THE RENAISSANCE.

DEFINATION:
“From French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth"; Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere
"be born"
“
The Renaissance period was a rebirth of the human desire to explore and to learn more about
the world and what could be achieved. Its roots lay in the ancient world of Greece and Rome.
From these roots grew the ideas which challenged the thinking of the times and which
branched off into inquiry into all aspects of the human world. This challenge to old ideas
brought enormous change. The fruits of the inquiry and experimentation set the scene of our
modern world.”

THE START OF RENISSANCE:

The Renaissance was a period of European history, considered by modern scholars as that
between 1300 and 1600.Many dramatic changes happened during the Renaissance. The
Renaissance was a period of new inventions and beliefs.

The Renaissance was drastically different from the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages the
church held most of the power and its economy was agriculturally based. Exploration and
learning was almost put to a stop. During the Renaissance society was transformed into a society
increasingly dominated by central political institutions with an urban commercial attitude. Also,
people's curiosity overcame their fear and many people started to venture out and explore. New
schools and colleges became more and more common.

The Renaissance was started by many rich Italian cities, such as Florence, Ferrara, Milan, and
Venice. Because these cities were very wealthy, many merchants started to spend money on
different things, such as painting, learning, new banking techniques, and new systems of
government. These things gave rise to a new type of scholar, the humanist. Humanism was
subjects concerned with humankind and culture. They studied various things such as Latin,
Greek language, literature and philosophy. Music and mathematics were also studied as well.

ORIGINS:

Assimilation of Greek and Arabic knowledge:

The Renaissance was so called because it was a "rebirth" of certain classical ideas that had long
been lost to Western Europe. It has been argued that the fuel for this rebirth was the rediscovery
of ancient texts that had been forgotten by Western civilization, but were preserved in the
Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world, and some monastic libraries; and the translations of Greek
and Arabic texts into Latin.

Renaissance scholars scoured the libraries of Europe in search of works by such classical authors
as Plato, Cicero, Pliny the Elder and Vitruvius. Additionally, as the reconquest of the Iberian
peninsula from Islamic Moors progressed, numerous Greek and Arabic works were captured
from educational institutions such as the library at Córdoba, which claimed to have 400,000
books. The works of ancient Greek and Hellenistic writers (such as Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, and
Plotinus) and Muslim scientists and philosophers (such as Geber, Abulcasis, Alhacen, Avicenna,
Avempace, and Averroes), were reintroduced into the Western world, providing new intellectual
material for European scholars.

Greek and Arabic knowledge was not only assimilated from Spain, but also directly from the
Greek and Arabic speaking world. The study of mathematics was flourishing in the Islamic
world, and mathematical knowledge was brought back from the Middle East by crusaders in the
13th century. The decline of the Byzantine Empire after 1204 – and its eventual fall in 1453
accompanied by the closure of its universities by the Ottoman Turks – led to a sharp increase in
the exodus of Greek scholars to Italy and beyond. These scholars brought with them texts and
knowledge of the classical Greek civilization which had been lost for centuries in the West and
they transmitted the art of exegesis. The majority of the works of Greek Classical literature and
Roman Law that survive to this day did so through Byzantium.

Social and political structures in Italy:

The unique political structures of late Middle Ages Italy have led some to theorize that its
unusual social climate allowed the emergence of a rare cultural efflorescence. Italy did not exist
as a political entity in the early modern period. Instead, it was divided into smaller city states and
territories: the Kingdom of Naples controlled the south, the Republic of Florence and the Papal
States the center, the Genoese and the Milanese the north and west, and the Venetians the east.
Fifteenth-century Italy was one of the most urbanized areas in Europe. Many of its cities stood
among the ruins of ancient Roman buildings; it seems likely that the classical nature of the
Renaissance was linked to its origin in the Roman Empire's heartlands

