Florence: Anatomy of a Renaissance City PDF

# Florence: Anatomy of a Renaissance City ## Cradle of Italian Renaissance - Toscan emerged as "courtly language" - Arno River, navigable from Mediterranean - Port of Pisa (except Summer, due to low water) ## 1406 Florence conquered Pisa - Florence became major trade/manufacturing center - V...

# Florence: Anatomy of a Renaissance City ## Cradle of Italian Renaissance - Toscan emerged as "courtly language" - Arno River, navigable from Mediterranean - Port of Pisa (except Summer, due to low water) ## 1406 Florence conquered Pisa - Florence became major trade/manufacturing center - Very wealthy ## Foundation of Roman Law & Latin for - Clergy, lawyers, notaries - Ruled by Medici family - Patronized arts. ## Citizens wealthy enough to pay taxes - Elected members of Councils - Councils approved decisions on - 1378 Ciampi revolt ("wooden shoes") - Poor of city rose up - Economic hardship - Tensions between nobles & workers (maybe opened door for Medici) - 1434 _Cosimo de Medici_ seized control - Influence of RCC strong - Artistic innovation - Civic recognition of artistic (many schools, university, high literacy rate) - 8,000 children attended schools - Total population: - Center of international banking - Owned by Medici family - Also center for commerce - Cloth merchants - Kept 14 lesser guilds in subordinate positions - Guilds elected 9 members of government - Signoria - 8 hours = administered city government - Proposed laws - Conducted foreign affairs - Assembled the people of Florence's politics - Wealthy banking family, members of rival political families - Banished members - Controlled public offices, used public funds for family - Used own wealth to curry favor - Stability/prosperity - 1479 Pazzi conspiracy against Lorenzo de Medici ("Il Magnifico") - Attempted assassination of Lorenzo during Mass - 4 hours later, 4 enemies of Medici killed and hanged upside down from the Archbishop - Lorenzo made a prem, paid Botticelli to paint the scene - Council of Serentumi paid the fees for foreigners & domestic affairs ## A Dynamic Culture - Rediscovered classical learning - Dignity of individual - Secularization of beauty & virtue ## The Rediscovery of Classical Learning - Father of humanism - Petrarch - rediscovered/celebrated classics of Latin antiquity - Scholar - Lived in Avignon during "Babylonian Captivity" - Copied ancient manuscripts - Uncovered _Marcus Tullius_ & _Cicero's_ letters - Study of Greco - classical philosophy as a guide to life (based on experience) ## Humanism - Study of Classical Roman/Latin works - Emphasis on the study of classical - "dignity" - "Agency" - Development of printing allowed human ideas to spread throughout Europe ## From Scholasticism to Humanism - Ancient Romans _Humanitas_ = combination of wisdom & virtue - Became course of study that was intellectually stimulating & liberating: Grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy, rhetoric. - Helped Medici tighten control & extended family’s banking interests & inform Lorenzo became a Cardinal - Son, _Giovanni_ - 30th executive in Cardianl in RCC