The Renaissance was the period from the 1300's to the 1600's during which Europe had a renewed interest in the arts. It began in Italy in the 14th century and in the rest of Europe during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Society became increasingly dominated by central political institutions instead of spread out provinces with a ruler in every village. There was an urban, commercial economy with a lot of trade. Last, but not least, there was a new patronage of the arts, education, and music.
The word Renaissance means "rebirth." This term was first employed by Jules Michelet to describe "the discovery of the world and of man." The Italian Renaissance was an urban phenomenom - a productof cities that flourished like Florence, Milan, Ferrara, and Venice. In Venice it was the great trade empire that brought in money. In Florence the Medici family helped foster humanism into people's lifestyles, and thereby gave the city a unique culture. Humanism was an important change in the way people were looked upon.The idea of humanism, or individualism, was the basis of the Renaissance. It allowed people tobreak away from the usual customs and explore new creations. In literature the ancient works of Plato, Herodotus, and Thucydides were critically edited for the first time. Many books were written, and, with the invention if the printing press, large numbers of books could be distributed. In education, Byzantine scholars, who fled the Middle East, taught Italians a lot about Greek teachings and philosophies. People also began working out to look good because people were being judged less by rank and more by beauty and their inner qualities.
In art the invention of linear perspective in Florence in 1420, gave rise to a whole new type of art. People in paintings had more expressions, and the landscapes looked more real. By looking at a picture, a person could tell how far away an object was by its size and how far up the canvas it was. It also became possible to figure out who a person was because facial features became more detailed and realistic. Architect Filippo Brunelleschi's drawings, and Masaccio's paintings are great exampes of linear perspective. Donatello, who is considered the founder of modern sculpture, created the bronze David, the first larger than- or life-sized nude since antiquity. This marked one of the first great steps in the understanding of human anatomy and the study of the anatomy of anything. From the 1450's on, palaces, walls, furniture, and plates were adorned with mythological creatures from literary sources new and old like the Cyclops from The Odessey by Homer. Commemorating important figures in medals was revived by Pisanello. Cosimo d'Medici was one of the first people to have a medal made commemorating him. Individual characteristic and correct proportions were used in the paintings and sculptures of Rapheal and Michelangelo.
Anatomy and medicine also made advances after the first translations of ancient works by Hippcrates and Galen in the 1400's and 1500's. By the end of the 16th century Galileo had applied mathematic models to physics, invented the the magnifying glass and microscope, seen Mars and bacteria, and had been put in jail for it.
The known world expanded beyond Europe from travels by Marco Polo to Asia, Christopher Columbus to The Americas, and Magellan around the world. The first translations of ancient works by Ptolemy and Strabo also described places beyond Europe.
Other inventions changed other aspects of life. The printing press, which allowed mass production of books. Gunpowder revolutionized warfare forever. With it, artillery could crumble castles with its mighty blasts. Foot soldiers also became used more often than horses, creating the first standing armies in hundreds of years. In law medival jurors were replaced with interpretors of the Roman law. Governments were now there to maintain security and peace, rather than to dictate.
The Renaissance was a period with some of the most change in history, if not the most. Through it came the roots of democracy, of freedom, of free thinking, and of moral value and equality. Huge advances were also made in science and technology. If not for the Rennaissance we might not even be thinking about the moon, much less put a man on it.
