The Renaissance: A New Dawn in European History

The Renaissance was one of the most exciting periods in European history, marking a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. Beginning in Italy during the 14th century and lasting until the 17th century, this “rebirth” transformed art, thinking, and society in remarkable ways.

The Italian Renaissance

The Renaissance first bloomed in the wealthy Italian city-states, particularly Florence. Several factors made Italy the perfect birthplace for this cultural revolution:

• Wealthy merchant families (like the Medici) who supported artists
• Access to ancient Greek and Roman texts
• Strategic location for trade with both Europe and the East
• Independent city-states that competed to create the most beautiful art and architecture

Art and Architecture
Renaissance artists made groundbreaking changes in how they portrayed the world:

• Development of perspective to create depth in paintings
• More realistic human figures based on anatomy studies
• Use of new techniques like oil painting
• Famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael

Notable achievements included:

• Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling
• Leonardo’s Mona Lisa
• Brunelleschi’s dome on Florence Cathedral

Philosophy and Learning
The Renaissance brought new ways of thinking:

• Humanism: focus on human potential and achievement
• Revival of classical learning from ancient Greece and Rome
• Emphasis on education in literature, art, and science
• Growth of secular (non-religious) thinking
• Important thinkers like Erasmus and Petrarch

The Northern Renaissance

As these ideas spread north of Italy, they took on unique characteristics:

• More focus on religious subjects in art
• Development of oil painting techniques
• Famous artists like Albrecht Dürer and Jan van Eyck
• Printing press invention by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440
• Growth of universities and learning

Political Changes
The Renaissance period saw important political developments:

• Rise of powerful banking families
• Growth of trade and commerce
• Development of diplomacy between city-states
• Strengthening of monarchies in northern Europe
• New political ideas from writers like Machiavelli

Legacy
The Renaissance left lasting impacts that shaped our modern world:

• Scientific method and observation
• Importance of individual achievement
• Revival of classical learning
• Development of modern artistic techniques
• Growth of secular education and thinking

This period marked the beginning of many modern ideas about art, science, politics, and human potential that we still value today. The Renaissance showed how the rediscovery of old knowledge combined with new thinking could transform society and culture.

Crash Course Content

• Florence and the Renaissance
• The Northern Renaissance
• The Age of Exploration

The Sources

Each of the links below will take you to a primary source. The sources are organized chronologically and geographically. Each geographical heading will take you to a Crash Course World History lesson video dealing with that area.

The Italian Renaissance

Bruni, “Study of Greek Literature and a Humanist Educational Program” (1405)
Kramer and Sprenger Malleus Maleficarum (1486)
Pico, “Oration on the Dignity of Man” (c. 1494)

The Northern Renaissance

Erasmus, Praise of Folly (1509) (full text here)
Thomas More, Utopia (1516) (full text here)
Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1513) (selection)
William Shakespeare, Selections on Human Nature and HUMAN CONDITION

The Age of European Exploration

K. Sale, The Noble Savage and the Savage Beast (a secondary source)
de las Casas, Apologetic History of the Indies (1566)