MR SPENCE HISTORY
Key Content
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Causes of the Renaissance
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Forms of Governance in Milan, Florence, and Venice
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Importance of Patronage
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Literature and Political Writings
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Cause and Spread of the Northern and Spanish Renaissance
The Renaissance
1400-1600
Paradoxical as it may seem, the Renaissance movement was a systematic attempt to go forward by going back – in other words, to break with medieval tradition by following an older model, that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The French historian Jules Michelet first used the term Renaissance in 1858 and then entered the permanent lexicon through the publishing of Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. The usage stuck and it became popular to talk of the fall of Rome, followed by the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, then the Renaissance. Such labelling is fraught with difficulties.
One of the problems with the classic definitions of the Renaissance is that they celebrate the achievements of European civilisation to the exclusion of all others. Art, Literature, and Political Historians all have different dates for the Renaissance's beginning . Most Historians will point to 1400-1600 as the dates of the Renaissance in Italy, but prefer early-modern period for describing Italy as a whole. The historiography of the period has also moved immeasurably since Buckhardt in 1860, what seemed a pivotal event in shaping the world that he inhabited now seems very archaic and distant to us.
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Renaissance literature is a term that is misleading and anachronistic. It was a term that did not exist at the time so it is hard to define what counts. Works like Machiavelli, travelogues, scientific works of Sir Francis Bacon are all taught in College courses, but they were not intended to be read as work of literature. Until the 16th Century there were really no full time professional writers before the growth of the theatre in particular in England and Spain Any discussion of Renaissance literature is dominated by discussions of Shakespeare and Cervantes and it is unclear if they are part of the syllabus. To be certain in our focus we are going to focus on only Italian writers. Just be clear in any essay that sticking to Italy is a deliberate choice. Renaissance scholars provide many ways that the Italian authors have led to the development of modern literature, however it is problematic for us to make a decision on how important they were. It has to be considered that those who have gone into the field may hold some quite strong conscious and unconscious biases. Without reading all of the works it is difficult for us to make firm judgements. The importance of poltical writers is clearer. But be careful on focussing exclusively on Machiavelli. His works were banned in both Catholic and Protestant Europe, making his impact at the time minimal. Like with litearture we will stay away from the major figures of Wiznet, Bodin and Lipsius to remain centred in Italy. Castiglione, Petrarch, Valla and Guicciardini will give you more than enough to accompany your evaluation of Machiavelli
Assessment
“The wealth of Italian cities was the most significant factor in the development of the Renaissance.” Discuss.
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Evaluate the role of papal patronage in promoting the arts.
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Compare and contrast the forms of government in two of the following Italian city states: Milan, Florence, Venice.
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Evaluate the contribution of social and political factors to the development of the Renaissance in Florence.
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Evaluate the significance of the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici and Ludovico Sforza in the development of the Italian Renaissance.
This is your last chance before the mock exam to get your essay writing correct.
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Try to focus on explaining the question well. For example work through the focus of the question systematically. If you are writing about Papal Patronage you could work through individual popes or by artistic medium. Whatever you choose ensure you have three pieces of good evidence for each paragraph.
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Only after comprehensively answering the question would you then perhaps discuss popes who failed to patronise the arts or question the worth of the art produced.
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Remember that you only need to show an awareness of different perspectives. In the first instance you need to show you fully understand the available answer for the question before you start challenging others interpretations.
The curriculum states that the 'Spread of the Renaissance into Burgundy and Germany' should be studied. This is interesting as it implies that the Northern Renaissance was an offshoot of an Italian forerunner. Jacob Kroener disagrees and he makes a compelling case that the Northern Renaissance took some inspiration from Italy but in some other important respects it predated it. You will need to understand why the Renaissance happened in the north and then evaluate how far was it a result of Italy. You will also need to understand some of the key developments of the Northern Renaissance (primarily in art). Be aware that after 1477, Burgundy ceased to exist so any reference to Dutch or Flemish writers or artists after this time is not part of the syllabus.
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The Spanish Renaissance is difficult to characterise, especially when Spain was two different kingdoms with very different traditions. Spain had all the outward appearances of going through a Renaissance, but it is hollow. The ideas of the Renaissance either from the North or Italy never really permeated into Spain. The Renaissance's minimal progress partly derives from Spain's unique society , but also due to rigourous effort by secular and religious authorities to block any ideas that they found potentially destabilising. What is perhaps particularly useful for us, is to evaluate how far Renaissance ideas were influential in the management of the conquered peoples of the New World.
The Northern and Spanish Renaissance
Potential IA Questions
How far was the fall of Byzantium a precursor to the Renaissance?
How significant was Petrarch to the beginning of the Renaissance?
How far was the Black Death responsible for the Renaissance?
How far was the Printing Press responsible for the Renaissance?
Did economic changes in Italy trigger the Renaissance?
How much continuity was there between Medieval and Renaissance thought?
How far did Florence suffer a decline in relative power following the Black Death?
 Was the Ciompi Rebellion an economic one?
 How democratic was Florence prior to the rise of the Medici?
 How successful were the 1427 Florentine tax reforms?
How significant a Renaissance patron was Cosimo Medici?
Did Cosimo Medici turn Florence into an autocracy?
What happened at the siege of Lucca in 1429?
Why were the Albizzi family unable to unite Florence against the Medici?
Did the poor benefit from Cosimo Medici's breaking of the Guilds?
How far was Renaissance Milan a feudal state?
How far did the Renaissance improve the lives for the women of Milan?
How significant was the the early death of Giangaleazzo Visconti?
How disastrous was the reign of Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan?
How centralised was Renaissance Milan?
How significant a patron was Ludovico Sforza?
How innovative was Bramante?
Why was Leonardo Da Vinci more productive in Milan?
How important was Bianca Sforza to her husbands rise to power?
How much power did the Doge hold in Renaissance Venice?
Why was it the nobility in Renaissance Venice that conducted the bulk of the violent crime?
Why did Venice reject papal authority?
How far did Venice embrace state capitalism?
Who had the greater power in Renaissance Venice, the Council of Ten or the Senate?
How much popular representation was there in Renaissance Venice?
How powerful was the Venetian 'Lion's Mouth'?
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How much power did the Doge hold in Renaissance Venice?
Why was it that the nobility in Renaissance Venice conducted the bulk of the violent crime?
Why did Venice reject papal authority?
How far did Venice embrace state capitalism?
Who had the greater power in Renaissance Venice, the Council of Ten or the Senate?
How much popular representation was there in Renaissance Venice?
How powerful was the Venetian 'Lion's Mouth'?
How revolutionary was Machiavelli's The Prince?
How secular was Machiavelli?
How far did Machiavelli challenge Humanism?
How significant was Machiavelli as a historian?
How derivative were Petrarch's theories of governance?
Why did Manuel I seek to dominate the Indian Ocean trade networks after 1501?
How influential were Pico's ideas on democratic thinkers?
How far can we see The Courtier as a significant work of political theory?
Should Guicciardini be considered the father of History?
How much does Boccacio's Decameron reveal about life in a pandemic?
How accepted were the female poets of the Renaissance?
How accurate were Amerigo Vespucci's description of the New World?
How important was Ludovico Ariosto in defining the ethics of the Renaissance?
How innovative was _______________?
Did Van Eyck export Northern European techniques to Italy?
Was Albrecht Durer the firs modern artist?
How far was increasing prosperity responsible for the Northern Renaissance?
How revolutionary was the music of the Northern Renaissance?
How influential was Hans Holbein the Younger in shaping perceptions of the Tudor Dynasty?
Did Spain undergo a Renaissance?
How effective was sixteenth century Spanish censorship?
Was Bartholomew Las Casas a Humanist?