Meaning & Characteristics of the Italian Renaissance -Renaissance means rebirth

-Italian people believed that a thousand years between their era & the Roman Empire was a middle period (hence, Middle Ages) full of darkness because of lack of classical culture -Scholars dont believe that the Renaissance was a dramatic change in culture but economical, political & social life progressed -The Renaissance was a distinct period of European history that manifested itself first in Italy then spread throughout Europe -Renaissance Italy was an urban society & was mostly a land of independent cities that dominated the country districts around them -The Renaissance was & age of recovery from the Black Death -Italians became interested in the Greco-Roman culture of the ancient Mediterranean world -A high regard for human dignity & worth & a realization of individual potentiality created a new social ideal of the wellrounded personality or universal person who was capable of achievements in many areas of life

The Making of Renaissance Society

Economic Recovery -By the 14th century, Italian merchants were carrying on a flourishing commerce throughout the Mediterranean & had also expanded their lines of trade north along the Atlantic seaboard -Expansion of trade: In the 13th century, a number of North German coastal towns had formed a commercial or military association known as the Hansa, or Hanseatic League. By 1500 more than 80 cities belonged to the league, which had established settlements & commercial bases in many cities in northern Europe. It had a monopoly on northern European trade in timber, fish, grain, metals, honey, & wines. Its southern outlet in Flanders became the economic crossroads of Europe in the 14th century. In the 15th century, due to silting of a port the Hanseatic League declined, unable to compete with larger territorial states.. -Industries old & new: The economic depression affected manufacturing. Woolen industries & northern Italian cities were devastated. Then it began to recover while Italian cities began to develop & expand luxury industries, especially silk, glassware & handworked items. Other rising industries included printing, mining & metallurgy. New machinery was developed. Expanding iron production & new skills in metalworking led to the development of more effective firearms. -Banking & the Medici: Florence regained its supremacy in banking in the 15 th century due to the Medici family, who expanded from cloth production into commerce, real estate, & banking. They were also the principal bankers for the papacy, a position that produced big profits & influence at the papal court. The Medici bank suffered a sudden decline at the end of the century due to poor leadership & series of bad loans to rulers. Social Changes in the Renaissance -Society was fundamentally divided into three estates: the First Estate, the clergy (believed people should be guided to spiritual ends); the Second Estate, the nobility (nobles provided security & justice for society); & the Third estate, peasants & inhabitants of towns & cities. -The nobility: The nobles, old & new, who constituted between 2 & 3 percent of the population in most countries, managed to dominate society as they had done in the Middle Ages, serving as military officers & holding important political posts as well as advising the king. Later on they pursued education to maintain their role in govt. The Book of the Courtier by the Italian Baldassare Castiglione expressed the ideas expected of the aristocrat. -Peasants & Townspeople: Most of the European population was made of peasants. The most noticeable trend produced by the economic crisis of the 14th century was the decline of the manorial system & the continuing eliminations of serfdom. By the end of the 15th century, serfdom was declining in western Europe & more peasants were becoming legally free. The remainder of the Third Estate centered around the inhabitants of towns & cities. A multitude of townspeople were widely separated socially & economically. At the top of urban society were the patricians (whose wealth from capitalistic enterprises in trade, industry, & banking enabled them to dominate their urban communities economically, socially, & politically). Then there are the petty burghers (shopkeepers, artisans, guild masters, & guild members, who were concerned with providing goods & services for local consumption). Then there were the property-less workers earning pitiful wages, and the unemployed, living miserable lives. Beneath were the slaves. -Slavery in the Renaissance: In the second half of the 14th century, the shortage of workers after the Black Death led Italians to introduce slavery on a large scale. Slaves were used as skilled workers, making handcrafted good for their masters, or as household workers. Girls were nursemaids and boys were playmates. Slaves for the Italian market were obtained primarily from the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. There were also slaves from Africa and Muslims from Spain. By the end of the 15th century, slavery had declined dramatically. Many slaves had been freed by their owners and the major source of slaves was closed. In the 15th century, the Portuguese had imported increasing numbers of African slaves for Southern European markets. The presence of blacks in European society was not new.