Martha's HIST04b Resources: The Renaissance

`THE RENAISSANCE AND FORWARD`

THE RENAISSANCE

Botticelli - Sandro: Botticelli's painting the "Allegory of Fortitude." This painting introduced Florence to this young and gifted artist of the Renaissance Era. Quite amazing that this painting was created to be the back of a tall chair in a Court. And HERE.
Byzantines in Renaissance Italy: Role of Byzantine immigrants in Italy. Reasons for immigration, the kind of people that immigrated, their contributions as labourers, artisans, scribes, and Greek scholars.
Renaissance Dante in Print(1472-1629): Dante's poem,"the Divine Comedy,"relating his heavenly ordained journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise enjoyed immediate success. More than 600 surviving manuscripts of the Divine Comedy produced during the 14th century attest to the work's popularity. Dante was one of few that produced literally works during the High Middle Ages. A fine page.
Gardens, Villas, and Social Life in Renaissance Florence: "Upper class Florentines played out a good part of their lives amidst gardens - in the small oases of green and quiet which were the gardens of their city palaces, in semi-rural retreats in the suburbs, or in the more expansive grounds of country villas." These villas were built at great expense and very elaborately furnished. Women spent long periods in the country, often acting as estate managers.
La Renaissance: "The term Renaissance, adopted from the French equivalent of the Italian word rinascita, meaning literally 'rebirth,' describes the radical and comprehensive changes that took place in European culture during the 15th and 16th centuries, bringing about the demise of the Middle Ages and embodying for the first time the values of the modern world. The consciousness of cultural rebirth was itself a characteristic of the Renaissance. Italian scholars and critics of this period proclaimed that their age had progressed beyond the barbarism of the past and had found its inspiration, and its closest parallel, in the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome." Useful links to the Renaissance in Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, France. Renaissance art.
Fifteenth Century and the Renaissance: Florence during the 15th Century and the rise of the Renaissance era. Economic and political uprisings, political growth, new tax systems, families and power. Artistic contributions of Italians to the world of art and architecture. Pictures of amazing architectural buildings in Florence, the "Rennaissance City 'Par Excellent.'"
States of Italy During the Renaissance: Renaissance as a time of changing, of "rebirth" in Italy. Scientists with newfound interest mathematics, physics, and astronomy. Artists and scientists studying the human body with great precision; and artists using these studies to create artwork emphasizing the true human form. Human beings valued as individuals. People no longer seen as drifting souls through society who waited for their time to die. How the change and hunger for knowledge undermined the Church. Despite the Church's efforts to take control of the phenomena, the Renaissance spread throughout Italy and Europe.
Malaspina Great Books of the Renaissance: Authors from Renaissance era from 1452-1631 and links to their various books, or other materials pertaining to each specific author. The greats are all here: da Vinci, Machiavelli, Erasmus, Copernicus, More, Luther, Maleficarum, Rabelais, John Calvin, Teresa of Avila, Montaigne, Gilbert, Cervantes, Spenser, Bacon, Shakespeare, Galileo, Kepler, Donne.
Map of the Major Powers in Renaissance Italy - Political Subdivisions in 15th Century
Masaccio - Famous Artist Known as Founder of Renaissance Painting.
Michelangelo Buonarroti: The Italian painter, sculptor, and poet and some of his most famous works of art.
Renaissance Faires: The Basic Site: "Renaissance Faire is an amalgam of many things. Partly a craft fair, partly historical reenactment, partly performance art." Fair locations and time. Tips on reenactment including clothing styles, material, and dyes and recommended patterns for clothing and makers of clothing; Elizabethan accents, vocabulary, and list of literary works; and period names and professions. Brief history of Elizabethan period and Elizabeth's household.
Renaissance Pages: 114 links to Renaissance topics ranging from fine arts to religious movements. Special sections on Leonardo Da Vinci and Dutch exploration. Check out "The Tudors," "Project X," "The Internet Renaissance Band," "The Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies," "The Galileo Project, Homepage," and "Overview of Objects and Topics."
Virtual Classroom: The Renaissance: Basic facts about the Renaissance. Although intended primarily for elementary students, includes infomation vignettes, and excellent links. "About 1450, European scholars became more interested in studying the world around them. Their art became more true to life. They began to explore new lands. The new age in Europe was eventually called "the Renaissance." Renaissance is a French word that means "rebirth." Historians consider the Renaissance to be the beginning of modern history. The Renaissance began in northern Italy and then spread through Europe. Italian cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Venice became centers of trade between Europe and the Middle East. Arab scholars preserved the writings of the ancient Greeks in their libraries. When the Italian cities traded with the Arabs, ideas were xchanged along with goods."
WebMuseum: La Renaissance: "The term Renaissance, describing the period of European history from the early 14th to the late 16th century, is derived from the French word for rebirth, and originally referred to the revival of the values and artistic styles of classical antiquity during that period, especially in Italy. In the 18th century Renaissance in Italy was classified as one of the great ages of human cultural achievement. In the 19th century, it became a distinct historical period heralding the modern age, characterized by the rise of the individual, scientific inquiry and geographical exploration, and the growth of secular values." In the 20th century the term was broadened to include other revivals of classical culture, such as the Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century or the Renaissance of the 12th Century. No single philosophy or ideology dominated the intellectual life of the Renaissance.
Women Philosophers of the Renaissance: Women philosophers of the Renaissance era. Short paragraphs on some of the most influential women of that time period. Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila, Christine de Pisan, Julian of Norwich, and Birgitta of Sweden. For example, Catherine of Siena made an impression on history because of her involvement in the Church. Thought of as the "true mystic" of the Renaissance. Informative and a good place to get the reader's attention about women involved in the Renaissance.

