Thursday, March 20, 2014

Renaissance: Why Italy

Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?

1.  Use the Article below to answer the question


2. Make observations about Florence and Venice, Italy using the visual source below: Be ready to discuss


39 comments:

  1. The Renaissance began in Italy for many reasons. Unlike in many other countries, Italy was controlled by powerful families, such as the Medici family. Italian scholars around this time were bringing back and studying the manuscripts of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. "But whereas medieval thinkers had scrutinised antiquity for signs of a divine plan that vindicated the teachings of the church, what 15th-century humanists believed – and this was new – was that classical civilization was altogether different from, and superior to, medieval times in the way it looked at the world." This form of thinking was called humanitarianism and many people strived to look for the beauty of people rather than God. Money was also a huge proponent of the Renaissance, "And nowhere else in Europe was there more of it than in Italy, a society full of rich guilds, rich cities ruled by rich merchants, and rich popes." This is one of the reasons that Florence was so successful and a hub during the Renaissance. Florence was a trading hub, so many new ideas passed through the city. The Medici family also 'ruled' there. As large patrons of the arts, the Medici's rushed in new artists, authors, playwrights, and scholars bringing a rebirth of culture and the arts to Italy especially.

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  2. Jessica Goggio
    The Renaissance started in Italy for a few reasons. Some of these reasons being that the crusade caused increase of trade, growth of population, and the plague helped to open job opportunities. Wealth also contributed to the start of the Renaissance and families like the Medici's. The Medici's "sponsored" new artists, authors, and scholars. These things and many more led to the beginning of the Renaissance.

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  3. 1. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
    Political- The political system in Italy is divided into city states that were controlled by the most powerful families at the time. Politics was harsh because there were often fights between the different powerful families so the cities then were fighting.
    Humanism- Ideas changed and focused on human achievements.
    Wealth- Italy had a lot of wealth from trade so they were able to create more things.
    Patrons- People had money to pay for people to paint things for them so they became more well know and it became popular.

    2. Florence and Venice are similar in that they are both important cities in the Renaissance. Both cities are water based so they are more accessible to trade. The church is prominent in the society.

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  4. Population grew during this time and The Crusades brought about trade and northern Italy city-states grew. Then the economy was disrupted from the Bubonic Plague and 60% of the population was wiped out. A politically-active citizenry, a vigorous humanist movement and abundant wealth – better blended:it is these ingredients, in Italy in general and in Florence in particular, that are the answer to the question

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  5. The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy because Florence is located on the water, which helped trade. In addition, politics thrived. There were many wealthy people in Florence, which benefited the economy. Florence and Venice are both on bodies of water and trade was a prominent part of society. Both were also religious communities with similar architecture.

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  6. There were multiple reasons as to why the Renaissance began in Italy:
    1. Italy consisted of city-states rather than monarchies. Power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the people.
    2. One of the biggest ideas of the Renaissance was Humanism. However, many italian scholars were studying classical remains and texts before Humanism even began. Therefore, this idea was not new to them.
    3. There were many rich people in Italy who could put the Renaissance movement into gear.
    4. There were powerful families, such as the Medici family, who supported Renaissance Men and Women.

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  7. There were many reasons why the Renaissance began in Italy. Some examples would be ,because of the plague that wiped out much of the population, there were many new job opportunities. Also, There were many rich families (like the Medicis) that supported the Renaissance with art and renaissance men and woman. The last of the reasons were that many Italian scholars moved to Italy and studied classical remains. This studying has to do with Humanism and how it began.

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  8. The Renaissance began in Italy because of the crusades and the major growth of the city. There were many wealth merchants and powerful families, like the Medicis. The Medicis supported Renaissance artists which would draw many to Italy. Florence and Venice were both very important cities during the Renaissance. They have similar architecture, both with domes. They are both located near water, which makes it easily accessible. They both have many churches.

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  9. 1. The Renaissance began in Italy because many factors including politics, humanism, and because of their wealth. The political system in Italy was divided into city states that were controlled by the powerful families. Politics were very harsh because there were fights between the different powerful families which caused cities to fights. Humanism is when people started practicing appreciation of their own lives. "insofar as humanism consisted of a study of classical remains and classical texts, it was not new: medieval scholars had done plenty of that, especially in Italy, where the relics of the classical past lay literally all around".Italy had a society full of rich guilds, rich cities ruled by rich merchants, and rich popes. Europe in the 15th century depended on Italy for much of its commerce, and on this the guilds and merchants grew wealthy. It was this wealth that made patronage of the arts possible, which made the Renaissance possible.

