The Renaissance in Italy (1375-1527)

I. Renaisance: A Time of Transition between the medieval to the modern world.

1. Growing National Consciousness (Spanish, English, French, etc…)
2. Political Centralization (Monarchy)
3. Urban Economy (Capitalism…more on this later)
4. Greater “Lay” (Common People) and Secular Control of Thought and Culture
5. “This Life” Stressed as Opposed to “Afterlife”

II. The Italian City-State

1. Italian City-State Advantages:

1. Major Hub in Trade Route Between Europe and Asia
2. Shared Arab Ideas (Mathematics and Technology)
3. Shared Asian Ideas  and Products to European Continent
4. Revival of Ancient Roman Texts Spurred Italian Pride of Their Past.
5. Created a Powerful Middle-Class of Merchants and Bankers
6. Wealth Encouraged Earthly Pleasures
7. Patrons of that which is “Good”
8. Diminished Medieval Afterlife Concerns
9. Secularism is Born

1. Growth of City-States

1. Warfare between Factions Weaken Centralized Government.
2. Merchant Oligarchies Strengthened Influence Over Populations.
3. Five Competitive City-States

1. The Duchy of Mila
2. The Republic of Florence
3. The Republic of Venice
4. The Papal States
5. Kingdom of Naples

2. Social Class and Conflict (Republic of Florence)

1. Four Distinguishable Social Groups
   1. Old Rich (Grandi)
   2. New Rich (Popolo Grosso…the “Fat People) Challenge Old Rich for Political Power.
   3. Middle-Burghers of Guild Masters (Small Business People). They Tended to Favor the New Rich.
   4. Poor (Popolo Minuto) or the “Little People.”

3. Despotism and Diplomacy

1. Wealthiest Florentine: Cosimo de’Medici Astute Statesman Controlled City (Golden Rule Theory…Those with the Gold Make the Rules)
2. In Milan the Oligarchy Members installed a Despot/Dictator (Podesta).
3. Condottieri: Military Brokers that Helped Despots Obtain Mercenary 

                       Armies to Maintain Social Order.

4. Political Turbulence and Warfare Gave Birth to Diplomacy thus Maintaining Social and Economic Order.
5. Renaissance Culture was Promoted by All Forms of Government due to One Reason: Great Wealth.

III. Humanism: Scholarly Study of the Latin and Greek Classics and of the Ancient

                              Church Fathers for its Own Sake and in the Hope of a Rebirth of

                              Ancient Norms and Values.

1. Studia Humanitatis: A Liberal Arts Program of Study that Embraced

                                       Grammar, Rhetoric, Poetry, History, Politics, and

                                       Moral Philosophy…Seen as the Means of Celebrating

                                       the Dignity of Humankind and Preparing People for a

                                       Life of Virtuous Action.

2. Petrarch, Dante, and Boccaccio

1. Petrarch: “Father of Humanism.” (1304-1374)
   1. Wrote “Letters to the Ancient Dead”
   2. Looked to Classical Rome and Cicero’s Writings for Answers (Example: On the Orator)
      1. An active life of virtue
      2. The foundations of community, including the community of all human beings,
      3. The role of the statesman,
      4. The concept of natural law.
   3. Wrote “Love Sonnets” to the Married Woman “Laura” (Carpe Diem Philosophy…Classical Rome).
   4. Secular in Tone
   5. Contempt for “Useless” Learning of Scholastics School. (Plato)

2. Dante: "the Father of the Italian language" (1265-1321)

1. Wrote “Divine Comedy”
   1. poem describes Dante's travels through *******, Purgatory, and Heaven, but at a deeper level, it represents, allegorically, the soul's journey towards God.
   2. Written in Italian…NOT Latin. Appealed to the “Common Population.”
2. Wrote “Vita Nuova” (New Life)
   1. The work begins with Dante’s first encounter with Beatrice, when she’s 9 and he’s 8.
   2. Dante decides to begin praising her with his poems.
   3. Beatrice’s family arranges a marriage and is promised to another man.
   4. Dante’s family arranges a marriage and is promised to another woman.
   5. He has many visions of her, which reveals that she will prematurely die and she will ascend to Heaven.
   6. When it happens, Dante decides to stop writing poems about her until he will be able to write higher poetry.
   7. Beatrice is Dante’s guide in Paradise in the Divine Comedy.
   8. Written in Italian, again…pleasing to the population.

