Renaissance Development PDF

How did the Renaissanc e develop? What are we learning and why? The factors that influenced the development of the Renaissance in Italy: ○ Black death ○ Fall of Constantinople and influx of scholars, knowledge etc. from the East ○ Trade and wealth ○ Changing attitudes...

How did the Renaissanc e develop? What are we learning and why? The factors that influenced the development of the Renaissance in Italy: ○ Black death ○ Fall of Constantinople and influx of scholars, knowledge etc. from the East ○ Trade and wealth ○ Changing attitudes towards the Church and the role of the Church ○ Humanism It is important to consider why new ideas, knowledge and ways of thinking flourish in the Renaissance period and the impact this had on people living during the Renaissance How can you demonstrate what you know? Explain what factors influenced the development of the Renaissance in Italy The Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occured in Europe and Asia killing between 75 to 200 million people The Black Death decimated the population in the city of Florence in 1348 by 50-60% in just one year Consequences of this drastic population decline include: ○ Less craftspeople meant an increased demand for labour = increase in wages ○ More demand for goods and services ○ People turned from the Church (who had failed to protect them) towards science instead to help them understand the world “How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ship's hold and covered with a little earth” The Decameron, Boccaccio (a famous Italian Renaissance writer and poet) Discovery of new knowledge Crusades and the fall of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) led to the discovery of ‘lost’ classic texts from Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece Many Muslim and Arabic scholars had kept their own translations of these works and brought them to Italy during the early period of the Renaissance Christians also brought these texts to Italy following the Crusades These texts brought new ideas of philosophy, maths, science, architecture and engineering Humanism and new ways of thinking Humanism was a movement to rediscover the culture and learning of Ancient Greece and Rome and use it to bring new ideas to the world Humanists, drawing from the ideas in these classical texts, encouraged questioning and placed humans at the heart of their study, not only religion The invention of the printing press in 1440 helped to spread this new way of thinking and new ideas Rejection of traditional role of the Catholic Church During the medieval period, people were reluctant to investigate new ideas or ways of thinking as they were afraid of the influence of the Church, e.g. excommunication Renaissance period brought forth many criticisms of the Church and Christian teachings Humanists did not reject God, rather their viewpoints and outlooks differed from those of the Church Catholic values Humanism emphasised the sinfulness of humans valued humans as individuals who could create beauty and contribute intellectually encouraged people to spend their time to their communities preparing for eternity encouraged people to think about what expected people to follow, without they could achieve in this world question, its interpretations on religion and also on science, medicine and astronomy. encouraged people to make up their own minds about the sciences and the ideas of other cultures and civilisations. And of course… money! Increased wealth from trade meant that wealthy merchants and families had the disposable income to spend on luxury goods such as sculpture, architecture, art, cloth and jewels Italian city-states competed against each other to show off their wealth and cultural achievements How did the Renaissance develop? Refer to the slides on Google Classroom and read p. 4C and pp. 14C-15C in Retroactive 1 to help you answer the following questions in your book: 1. Explain two factors that led people to change their attitudes and beliefs during this period (write at least ONE paragraph) 2. Identify the main values and beliefs of Renaissance humanism 3. Explain why the Catholic Church would have felt threatened by humanism (write at least ONE paragraph) 4. Create a mind map to record the main factors that inspired the development of the Renaissance