    2. Florence and Venice are similar because they both have churches that are the central part of the city. Also, they are close to water which makes trade easier.

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  10. In the article it says “For nowhere else were the ingredients that enabled the Renaissance to flourish – a politically-active citizenry, a vigorous humanist movement and abundant wealth – better blended.” Which is talking about in Florence, it was a perfect combination of everything and that was what led to the Renaissance. Florence was ready politically for this age because of their diversity and individuality. They were also ready for this age because of the wealth in the city. The people in it and the city itself were wealthy and ready to bring in a new way of life. Lastly, they had the Medici family, who was so wealthy that they funded many now famous artists. They were willing and able to help the less fortunate in this ‘new age.’

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  12. The Renaissance began in Italy for several reasons. Some factors included the politics of Italy, as the country was divided into city-states controlled by wealthy families. Fights between different powerful families often occurred, making politics in Italy harsh. Humanism was a major idea of the renaissance, as Italy's ideas changed, focusing rather on humans' achievements. Humanism began as a result of medieval scholars who studied classical remains and texts. The Renaissance became possible through the wealth of powerful families, including the Medici's, who sponsored artists, authors, and scholars through their abundant wealth.

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  13. The Renaissance began in Italy due to several factors. To begin with, Italy was politically active. The Italian peninsula consisted of city-states and the power was shared among a small group of people. Next, humanism was a common term in Italy. The study of classical remains and texts were accomplished by medieval scholars. Finally, Italy was affluent. It was an area ruled by merchants and rich popes and the exchequer of Italy was much more abundant in comparison to the rest of Europe. In conclusion, the Renaissance began in Italy due to government set-up, humanism, and wealth.

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  14. Italy had city-states, rather than monarchies, which allowed the power to be shared. Also, because of this, humanism developed greatly. There were more classical arts and texts being created. Wealth of the middle class also helped with this. The Medici family, who were in great power over Florence, also supported the arts.

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  15. Most of Italy consisted of city-states, which divided power between more people--unlike the rest of Europe, which was mostly ruled by a single king. In Italy, politics were a rigorous business, too. Many people would do many things to gain power. Because of these politics, humanism developed in Italy which really launched the Renaissance. People tried to surpass their predecessors in terms of government, art, literature, and just accomplishments in their life in general. Italy was filled with rich people who could sponsor those who created new forms of art and literature and inventions.

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  16. The Renaissance started in Italy because of many different factors such as Italy consisted of mostly city states and gave more of its power to the people unlike the rest of Europe where the government was run by one single ruler. Also reading and writing played important roles to it becoming the start of the renaissance because this was very important to the people that they shared a common language and that education played a big role within their community. Lastly, Italy had a great amount of people who were wealthy and could afford many things that the rest of Europe could not.

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  17. There were many reasons why the Renaissance began in Italy. There were many wealthy families, including the Medicis, that sponsored different types of art. Italy also had city-states, so the power was divided among a group of people. Humanism focused on human achievements, and was also an important factor.

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  18. Politically, Italy was different from the rest of Europe. Whereas elsewhere monarchs ruled their kingdoms as God’s representatives on earth, most of the Italian peninsula (Naples and the Papal States were exceptions) consisted of city-states in which power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the inhabitants. Political life was therefore a good deal more complicated in Florence, Milan, Venice, Siena, and their like than it was in the feudal world of oath-making and obligation.

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  19. he main reason for the renaissance beginning in Italy by the 1400's was due to the crusades. Although the crusades ended in 1295 it still took around 100 years before Italy started to benefit from them. The crusades brought trade, spices, new technology, mathematics, manuscripts and the black plague. The black plague was a disease that killed millions of people. If it wasn't for the black plague the renaissance would have not began mainly because it broke down the feudal system in Italy and let peasants become a higher class type of person, many peasants moving to other countries then returning with wealth and new technology. This new class of people wanted bigger and better things with many villages competing against each other on who could create the best houses, sculptures and paintings, and now they had money to pay.

