The Renaissance has been called the \"birth of modernity.\" Why? ( Below is the

Question

The Renaissance has been called the "birth of modernity." Why? ( Below is the information you will need to answer this question. Do your very best and go in depth as much as possible, a good amount.)

The Renaissance

Renaissance mean “rebirth.” Some historians believe the Renaissance marks the birth of the “modern” era in history. The Renaissance followed Black Death which naturally profoundly affected all aspects of life. Roughly ¼ of Europeans died, some towns and cities were completely wiped out. Europeans learned to value this life because it was short. “You only live once.”

The Renaissance was also an age of discovery, both geographical and intellectual. Both kinds of discovery resulted in changes of tremendous import for Western civilization. Columbus (more on him in two weeks), Copernicus (more on him below), and Martin Luther (more on him next week), are some of the leading figures of the Renaissance. In fact, Renaissance thinkers often thought of themselves as ushering in the new age, distinct from the ancient and medieval eras.

Historians debate when Renaissance began. A narrow or short time frame is 1350s-1550s, a broader view is 1300-1600

Italy was the center of the Renaissance, especially the Italian province of Florence. Evidence of classical Rome still existed, such as the Coliseum and Roman bath houses

Humanists were the intellectual fathers of the Renaissance. They believed it was their mission to restore the best aspects of Western Civilization and reject the worst parts. What are the best parts? For the Humanists, Greece and Rome were great civilizations which had collapsed in the 4th and 5th centuries and needed to be rebuilt. Humanists were fascinated by classical Greece and Rome. They looked to classics for inspiration, not Bible and Church Fathers. Cicero, Sophocles and Virgil were the heroes for the Humanists

One of the first and most famous Humanists was Dante of Florence. His most famous work, The Divine Comedy (1300) was one of the great works of the later Middle Ages. In the book, Dante’s travels through hell, purgatory and heaven. Virgil is his guide. He meets historical people in his journeys, including the devil. The Divine Comedy was one of the first works written in Italian, not Latin, so the average person could read it

Humanists were less concerned with religious issues than their intellectual predecessors in the Middle Ages. Man, not God, should be the focus of our attention. Some historians believe that the Renaissance becomes age of individualism when man becomes conscious of himself as a creature distinct from God.

Medieval intellectuals stressed the parts of the classics which conformed to Christian thinking. The parts of classics which did not conform to Christianity were discarded. Humanists emphasized the classics without appealing to Bible. They stressed the importance of classical authors like Plato, Homer, Cicero and Sophocles. These works were translated into Latin so they could be widely read

Homer’s Odysseus became model man for the Humanists. Human creativity and activity are stressed. Humans are capable of shaping their own life and destiny without the help of the Church. People should live active public lives, not reclusive lives like the clergy. Man should be glorified and studied, not God. Man should enjoy life, not just serve God

Humanists were not atheists, they were Christians and believed in God and Christ. But they believed the foundation of learning should be the Greeks and the Romans, not the Church fathers like Augustine and the Bible. We human beings shape our own destiny, not God. There is a secular side to the Renaissance.

Humanists set up their own schools. With the advent of the printing press, the number of books presented in the vernacular (local language, not Latin), increases. Learning begins to be taken out of the hands of the clergy. Education teaches men how to live virtuously and prepare life for the real world, this world. Humanists stressed the possibility of human improvement through educations and study.

Another famous humanist is Petrarch. He didn’t like the age he was living in, believing antiquity was a superior age. He wanted to return to that age. Petrarch eagerly searched all libraries and monasteries all over Italy for evidence of neglected classics. Petrarch was a great poet too who wrote famous love sonnets. Petrarch coined the term the “Dark Ages” to describe the era after the fall of Rome when Greek and Roman culture declined

One of Petrarch friends was Boccaccio, a 14th century Italian poet who wrote about love and the Black Death. Boccaccio stressed the role that chance plays in life.

One of the more famous humanist philosophers was Pico Mirandola. He studied the great works of Jewish and Muslim philosophers because he believed wisdom could be found outside of Christian works. He proclaimed, “there is nothing to be seen more wonderful than man.” Man is the measure of all things

Another famous humanist is Machiavelli, who The Prince (1513.) “Machiavellian” is actually an adjective which can be used to describe someone who is sly or cunning. Machiavelli was a political theorist who studied how Kings and Princes should rule. His work is intended to be practical guide for successful princes, or a realistic approach to governing. Machiavelli is not concerned with God or morality. He is concerned with power, how to achieve it, how to keep it. The Prince had to be cunning as well as virtuous. The solely virtuous Kings end up becoming weak. Princes must appear to be virtuous, but not always be virtuous. The ends justify the means. Machiavelli declares, “If a prince wants to maintain his rule he must learn how not to be virtuous, and to make use of this according to his need”

It is better to be feared than loved, Machiavelli insisted. Princes are like soldiers who must at times abandon morality to accomplish political means. Princes work for the betterment of the whole community.At the time Machiavelli is writing (and until the 19th century,) Italy is a collection of city-states (e.g. Florence, Naples, Rome,) not a formal country. Machiavelli wanted Italians to unite behind a Prince. He is often considered to be the first Italian nationalist. He dedicated his work to Italian Prince Lorenzo the Magnificent who Machiavelli believed could unite Italy

The Renaissance also saw developments in capitalism. City states were prosperous because they traded with other regions. Italy is centrally located between Western Europe and the Middle East, so the growth in trading between the regions that followed the Crusades benefits Italian merchants. Also, Italy’s geography is not good for agriculture. This pushes more people toward commerce. This means the advent of people who are wealthy because they have money, not land.

Explanation / Answer

The Renaissance or rebirth was a movement in the European history that began in the 1300s and ended during the 1500s, leading to the birth of the modern era. In this phase of history, there was a rebirth of interest in ancient Greece and Rome. Culturally this movement acted as a bridge between the Medieval and modern era

The concept of humanism; in which prime importance is attached to human rather than divine or supernatural things was the intellectual basis of the Renaissance. Renaissance was started in Florence, Italy. Due to this rational approach that was generated during the Renaissance period; in which there was rapid growth in literature, philosophy, and Science. Some of the famous humanists from different walks of life are:

The western world traded with other regions during this period especially Italy and this led to capitalism.

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