3. Boccaccaio: Poet Who Wrote in Italian of the Human Condition in an

                        Entertaining Manner (1313-1375).

1. Wrote “Decameron.” 100 Stories in 10 Days
   1. Each of the ten characters is charged as King or Queen of the company for one of the ten days in turn.
   2. This charge extends to choosing the theme of the stories for that day…topics assigned:
      1. examples of the power of fortune;
      2. examples of the power of human will
      3. love tales that end tragically
      4. love tales that end happily
      5. clever replies that save the speaker
      6. tricks that women play on men
      7. tricks that people play on each other in general
      8. examples of virtue.
      9. Only Dioneo, who usually tells the tenth tale each day, has the right to tell a tale on any topic he wishes, due to his wit. Many authors have argued that Dioneo expresses the views of Boccaccio himself.
      10. The basic plots of the stories including mocking the lust and greed of the clergy; tensions in Italian society between the new wealthy commercial class and noble families; the perils and adventures of traveling merchants.
   3. Infused with a medieval sense of numerological and mystical significance. For example, it is widely believed that the seven young women are meant to represent the Four Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude) and the Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity). It is further supposed that the three men represent the classical Greek tripartite division of the soul (Reason, Spirit, and Appetite, see Book IV of Plato’s Republic).

3. Educational Reforms and Goals

1. Goal: Seek Wisdom, Know What is Good, and Practice Virtue.
   1. Learning was NOT to be Abstract (Practical Knowledge)
   2. Petrarch: “It is Better to Will the Good than Know the Truth”

i. Just Do the Right Thing, Simply Because it’s The Right Thing.

3. Pietro Vergerio Wrote “On the Morals that Befit a Free Man.”

i.. Each Person to Develop their Own Talents of Body and 

    Mind.

4. Baldassare Castiglione Wrote “Book of the Courtier”
   1. A Manual for the Manners of the Modern Gentleman.
   2. Strong Body and Mind. Ancient Greek Idea of “Arete”
   3. Concept of the “Renaissance Man,” able to be Proficient at Varying Disciplines.
5. Noblewoman, Christine de Pisan Wrote “The Treasure of the City of Ladies” is a Chronicle on the Accomplishments of Great Women in History.

4. The Florentine “Academy” and the Revival of Platonism

1. Platonism: Positive View of Human Nature. Distinguished between an Eternal Sphere of Being and the Perishable World in which Humans Actually Lived.
2. Florentine Academy Established  (Not a Formal School…More of a “Club”) Under the Patronage of Cosimo de’ Medici and the Supervision of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola.
3. Human Reason Exists in Eternal Sphere and Humans can “Commune” with it within the Perishable World.
4. Pico della Mirandola in 1486 Wrote “Oration on the Dignity of Man.”
   1. Depicts Humans as the Only Creatures in the World Who Possessed the Freedom to be Whatever They Chose.
   2. Able to Rise to the Height of Angels
   3. Able to Descend to the Level of “Pigs”
   4. Essentially, “Man is the Measure of All Things” Concept which in “Reality” Goes Back to Socrates’ “Life Happens in Your Head” Concept.

5. Critical Work of the Humanist Lorenzo Valla

1. Dispassionate Approach Who Found Discrepencies in Various Texts.

1. Donation of Constantine was a Document Supposedly Written in the 4^th Century. Due to a Simple Reading and Analysis Valla Found Words that Did NOT Exist During the 4^th Century Such as the Word “Fief.” Document Was Constructed During the 8^th Century.
2. Pointed Out Errors in the Latin Vulgate, Still Authorized Version of the Bible for the Western Church.

2. A “Good” Catholic, Valla Defended the Theory of “Predestination” (Protestant Concept) against the Advocacy of “Free Will.”
3. Such Discoveries Did NOT Make Valla Any Less Loyal to the Church.
4. A Constructive Critic.

6. Civic Humanism

1. Education (Practical Knowledge) Should Promote Virtue and Public Service
2. Some Humanists became Snobbish and “Book Smart” and Did Not “Practice” What They Learned.
3. Humanists Should Take Leadership of Political and Cultural Life
4. Using Intelligence to Make Society a Better Place. (EXAMPLE: Jesus, Machiavelli, and Guicciardini)