Italy at this time was notable for its merchant Republics, including the Republic of Florence and
the Republic of Venice. Although in practice these were oligarchical, and bore little resemblance
to a modern democracy, the relative political freedom they afforded was conducive to academic
and artistic advancement. Likewise, the position of Italian cities such as Venice as great trading
centers made them intellectual crossroads. Merchants brought with them ideas from far corners
of the globe, particularly the Levant. Venice was Europe's gateway to trade with the East, and a
producer of fine glass, while Florence was a capital of silk. The wealth such business brought to
Italy meant that large public and private artistic projects could be commissioned and individuals
had more leisure time for study.
Cultural conditions in Florence:

It has long been a matter of debate why the Renaissance began in Florence, and not elsewhere in
Italy. Scholars have noted several features unique to Florentine cultural life which may have
caused such a cultural movement. Many have emphasized the role played by the Medici family
in patronizing and stimulating the arts. Lorenzo de' Medici was the catalyst for an enormous
amount of arts patronage, encouraging his countryman to commission works from Florence's
leading artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Michelangelo Buonarroti.

The Renaissance was certainly already underway before Lorenzo came to power; indeed, before
the Medici family itself achieved hegemony in Florentine society. Some historians have
postulated that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance as a result of luck, i.e. because
"Great Men" were born there by chance. Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo were all born in
Tuscany. Arguing that such chance seems improbable, other historians have contended that these
"Great Men" were only able to rise to prominence because of the prevailing cultural conditions at
the time.

CHARACTERISTICS:

1- Renaissance humanism:

Renaissance humanism was a European intellectual movement that was a crucial component of
the Renaissance, beginning in Florence in the last years of the 14th century. The humanist
movement developed from the rediscovery by European scholars of classical Latin and later
Greek texts. Initially, a humanist was simply a scholar or teacher of Latin literature. By the mid-
15th century humanism described a curriculum — the studia humanitatis — comprising
grammar, rhetoric, moral philosophy, poetry and history as studied via classical authors.
Humanists mostly believed that, although God created the universe, it was humans that had
developed and industrialized it. Beauty, a popular topic, was held to represent a deep inner virtue
and value, and an essential element in the path towards God.

Renaissance humanists believed that the liberal arts (art, music, grammar, rhetoric, oratory,
history, poetry, using classical texts, and the studies of all of the above) should be practiced by
all levels of "richness". They also approved of self, human worth and individual dignity. They
hold the belief that everything in life has a determinate nature, but man's privilege is to be able to
choose his own nature. Pico della Mirandola wrote the following concerning the creation of the
universe and man's place in it:

“But when the work was finished, the Craftsman kept wishing that there were someone to ponder the
plan of so great a work, to love its beauty, and to wonder at its vastness. Therefore, when everything
was done... He finally took thought concerning the creation of man... He therefore took man as a
creature of indeterminate nature and, assigning him a place in the middle of the world, addressed him
thus: "Neither a fixed abode nor a form that is thine alone nor any function peculiar to thyself have we
 given thee, Adam, to the end that according to thy longing and according to thy judgment thou mayest
have and possess what abode, what form and what functions thou thyself shalt desire. The nature of all
other beings is limited and constrained within the bounds of law. Thou shalt have the power to
degenerate into the lower forms of life, which are brutish. Thou shalt have the power, out of thy soul's
judgment, to be born into the higher forms, which are divine."

2- Renaissance Literature:

It refers to the period in European literature, which began in Italy during the 15th century and
spread around Europe through the 17th century. The impact of the Renaissance varied across the
continent; countries that were predominantly Catholic or Protestant experienced the Renaissance
differently compared to areas where the Orthodox Church was dominant as reflecting on its
culture, as well as those areas of Europe under Islamic rule.

The creation of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg encouraged authors to

write in the local vernacular rather than in Greek or Latin classical languages,
widening the reading audience and promoting the spread of Renaissance ideas. A
prime example of the writings of the time is the works of William Shakespeare, who
was fundamental in the spread of Renaissance ideas.

