissance.

There are multiple reasons why the Italian Renaissance came to an end. One of the largest distractions was across the Atlantic- Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 and ushered in the Age of Exploration. Towards the end of the Renaissance, Europe began to look across the Atlantic toward the New World and the potential religious and economic opportunities that awaited them.