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  20. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
    Italy was a place that would allow the Renaissance the flourish. They had politically active citizens, humanist movement, and were very wealthy. Italy was different from the rest of Europe when it came to politics. Most of the Italian peninsula consisted of city-states where power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the inhabitants. Humanism played a large role in starting the Renaissance. It consisted of study of classical remains and classical texts. A realisation among the humanists that what they read and learned of the classical period impacted their lives. They strove to imitate and eventually passed up their ancestors in government, art, and literature. For all of these things to happen, they had to be wealthy. And Italy was very wealthy. Various artists emerged in Florence and there were brilliant churches built, and statues that adorned the plazas.

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  21. Italy proved to be a great place for the Renaissance to begin. The area was thriving with culture and was well off politically speaking. Florence's economy, especially, was doing very well. the Medici family was a huge contributor for this. They sponsored many successful artists and gained lots of money this way. They were also good bankers, and essentially ruled Florence for most of the 15th century. Also, there was a humanist movement during this time in Italy. People were looking to relics in order to learn more about their religion. A new idea in humanism that helped the economy was the idea that having a lot of money was not a bad thing, but could instead be beneficial for the community as a whole. This was not a problem from Italy, since there were many rich merchants, popes, and royals around the country. Italy, especially Florence, was the perfect country/city to start the Renaissance period in, as it offered many aspects that were beneficial for this particular time period.

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  22. Italy differed politically from the rest of Europe. In other countries, monarchs ruled their kingdoms as God’s representatives on earth. A large portion of the Italian peninsula (except for Naples and the Papal States) consisted of city-states. In those city states, power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the inhabitants. Political life was more complicated in Florence, Milan, Venice, and Siena.

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  23. "Politically, Italy was different from the rest of Europe. Whereas elsewhere monarchs ruled their kingdoms as God’s representatives on earth, most of the Italian peninsula (Naples and the Papal States were exceptions) consisted of city-states in which power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the inhabitants. Political life was therefore a good deal more complicated in Florence, Milan, Venice, Siena, and their like than it was in the feudal world of oath-making and obligation. It was in such a dynamic political atmosphere that the Italian city-states nurtured the great intellectual movement of the Renaissance: humanism. Insofar as humanism consisted of a study of classical remains and classical texts, it was not new: medieval scholars had done plenty of that, especially in Italy, where the relics of the classical past lay literally all around. But whereas medieval thinkers had scrutinised antiquity for signs of a divine plan that vindicated the teachings of the church, what 15th-century humanists believed – and this was new – was that classical civilisation was altogether different from, and superior to, medieval times in the way it looked at the world."

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  24. The Renaissance began in Italy for several reasons. Italy varied politically from other parts of Europe as it was divided into city-states with their own powerful leaders, but who held control over these was a constantly shifting power struggle. The new idea of humanism also developed strongest in Italy, switching the views of the people there to allow the great "rebirth" of learning and culture through improved takes on classical foundations. Italy was also extremely wealthy having been home to successful and rich guilds, merchants, popes, and more, providing the funds necessary to support the arts there. Finally, the city of Florence, while under the control of the wealthy banking family the Medici's, flourished as a center of arts, learning, wealth, and culture as a whole that defined the Renaissance.

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  25. Italy was home to many different towns and city states. Between these separate establishments there was a great deal of competition. For this reason many advancements were made in Italy; one group would strive to accomplish something simply so that they could claim the glory instead of their rivals. There were also many rich inhabitants of Italy. These wealthy citizens helped to promote commerce in an area that was already placed well geographically for this purpose. The Medicis were one family of these wealthy leaders who used their money to gain power for both themselves and the area they lived in.

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  26. The Renaissance began in Italy for several different reasons. One of the reasons is that Italy had divided itself into multiple city states which split up the power. Majority of the power was given to the people while in other parts of Europe, everything is ruled by a single ruler in that area. Another reason is that the people had started to become more interested in reading and writing. Everyone consisted of a common language in Italy which helped then create common schools. Finally, in Italy people were very wealthy and could afford many things that other parts of Europe could not. This is why Italy had a Renaissance period.

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  27. The renaissance began in Italy because it was located on the water which made it easy for trade. Italy also had many different towns and city states. The wealthy citizens living in Italy helped promote commerce.

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  29. The Renaissance began in Italy because the crusades spurred the trade and the growth in city states and the plagues disrupted the economy and population. Also their water ways helped to boost trade also they had many influential and successful people living there like the Medici family which helped Italy and the Renaissance thrive. Also the architecture is similar in the ways that they both have arches and domes. Also it has a central water way that moves through the town for transportation and trades which helps. It was kind of like their highway.