HUMANISM, HUMANISTS, SCHOLARS, THINKIERS, CREATORS

The Essays of Francis Bacon: Philosopher, statesman, lawyer and essayist, Francis Bacon was intellectual giant of late 16th/early 17th century. Do not let longest site address in universe fool you. Wonderful, wide-ranging compilation of short, concise essays - covering everything from nature of truth to "The True Greatness of Kingdoms and Estates." Evidence of explosion of thought during Renaissance/Enlightenment.
Sir Francis Bacon's Advancement of Learning: Playful exploration of life and work of Renaissance intellectual giant Francis Bacon (1561-1626), with an eye towards proving Bacon wrote Shakepeare's plays. Preposterous but fun.
Erasmus: Concise pages give good overview of Prince of Humanists and why he became a towering figure in his time.
Erasmus Text Project: Known as "Prince of Humanists," Desiderius Erasmus (1469? - 1536) was one of driving forces of Renaissance intellectual thought. Site is devotee's translations of Erasmus' earthshaking writings about "men, manners and things." Creator's enthusiasm is infectious.
Desiderius Erasmus: "Erasmus may now be said to have reached the acme of his fame; he was in high repute throughout all Europe, and was regarded as an oracle both by princes and scholars." Fully detailed treatise of Erasmus' evolution. The literary war with Martin Luther. Concisely reiterates his contribution to New Testament scholarship, his Textus Receptus.
Three Prayers: "Grant us that we, who have through baptism been reborn in thee, have put aside our old selves, and been made new creations, might never slip back to our old ways." Translation of three prayers by Erasmus.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650): Brilliant scientist, mathematician and philosopher, Rene Descarte's ability to correlate philosophy and science was a major influence on western thought. Famous for his paradigm shifting phrase: "I think therefore I am." Site also links to his texts and explanations of his discoveries. Good biographical web site.
Descartes and Mathematics: "We may consider Descartes as the first of the modern school of mathematics."
Sir Thomas More (1478-1535): Excellent Chronology of Thomas More - humanist, philosopher, saint. Link to his book Utopia, a term he coined for his perfect society of communistic democracy but gopher server seems down all the time. Alternative site with less information about More but a good link to Utopia is here.
The St. Thomas More Web Site: Writings, biographies, pictures. Central site for the "Man for All Seasons." As Samuel Johnson wrote: "He was the person of the greatest virtue these islands ever produced."


Humanism (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy): Great humanists of the Renaissance era, such as Petrarch Dante, and Boccaccio. The character of the Humanist Movemen. Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Humanism: From the Vatican Hall: What was Humanism? Explains how humanists created new classical scholarship while at the same time trying to understand the works of the Greeks and Romans. Both officials and wealthy families hired humanists to teach their children how to write elegant, classical letters, histories, and propaganda in the style of classical morality. Humanist movement could not reform the church because of its double standard of supporting the Church and challenging it at the same time. Good links to Classical Scholarships, Humanist Theology, Ciceronianism.
Humanism: An Introduction: "The intellectual and social movement which historians call humanism is what lies at the base of the period we call the Renaissance. Humanism and its ideals came to pervade the art, literature, learning, law, and civic life, first in Italy, then in all of Europe. But what is humanism? Scholars are still debating this issue, but there is a consensus on a basic definition. Simply put, humanism is a rediscovery and re-evaluation of the aspects of classical civilization (ancient Greece and Rome) and the application of these aspects to intellectual and social culture." What is humanism? Why did it start in Italy? Who was the first humanist? Concise site for a quick insight into Humanism.

