The New Dawn of Europe - Renaissance

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The word Renaissance, literally means "Rebirth" in French, and was first appeared in English in the 1830s.

The Renaissance generally considered to have started in Florence, Italy around the years 1350 to 1400. The Renaissance was a period of time from the 14th to the 17th century in Europe. This era bridged the time between the Middle Ages and modern times.

Florence, Italy

The start of the Renaissance also was the end of the Middle Ages. In the late 1300s, Florence had become a rich city. Wealthy merchants and businessmen had the money to hire artisans and craftspeople. This inspired competitions among artists and thinkers. Art began to flourish and new thoughts began to emerge.

The Medici Family was powerful in Florence

In the 1400's the Medici family came into power in Florence. They were wealthy bankers and helped the arts along by sponsoring many artists and using their personal funds to further the humanist movement.

One of the big changes in the Renaissance was in the basic way people thought about things. In the Middle Ages people thought that life was supposed to be hard. They grew up thinking that life was nothing but hard work and war. However, around the 1300s, the people in Florence, Italy began to think differently about life. They studied the writings and works of the Greeks and the Romans and realized that earlier civilizations had lived differently.

This new way of thinking was called Humanism. Now people thought that life could be enjoyable and they could have comforts. They started to think that people should be educated and that things like art, music, and science could make life better for everyone. This was a real change in the way people thought.

Francesco Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism". He was a scholar and a poet who lived in Florence in the 1300s. First Renaissance Painter - Giotto di Bondone was a painter in Florence, Italy. Giotto is said to have started the Renaissance in art with his new style of realistic painting.


The Renaissance Man : Leonardo da Vinci was a master painter, sculptor, scientist, inventor, architect, engineer, and writer. Michelangelo was also a superb painter, sculptor, and architect.

The Renaissance was a time of "coming out of the dark". It was a rebirth of education, science, art, literature, music, and a better life for people in general.


Source : Class Notes