Chapter 3: The Italian Renaissance

Question 1

Political life in Italy

Answer 1

Urban centers soon became city-states, with Milan, Florence, and Venice being the main centers.

City-states were governed by wealthy merchant families artistically, politically, and economically behind the scenes, such as the Medicis.

Question 2

Florence

Answer 2

The acknowledged center of the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century, mainly due to its wealth in textiles and banking. Was ruled by the Medici family, in which Lorenzo the Magnificent was the absolute climax.

Question 3

The Medicis

Answer 3

The ruling family in Florence that controlled the city economically, politically, and artistically. Famous examples include Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo the Magnificent.

Question 4

Previous Medieval mindset

Answer 4

People in the medieval times did not believe in the reverence of the individual, and instead believed life should be lived for the glory of god.

Art was based around religious topics, and were made for the glory of god, and not for personal glory.

Question 5

Renaissance mindset

Answer 5

People began to emphasize the importance of the individual, as merchants, artists, writers, etc. created art and literature to be remembered and famed as individuals.

Autobiographies and portrait paintings became prevalent, being a direct attribute to the glory and interest of certain individuals. (Pica de Mirandola’s “Oration on the Dignity of Man”).

Question 6

Humanism

Answer 6

Study of classical Greek and Roman texts. Humanists placed great emphasis on the importance of secular subjects (literature, history, rhetoric), and scorned medieval scholasticism.

Humanists believed Humanism would promote civic responsibility, artistic creativity, and individual excellence.

Question 7

Lorenzo Valla

Answer 7

Used Humanism (rhetoric, linguistic analysis) to discover the “Donation of Constantine” was actually a forgery.

Question 8

Baldassare Castiglione

Answer 8

Wrote “The Courtier,” which provided men and women instructions on how to become the perfect courtier.

Question 9

The Courtier

Answer 9

A book written by Castiglione about how to become the perfect courtier.

Men: polite, charming, witty, talented in arts, and physically strong and nice looking.

Women: well-educated, charming, beautiful – did not need to seek fame like men did.

Question 10

Habsburg-Valois Wars

Answer 10

Charles VIII of France wished to invade Italy and take Naples, but Spain contested this. All of the Italian city-states got involved, in which diplomacy and war became of the utmost importance.

Question 11

Niccolò Machiavelli

Answer 11

Florentine diplomat and political philosopher who wrote “The Prince” after the Habsburg-Valois Wars.

Question 12

The Prince

Answer 12

A book written by Machiavelli that advised princes to do whatever it took to run a successful country, including be a harsh and ruthless leader to remember that the ends justified any means.

Question 13

Renaissance art patrons

Answer 13

Patrons included the Catholic church, wealthy merchants and bankers, and guilds. People of semi to high status liked to commission art because they were a symbol of wealth and prestige.

Question 14

Renaissance art characteristics

Answer 14

Characteristics of Renaissance art includes perspective, chiarascuro, pyramidal shapes, and classical influences. Art often combined religious concepts from medieval art with classical influences.

Question 15

Famous Renaissance artists and art

Answer 15

1. Michelangelo, David
2. Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel Ceiling
3. Francesca
4. Raphael, The School of Athens
5. Brunelleschi

Question 16

Women in the Renaissance

Answer 16

The Renaissance comprised of a time where the role, nature, and character of women were debated.

Aristocratic women advanced a lot at the time, as they received a humanist education similar to boys. However, though women were to be well-educated, they were not expected to interfere in men’s political, literary, or artistic affairs (according to Castiglione).

Though, only few women of the highest and wealthiest class experienced substantial changes in individual status. Most women were still excluded from guilds, and were often restricted by domestic duties, such as child-bearing and providing for her family.

Question 17

Christine de Pizan

Answer 17

Often referred to as the “first feminist.” She was the first woman to make a living off of being an author, and wrote about debunking “masculine myths.”

Question 18

Isabella d’Este

Answer 18

Isabella d’Este was the most famous Renaissance woman. She was a patron of the arts, and showed how being a patron of the arts was the most socially acceptable role for a woman at the time, and played an important role in smaller Renaissance courts.