LEONARDO DAVINCI

DaVinci's Short Biography: "Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest inventor-scientist of recorded history. His genius was unbounded by time and technology, and was driven by his insatiable curiosity, and his intuitive sense of the laws of nature." His designs, scientific accomplishments, masterpieces.
Leonardo da Vinci Museum: Leonardo's Home Town: Amazing site! Notes on Leonardo's home town of Vinci, its history, includes beautiful pictures. Leonardo's biography and some images of his art work. A look at the museum and the artwork contained on each floor of the building. Gorgeous pictures of Italy and colorful images.
Leonardo Home Page: Wonderful site! Explore this "remarkable Renaissance man . . . this fascinating scientist, inventor, and artist." Brief biography with images, his curious habit of writing in reverse, his way of looking at the world, and some of his futuristic inventions. "He was a terrific role model for applying the scientific method creatively in every aspect of life including art and music. Although he is best known for his dramatic and expressive artwork, Leonardo also conducted dozens of carefully thought out experiments and created futuristic inventions in a time before modern science and invention had really begun." "There has never been an artist who was more fittingly, and without qualification, described as a genius." A true Renaissance man, excelling in science, botany, architecture and engineering, art. Stunning graphics.
Leonardo: The World in One Man: "In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace. And what did they produce? The cuckoo-clock." -Orson Welles in "The Third Man." Leonardo's art, science, engineering, inventions, impact. "What do helicopters, submarines, speech and anatomy have in common? Leonardo thought about or worked with each one in his life. Most people first associate Leonardo with art, but in reality he did the same, if not more work, with science and engineering. . . . Leonardo was an exceptional thinker and wanted to know about everything and how it worked. All his studies are still visible in his thousands of pages of notes and drawings. Leonardo dug up graves to obtain cadavers for his exploration of anatomy. He made little paper models of his inventions (such as the flying machine) to see if they worked. Believe it or not, some of Leonardo's works did fly! . . . Many of da Vinci's ideas were related to war. These include shrapnel, gas bombs and tanks among others. Come along and look at some of these sketches!" Another good site, Leonardo Bookmarks. And the amazing Think Quest, Why is the Mona Lisa Smiling?
WebMuseum: Leonardo da Vinci: Beautiful! Some of famous paintings by Leonardo including "Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa." Click on miniature paintings to see them in screen size. What is so great about his paintings? What to look for in his paintings? Explanations on a few paintings. Links to Renaissance and other great painters of that period, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt.

MACHIAVELLI

ILTweb: Digtial Classics: Machiavelli: The Prince - In translation
Machiavelli: Patriot and Political Genius: "Machiavelli had been unfairly attacked all of his life because of a bad reputation. But it only got worse after he died. He was continually blasted for his "support" of corrupt ruling. In fact, Machiavellian now means corrupt government. Only recently has his true personality come to light. . . a patriot and a political genius."
Nicolo Machiavelli: Power for Good or Bad: Shows how we can interpret Machiavelli's view on politics as both good and bad. Ends with the thought of how world rulers we like to hate (ie. Hitler) used Machiavelli's book as inspiration. Extensive site.
Niccolo Machiavelli: "Born in Florence when it was under the rule of the Medicis, Machiavelli initiated his career in the Florentine civil service in 1498 during the period when the Medicis were out of power, replaced by a republican government. He rose to important diplomatic posts within the government, but was forced into retirement when the Medici family came back to power in 1512. He never gave up hope of returning to favor, and he wrote his most famous work, The Prince (1513), in part as an application to the Medic rulers for a job in the Florentine government. The book has since become a classic treatise in political theory, above all for the way that it divorces politics from theology and metaphysics. "
How Machiavellian Are You?: Quiz that let's visitors decide how Machiavellian their thinking is!
Niccolo Machiavelli , Italian Statesman and Political Philosopher: "The Father of modern political theory."
A Child's Machiavelli: Very clever spoof showing what would have happened if Antoine St. Exupery's The Little Prince had been written by Machiavelli!
Niccolo Machiavelli 1469-1527: "Renaissance Italy was the turbulent setting for Machiavelli's political analysis. Artistic creativity (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael) and intellectual curiosity was running fast. There was renewed interest in Greek philosophy. The spirit was "virtu vince fortuna" - mens' wisdom and efforts bring about change. . . Machiavelli draws lessons from the power plays of history and his own observation. He reflects on how thngs actually are rather than offering a wish list of ideal. He reflects that those who seek to act virtuously in all things are undone by those how are not virtuous. Whilst not sanctioning mindless violence and cruelty, betrayal and treachery for their own sake, he advises Princes to be feared (not hatred) and loved - a difficult combnation but Machiavelli is pessimistic about ungrateful, fickle, greedy human nature."
Medieval Sourcebook: Machiavelli: The Prince [excerpts] - Short Excerpts.