Renaissance

1. Petrarch

1.1. • Philosopher, poet, thinker • Brought ancient Latin manuscripts back • He wants to learn from Cicero • He rediscovers Cicero’s letters, Petrarch writes to him • Petrarch determines that his writing is awful in comparison to Cicero, he thinks he shouldn’t publish his works • He needs more writings to teach him to be a better writer, so he tries to find more Greek & Roman writings, goes to school & gets better, is named the Poet Laureate of Italy • Other writers wanted to copy his method – to find more writings to help them be better • As more dig, look, uncover and find what was lost, the Renaissance is birthed

2. Important Background

2.1. • Florence was poppin’ • Life is to be enjoyed • Merchant class was rich and began patronage • Using artists & architects to celebrate themselves • Medici were a very vital family • Brunelleschi – Duomo of Italy: father was a notary, was interested in the art of design, became a master goldsmith, becomes an architect • Loses competition and leaves Florence for Rome, studies buildings • Roman dome construction • Ox hoist, Castello crane • Granted 1st modern patent for river transport vessel • Single-point perspective – vanishing point • Architects in control

3. Humanism

3.1. • Philology – study of languages, words • Humanism spreads to all disciplines over time • Starts 1st in Italy, trading city-states never actually declined due to Plague & were immune to 100 Years War struggle • The human matters, the mind matters, life has value, the human should flourish • “How can we regain the society that we lost?” • Concept exalts human to a higher level – poetry, law, general understanding & grasping of information, the human has the capacity to do more and be more

4. Why Italy?

4.1. • Hub of Rome • They lost the ability to read Latin • Petrarch is in Italy • With fall of Constantinople, survivors flee and go to Italy • Traders • Thinkers – move to be thoughtful about restructuring

5. Medicis/Machiavelli

5.1. • Machiavelli wrote “The Prince” • People saw him as a patriot but also as power hungry • Medicis were a very rich and affluent family, invested in art and architecture, worked in banking, wanted to protect their wealth • They commissioned him to write for them • Machiavelli said it was better to be feared than loved, people said he wrote “the handbook for tyrants”

6. Pico de Mirandola

6.1. • Member of the Academy • Saw little worth in public affairs • Oration of the Dignity of Man – “Nothing more wonderful than man”

7. Michelangelo

7.1. • Renaissance Man • Starts as an artist, dissects bodies to study • Goes into science • Designs and builds early helicopter • Becomes more learned in botany, zoology, geology, optics, aerodynamics • Moves to architecture, military, engineering, canal building • Becomes obsessed w/ water using source in many creations

8. Technological Advancements

8.1. • Printing press – Gutenberg, knowledge explosion, book numbers went from 30k to 9mil • Gunpowder • Clock • Musket • Telescope • Microscope