Economic

Foundations Italian City-States

 Crusades lead to an increased demand in  Disagreements between Church & Northern

Middle Eastern goods Italian city-states over usury (lending money
 More European goods produced for trade to w/ interest) leads to more secularization
 Florence, Genoa, & Venice grow wealthy:
Middle Eastern markets
o proximity to trade routes
 Credit & Banking develop to aid long-distance
o distribution centers
trade – Letters of Credit o independent; governed as Republics
o New Accounting/Bookkeeping methods  Wealthy merchants become active civic
adopted (Arabic Numerals) leaders
 Medici
o Wealthy Florence family
Art & Literature  Patrons of the Arts Machiavelli
 Focus on individuals & worldly matters in addition
to Christianity  The Prince
 Humanism  Early modern treatise (written work dealing formally and
o Celebrated the Individual The Renaissance systematically with a subject) on Government
o Renewed interest in Greek/Roman works  Supports Absolute Power of rulers
o Supported by wealthy patrons Rebirth of arts and sciences  “End justifies the means”
 Francesco Petrarch  Advises that one should not only do good if possible, but
o “Father “ of Humanism
Northern Renaissance do evil when necessary
o Writer of Sonnets
 Leonardo DaVinci
o Mona Lisa & The Last Supper  Growing wealth in Northern Europe supported Renaissance ideas.
 Michelangelo  Northern Renaissance thinkers merged humanist ideas with
o Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel & David Christianity = Christian Humanism
 The movable type printing press and the production and sale
of books (e.g., Gutenberg Bible) helped disseminate ideas.
 Northern Renaissance Writers
o Desiderius Erasmus – The Praise of Folly (1511)
o Sir Thomas More – Utopia (1516)
 Northern Artists
o Dürer, Van Eyck, Hans Holbein the Younger, Bruegel