The Italian Renaissance - When Did It Begin and When Did It End - Essay Example

?Italian Renaissance Introduction Italian Renaissance refers to architectural, intellectual and literature revival which occurred in the 14th centuryin Italy and spread throughout Europe. This revival marked the transition from medieval times to modern times. It was a period of great achievements and cultural transformation in Europe. The Italian renaissance period started from the end of the 13th century all through to the 16th century1. Renaissance started from Florence state then spread to other states2. Initially, it was concentrated among the elite and the wealthy families. This was embraced by majority of the people from the middle ages. Factors that made the Italian renaissance possible There were political, intellectual, economic and cultural that facilitated the Italian renaissance leading to great achievements. These are discussed below: Political Factor There was political division between the Northern and the upper Central Italy. They were divided into warring states. There were also two opposing parties namely Guelfs and Ghibellines which operated within each state. Stronger states gathered enough forces and captured smaller states. During the renaissance period, Italy was governed through a series of oligarchies. These were ruled by specific families like the Borgia and the Medici families which were wealthy. These families supported the renaissance. For example, the Medici family was able to fund the thinkers of that time3. During the late 15th century, the ruling class and the aristocracy fully adopted the Renaissance ideal. This made it easy for its philosophy and art to spread faster. Under the rule of Cosimo de' Medici, the son of Giovanni de' Medici, the town of Florence became stable and prosperous. This motivated people to support the idea of development instead of fixing their minds to the influence of the Catholic Church. Political philosophers like Niccolo Machiavelli influenced renaissance through their works. Niccolo wrote articles like Florentine Histories and The Prince and Discourses on Livy. The Prince and Discourses on Livy had much more influence than any other piece of writing at the time. It led to a change in political perspective of many people. Niccolo wanted people to view politics from the point of reality and absolutism. The families which ruled used the renaissance as their power. The renaissance got to its peak in the 16th century. There were foreign invasions in Italy which led to the turmoil of Italian wars. It led to great devastation of northern Italy and loss of independence of many states. In May, 1527, Spanish and German troops invaded Italy. It was as a result of this invasion that Rome encountered major setbacks for two decades. This brought to an end the role of the Papacy as a driver of Renaissance4. There were shifts in the control of the Papacy. Renaissance philosophy and art dominated the Vatican when wealthy families like the Borgias and Medici began controlling the Papacy. Intellectual The stage for renaissance was set by the Italian literature revolution in the 13th century. Before renaissance, Latin, French and Provencal were used as the literary languages in Italy instead of the Italian language. Come the 13th century, Italian authors began producing their works using their native language. Mid 13th century poets like Giuttone d'Arezzo and Giodo Guinizelli pioneered poetry works like Dolce Stil Novo which means Sweet New Style. This poetry work stressed on platonic rather than courtly love. Aldus Manutius initiated book printing. This led to an increase in books published in the Italian language. Italian writers were able to produce many new books about sports, science, farming and politics. At the same time, there were many texts written in Greek and Latin. These had great contributions to the Italian renaissance. A lot of study and translation was conducted to the Greek and Latin texts. Science and philosophy was also developing. This influenced the poetry and literature of the renaissance. Italy had great philosophers, artists, sculptors and many writers. Capra reveals that the Renaissance man that stood out was Leonardo da Vinci5. He was a sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, and an artist. Using his engineering knowledge, he invented machines and made advances in the field of anatomy. He also developed new techniques and skills in painting; he drew plants and birds in detail among other objects. He designed many buildings using his architectural skills6. Economic There were less economic problems at the time. The effects of the plague were over and people had enough food. This caused them to have a greater sense of the value of humanity. Italian city states were beginning to rise into economic powers. This supported the idea of change were people would think of developing and prospering here on earth than just being heaven and hell closed minded. There was an increased space for people to spread and develop. This was due to the evidence that Europe was getting warm. It made people to move to uninhabited lands. This made existing cities to enlarge7. There were significant inequalities in the society. The upper class people controlled a large portion of the wealth. This was very important for renaissance. This is because the art patronage relied on the wealthy to perpetuate their ideals. Cultural According to Burke, the Italian people were greatly under the influence of Roman and Greek cultures8. There was widespread corruption in the Catholic Church. People could not get a match between what the clergy were preaching and their actions. This led to an up rise of protestant churches. They gained followers from kings and princes. This led to religious divisions. The divisions were not only on religious grounds. They were influenced by monarchs who were gaining fame through renaissance. Writers produced religious books that spoke against the Catholic Church. This accelerated the shift from catholic influence. It led to a big change in their beliefs. People began to be influenced more by individualism. They began focusing on their earthly life instead of hell and heaven. This caused people to move to philosophy, arts, politics and science. Most of the people in northern Italy lived in rural areas. Their culture had changed not which facilitated high social change. What are major artistic accomplishments? According to Cast, major artistic complements were achieved through renaissance men like Nicollo Machiavelli, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti9. New techniques and forms of painting were introduced, an example being the fresco technique of producing opaque appearance on colours. Leonardo’s two major works are the famous Mona Liza painting and the last supper painting. Through the Mona Liza painting, Leonard portrayed the wife of a Florentine merchant. She was called Lisa del Giocondo. In this painting, Leonard was able to develop various new forms of art for example various facial movements during a smile. He also arranged her hands uniquely hence forming the pyramid design of the woman’s figure10. Nicollo Machiavelli was a political philosopher. His best accomplishment during the renaissance was The Prince. Through this work, he outlined how a prince can obtain and retain political power. He wanted to explain politics realistically based on his personal view on human nature. He also wrote other books like Mandragola, Vita di Castruccio Castracani and Istorie Fiorentine11. Michelangelo Buonarroti specialised in sculpture work. He produced great works of art like the Pieta and the Heroic Captive. His most famous sculpture is that of David. It has so much detail and realism. This was a request from the new republic of Florence which wanted a symbol of civic independence and opposition to tyranny12. Great men like Nicollo Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti stood out in driving the Italian renaissance. Through their efforts and that of many other people, many positive cultural and ideological transformations were achieved in Europe. However, renaissance was not able to achieve much economic development in some of the regions as expected of people who were intellectually transformed. Works Cited 1. Baron Hans. The Crisis of the Early Italian Renaissance: Civic Humanism and Republican Liberty in an Age of Classicism and Tyranny. Princeton. Princeton University Press. 1966. 2. Hay Denys. The Italian Renaissance in Its Historical Background. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1977. 3. Raffini Christine, Marsilio Ficino, Pietro Bembo and Baldassare Castiglione: Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Political Approaches in Renaissance Platonism. New York. Peter Lang Publishing. 1998. 4. Lamar Jensen. Renaissance Europe: Age of recovery and reconciliation. Lexington. DC Health and Company. 1992. 5. Capra Fritjof. The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance. New York. Doubleday. 2008. 6. Jurdjevic, Mark. “Hedgehogs and Foxes: The Present and Future of Italian Renaissance Intellectual History.” Journal of the Past & Present (195) pp 241-268. 2007. 7. Pullan Brian. History of Early Renaissance Italy. London: Lane, 1973. 8. Osborne Roger. Civilization: A New History of the Western World. New York. Pegasus Books. 2006. 9. Burke Peter. The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. Princeton. Princeton University Press, 1999 10. Cast David. “Review: Fra Girolamo Savonarola: Florentine Art and Renaissance Historiography by Ronald M. Steinberg”. The Art Bulletin, (1) nd. pp134-136. Read More