3- Renaissance painting:

It bridges the period of European art history between the art of the Middle Ages and Baroque art.
Painting of this era is connected to the "rebirth" (renaissance in French) of classical antiquity,
the impact of humanism on artists and their patrons, new artistic sensibilities and techniques,
and, in general, the transition from the Medieval period to the Early modern age.

In the visual arts, significant achievements occur around 1400 in both Italy and north of the Alps.
Masaccio's art and the writings of Leon Battista Alberti helped establish linear perspective and
the idealization of the human body as primary ideas of Italian Renaissance painting in the early
15th century. Likewise, Early Netherlandish artists such as Jan van Eyck were innovators in oil
painting and intuitive spatial compositions. The brief High Renaissance (c. 1500–1520) centred
around Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael in Florence and Rome, was a culmination
of the Italian achievements, while artists like Albrecht Dürer brought a similar level of
intellectual and artistic innovation to northern Europe. Late Renaissance painting, from about
1520 until the end of the 16th century, is marked by various Mannerist tendencies that spread
from Italy through the rest of France.

4- Renaissance philosophy:
It was the period of the history of philosophy in Europe that falls roughly between the
Middle Ages and the Enlightenment. It includes the 15th century; some scholars extend it
to as early as the 1350s or as late as the 16th century or early 17th century, overlapping
the Reformation and the early modern era. Among the distinctive elements of
Renaissance philosophy are the revival (renaissance means "rebirth") of classical
 civilization and learning; a partial return to the authority of Plato over Aristotle, who had
come to dominate later medieval philosophy; and, among some philosophers, enthusiasm
for the occult and Hermeticism.

5- Scientific Renaissance:

During the Renaissance, great advances occurred in geography, astronomy, chemistry,

physics, math, manufacturing, and engineering. The rediscovery of ancient scientific texts
was accelerated after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the invention of printing
which would democratize learning and allow a faster propagation of new ideas. But, at
least in its initial period, some see the Renaissance as one of scientific backwardness.
Historians like George Sarton and Lynn Thorndike have criticized how the Renaissance
affected science, arguing that progress was slowed for some amount of time. Humanists
favored human-centered subjects like politics and history over study of natural
philosophy or applied mathematics. Others have focused on the positive influence of the
Renaissance, pointing to factors like the rediscovery of lost or obscure texts and the
increased emphasis on the study of language and the correct reading of texts.

6- Renaissance technology:

It is the set of European artifacts and customs, spanning roughly the 14th through the
16th century. The era is marked by such profound technical advancements like the
printing press, linear perspectivity, patent law, double shell domes or Bastion fortresses.
Draw-books of the Renaissance artist-engineers such as Taccola and Leonardo da Vinci
give a deep insight into the mechanical technology then known and applied.

Technology Comment
Blast furnace Enabling iron to be produced on a larger scale than previously.
For converting pig iron (from the blast furnace) into bar iron
Finery forge
(wrought iron)
Slitting mill Mechanising the production of iron rods for nailmaking.
Smeltmill More efficient for lead smelting than the bole hill.

The Renaissance produced many great minds. Leonardo da Vinci was one of these. Although he
was not regarded as a genius in his time. He had numerous works of art such as the Mona Lisa
and The Last Supper. He also is now regarded as a great inventor. He is credited for coming up
with the idea of the helicopter. He dissected corpses to learn more about human anatomy.
Another great man was a German monk, Martin Luther. He taught Biblical studies at the
University of Wittenberg. Luther's beliefs challenged the church although many people agreed
with his ideas. He was eventually excommunicated from the church and he started Protestantism.

In conclusion, the Renaissance was a time of new awakening in Europe. It includes the
general loss of power by the church, an increase in literacy and education, and an exploration
period.
REFRENCES:

Definition from 2nd year Text book.

www.history.com
Italian literature, cultural condition in Florence, social and political structure in

Italy.

www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com

www.bbc.com/renaissance

Renaissance, Background, History, Conclusion.