The Renaissance is a period from the 14th to the 17th century, considered the bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern History. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe.
The word renaissance is a French word which means ‘rebirth’. The period credited with beginning the Renaissance were trying to recreate the classical models of Ancient Greek and Rome.
The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy and spread to other city-states in Italy.
The Renaissance happened because of a few key events. It started in Italy, which was a major center for money, trade, and cultural because many of the trade routes of the world met up there. The Renaissance got its start in Italy, but the exciting new ideas traveled quickly inspiring others all over Europe.
Before the Renaissance, the Catholic Church was a huge power in Europe. This was especially true in Italy because the Catholic Church is based out of Rome, Italy. People followed the church’s entire rule no matter what they were until the plague.
Perhaps, the biggest reason for the start of the Renaissance was the bubonic plague, a very contagious disease also called ‘the Black Death’ for the black spots it caused on the skin before the person died. When the plague hit, medicine was not like it is today. The church said to pray, but it didn’t stop anyone from dying. By 1350, more than 20 million people had died.
When the plague ended, many people broke away from the church and started thinking differently. And so began Humanism, a belief in the power of humans here on Earth, our intelligence, our creativity, and the permission to enjoy life as we live it.
The humanists believed that individuals had important contributions to make in the world, rather than that, the only ideas were of the Church. Humanism emphasized that man is the center of the universe and that all human achievements in art, literature, and science should be regarded. Instead of relying on the will of God, people began to act according to capabilities. It looked for realism and human emotion in art. It also said that it is not wrong for people to pursue comfort, riches, and beauty.
The term Renaissance Man refers to a person that is an expert and talented in many areas. Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance crossed multiple disciplines that he was referred to as the Renaissance man. Apart from the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, two works of art he is famous for, he also did extensive studies and invented various machines and also surgery.
Leonardo da Vinci also created the map of the anatomical proportions of the human body, a very important study based on the notes of the architect Vitruvius. The defining of man as the measure of all things, the essence of the Renaissance is reflected in this.
1346 Bubonic plague begins
1350 Renaissance begins
1413 Burnelleschi creates Linear Perspectives in Art
1429 Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans
1439 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press
1464 Cosimo de Medici dies (Banker and Wealthy Florentine, also one of the most important patrons of Renaissance artists)
1478 The Spanish inquisition
1486 Botticelli paints the Birth of Venus
1492 Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean
1510 Raphael paints the School of Athens Fresco
1512 Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel
1514 Machiavelli writes the Prince
1514 Thomas More writes the Utopia
1517 Martin Luther creates the theses for the birth of Protestantism
1559 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth the First
Some of the important artists of the Renaissance are:
