Elizabeth Masso The Intellectual Renaissance in Italy I. The emergence and growth of individualism and secularism are most noticeable in the intellectual realms of the Italian Renaissance. A. Italian Renaissance Humanism 1. The emergence of humanism a. Petrarch is known as the father of humanism. He was the first intellectual to characterize the middle Ages as a period of darkness. b. Revolved around the “liberal arts”- Grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy or ethics, and history. 2. Humanism in fifteenth-century Italy a. Leonardo Bruni- wrote New Cicero in which he recorded the fusion of political action and literary creation in Cicero’s life. b. Cicero- served as an inspiration for the Renaissance ideal that it was the duty of an intellectual to live an active life for one’s state. c. There was a growing interest in Greek in the humanism of the first half of the fifteenth-century especially the works of Plato and Greek poets. d. Lorenzo Valla- demonstrated that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery written in the eighth century. e. Poggio Bracciolini- was responsible for finding all of the writings of fifteen different authors. Wrote Facetiae a lighthearted collection of jokes. f. Humanists wished to restore a simpler, purer, and more ethical Christianity. 3. Humanism and Philosophy a. Florentine Platonic Academy- was an informal discussion group. Cosimo de Medici became its patron and commissioned a translation of Plato’s dialogues by Marsilio Ficini. b. Marsilio Ficini- restated the idea of a hierarchy of substances, or great chain of being, from the lowest form of physical matter to the purest spirit, in which humans occupied a central or middle position. c. Hermeticism- they believed that human beings had freely chosen to enter the material world and could recover their divinity through a purification of the soul. d. Giovanni Mirandola- wrote On the Oration of the Dignity of Man in which he proclaimed the unlimited potentiality of human beings. B. Education in the Renaissance 1. Renaissance humanists a. Believed that human beings could be changed by education. b. Pietro Vergerio- wrote Concerning Character it stressed the importance of the liberal arts as the key to true freedom. 2. Liberal Education a. The purpose of a liberal education was to produce individuals who followed a path of virtue and wisdom and possessed the rhetorical skills to persuade others to follow it. b. Stressed the need for physical education. c. Humanist schools were mostly for the elite and very few females attended. d. The aim of humanist education was to produce complete citizens who could participate in the civic life of their communities. C. Humanism and History 1. Humanists Historians a. Reduced or eliminated the role of miracles in historical interpretation because they took a new approach to sources. b. Greater attention was paid to the political events and forces that affected their city-states. c. Humanists deemphasized divine intervention in favor of human motives, stressing political forces or the role of individuals in history. d. Francesco Guicciardini- wrote History of Italy and History of Florence to represent the beginning of “modern analytical historiography”. D. The Impact of Printing 1. Development of Printing a. Johannes Guttenberg- Gutenberg’s bible was the first real book produced from movable type. b. Printing presses established throughout the Holy Roman Empire. c. Printing facilitated cooperation among scholars and helped produce standardized and definite texts.
The Intellectual Renaissance in Italy
I. The emergence and growth of individualism and secularism are most noticeable in the intellectual realms of the Italian Renaissance.
A. Italian Renaissance Humanism
1. The emergence of humanism
a. Petrarch is known as the father of humanism. He was the first intellectual to characterize the middle Ages as a period of darkness.
b. Revolved around the “liberal arts”- Grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy or ethics, and history.
2. Humanism in fifteenth-century Italy
a. Leonardo Bruni- wrote New Cicero in which he recorded the fusion of political action and literary creation in Cicero’s life.
b. Cicero- served as an inspiration for the Renaissance ideal that it was the duty of an intellectual to live an active life for one’s state.
c. There was a growing interest in Greek in the humanism of the first half of the fifteenth-century especially the works of Plato and Greek poets.
d. Lorenzo Valla- demonstrated that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery written in the eighth century.
e. Poggio Bracciolini- was responsible for finding all of the writings of fifteen different authors. Wrote Facetiae a lighthearted collection of jokes.
f. Humanists wished to restore a simpler, purer, and more ethical Christianity.
3. Humanism and Philosophy
a. Florentine Platonic Academy- was an informal discussion group. Cosimo de Medici became its patron and commissioned a translation of Plato’s dialogues by Marsilio Ficini.
b. Marsilio Ficini- restated the idea of a hierarchy of substances, or great chain of being, from the lowest form of physical matter to the purest spirit, in which humans occupied a central or middle position.
c. Hermeticism- they believed that human beings had freely chosen to enter the material world and could recover their divinity through a purification of the soul.
d. Giovanni Mirandola- wrote On the Oration of the Dignity of Man in which he proclaimed the unlimited potentiality of human beings.
B. Education in the Renaissance
1. Renaissance humanists
a. Believed that human beings could be changed by education.
b. Pietro Vergerio- wrote Concerning Character it stressed the importance of the liberal arts as the key to true freedom.
2. Liberal Education
a. The purpose of a liberal education was to produce individuals who followed a path of virtue and wisdom and possessed the rhetorical skills to persuade others to follow it.
b. Stressed the need for physical education.
c. Humanist schools were mostly for the elite and very few females attended.
d. The aim of humanist education was to produce complete citizens who could participate in the civic life of their communities.
C. Humanism and History
1. Humanists Historians
a. Reduced or eliminated the role of miracles in historical interpretation because they took a new approach to sources.
b. Greater attention was paid to the political events and forces that affected their city-states.
c. Humanists deemphasized divine intervention in favor of human motives, stressing political forces or the role of individuals in history.
d. Francesco Guicciardini- wrote History of Italy and History of Florence to represent the beginning of “modern analytical historiography”.
D. The Impact of Printing
1. Development of Printing
a. Johannes Guttenberg- Gutenberg’s bible was the first real book produced from movable type.
b. Printing presses established throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
c. Printing facilitated cooperation among scholars and helped produce standardized and definite texts.