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Introduction-

The Renaissance was a period of time from the 14th 

to 17th century. Renaissance means “rebirth.” The 

Renaissance movement focused on three things: 

society, individuality, and the Greek and Roman 

teachings.

Italian Renaissance-

Back in the Middle Ages, Italy never joined 

together into a powerful state like England or 

France, instead they were separated into city-

states. City-states benefited by giving to the 

armies of the Crusades. They even established 

trade cities, which acquired many luxury goods not 

found in Europe.

Major cities and Impacts:

Florence was known as the birthplace of the Renaissance, 

and was controlled mostly by rich-merchant families. 

Venice was near the water, and had great naval power 

and many trade routes. Milan had much trading power 

also, but the trade was between the Western and Eastern 

regions.

Humanism:

In the middle ages humans were viewed as evil and full 

of sin. 

However, during the Renaissance, humans were viewed 

as beautiful and full of potential. Humanism focused 

around man and all of the things he should and can 

accomplish.

Nicolo Machiaveli:

Nicolo Machiavelli was a well known political philosopher 

whose main philosophy was that “moral has no place in 

politics”. He believed if the means justified the end, then all 

was well. This basically means if evil is used to create a 

positive outcome it should be allowed, as long as its short, 

quick, and to the point.

Renaissance Education:

Renaissance schools were reborn from the ancient Greek 

schools. Their focus was on grammar, rhetoric, poetry, 

moral philosophy, and history. They began the first 

studies of ancient languages, which later evolved into 

“vernacular language,” which varied in different regions.

Art- 

Artists in the Renaissance tried to make their artwork very 

realistic. In the past, all paintings had a 2-dimensional 

look to them, but in the Renaissance they made paintings 

have a 3-dimensional look. Regions’ wealth was shown by 

the quality of art found.

Some of the greatest artists of all time lived during the 

Renaissance, including Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, 

and Raphael. Da Vinci is famous for creating the Mona 

Lisa and the Last Supper. Michelangelo created the 

sculpture of David, and painted the Sistine Chapel. 

Raphael was known for The School of Athens.

Literature-

There were two famous series in this time,The Divine Comedy, 

which was a tale of a soul’s journey from hell to salvation, 

and,The Canterbury Tales, which was a collection of tales of 

pilgrims telling a story on their way to the shrine of a saint. 

The most famous writer of the Renaissance was by far William 

Shakespeare, known for many classics even today, like Macbeth, 

Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.

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