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  30. The Renaissance began in Italy because of the multiple city states that Italy was divided into, also dividing the power. Next, Italy's views on humanism developed the strongest and it was the "rebirth" of learning and culture. Also, Florence was very wealthy and it was crucial to the growth of the Renaissance. The Medici family helped to exemplify the change from 'The Middle Ages' to the 'Renaissance' with the high culture.

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  31. The Renaissance originated in Italy due to political, human and economic reasons as well as large patrons of art and new ideas such as the Medici family. The Italian Peninsula was one of the only areas during this time that was not a monarch ruled by someone thought to be a representative of God. Instead, power in Italy was controlled by the inhabitants this made the political life more complicated. The people of this time started to pass up their ancestors when they excelled in the arts, literature, building and government. This was caused by a realization of the citizens that what they were learning and reading about had a very practical purpose in their life. Italy was also recognized as a wealthy areas which allowed patrons to support the arts. The new ideas and circumstances in Italy were not prevalent in all of Europe during this time; for this reason, the Renaissance originated here.

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  32. • City states in Italy were growing. After the Crusades ended, trade increased again. Italy's geographic location on the Mediterranean Sea allowed it to be a great center for commerce. So, trade brought wealth and new goods and inventions to Italy. Rome and other places in Italy supported artisans and thinkers, so this approval allowed the Renaissance to begin.

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  33. Politically, the city-states of Italy ruled in a different way than the European monarchs who believed God placed them in a position to rule. Also, feudalism with its obligation to the rulers and lords, was not practiced in the European city-states. Power resulted from wealth and the powerful ruling families like the Medici's were prepared to use any means to maintain their positions of power. During this period, classical studies led to an emphasis on humanism--where scholars sought to learn from the classics and surpass and exceed the earlier accomplishments. They sought to translate what they learned from the classics into benefits for the community. The written word, books, architecture, sculpture, painting and so on, thrived. Beautiful frescos, chapel sculpture, and gorgeous paintings illustrated the emergence of the renaissance in Florence.

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  34. The Renaissance began in Italy for many reasons. Some of these reasons included: politics, humanism, wealth, and the Medici family. In Italy during this time, city-states were used as part of a political system. In these city-states, power was shared between a greater or lesser number of the inhabitants, instead of using a religious monarch to lead like the rest of the world was at this time. Classical civilization in Italy was altogether different from, and superior to, medieval times in the way it looked at the world. People then realized what they read and learned of the classical period had a practical value for their own lives. This was part of humanism. For humanism to be practiced, money was required. Italy was the richest country in Europe at the time, meaning patronage of the arts was made possible. The Medici family provided the wealth to run a government and realistic ideas to believe that humanism is important. They held a tremendous amount of power over the city of Florence, Italy. Both Florence and Venice were religious cities that used water for transportation and had architecture that was important in culture.

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  35. On the Italian peninsula, power was distributed more evenly. City-states contributed to a greater and more effective economy. Italy also encouraged humanism and had lots of money. Also, the Medici family was very skilled in the arts and sciences, and they ruled Italy over a long period of time.

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  36. Italy ruled a different way than other European monarchs. Feudalism was not practiced either in the city-states. The only way to get power was from wealth like the Medici family who ruled for a long time. This period humanism started. Scholars were trying to translate and make new accomplishments to benefit the community.

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  37. There were many reasons for the Renaissance to begin in Italy. One of these has to do with the surge of weealth in the area. The Medici family and others participated in banking. Also, Italy is located on many rivers and i is a penninsula, making it ideal for trade. It is also located in old Rome, where many of the original ideas about humanism were born. Along with that people from Constantinople moved back to the west after their city was destroyed. They brought the old ideas of Rome with them.

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  38. Power was for the most part, distributed evenly on the Italian peninsula, with city-states contributing to a more effective economy. This was a wealthy area; the Medici family and other participated in banking (elizabeth). Next, Italy's views on humanism developed the strongest and it was the "rebirth" of learning and culture. Also, Florence was very wealthy and it was crucial to the growth of the Renaissance. The Medici family helped to exemplify the change from 'The Middle Ages' to the 'Renaissance' with the high culture (shelia)

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  39. The renaissance started in Italy because that is where there was a lot of trading. Italy also had many different towns and city states and had a somewhat large population. The more wealthy people lived in Italy.

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