The Italian Renaissance

The Black Plague

Jan 1, 1348

The revival of mass trade after the failure of the Crusades brought more than wealth to the people. Diseases from Asia swept the western world. The most lethal of them was the Black Plague. It killed 1/3rd of the population and spread through fleas. The unsanitary practices of westerners made perfect conditions for the disease to thrive (Beck, p.401).

Start of The Renaissance

Nov 16, 1350

With so many people dead, healthy workers were hard to come by. Peasants were paid more money and were seen as more valuable. Merchants also gained profit still through the mass trade. Through trade with the Islamic Empire and the Byzantines and the decline of the Church’s power (what with the failures of the Crusades), Western Europe became reborn with classical ideas – namely focus on education and art (Beck, p.471).

Giovanni Boccaccio writes Decameron

Oct 1, 1353

The Decameron describes life during the 1300s. It is a series of stories. The setting is that young people are retelling the stories in order to avoid the plague in Florence. It is very realistic and draws on both the humorous and the dark aspects of humans after the Black Plague hits. Each character is unique and fresh, which is easy to say for a book written so long ago (Beck, p.476).

Cosimo de Medici takes control of Florence’s government

Aug 5, 1434

The Medici became one of the wealthiest banking families in Europe. With increase in trade and commerce, loans were needed, and the Medici were there to give them out. They influenced the growth of Italy’s most famous city at the time, Florence. However, the Medici had many rivals and partook in many shady dealings. In 1434, Cosimo de Medici, the richest man in Europe, won control of Florence’s government, sealing the Medici’s power over the city (Beck, p. 372).

Johann Gutenberg invents movable type

Dec 12, 1448

What makes movable type different than its predecessor, woodblock printing, is that every character and symbol had its own separate mechanical part, so words didn’t have to be made individually beforehand – one could just form the words from the characters. This saved a lot of time and money for printers and eventually became the basis for modern day printing (Beck, p. 484).

Donatello creates the David

Jun 17, 1460

Donatello’s David (although it wasn’t his first “David”) was the first unsupported bronze statue during the Renaissance. It was also the first freestanding statue of a nude male since the Romans. It is a depiction of the biblical David standing atop the Goliath’s severed head while also brandishing the sword of Goliath – all while naked (Beck, p. 474).

The Renaissance spreads to the north

Apr 9, 1499

The “rebirth” could not have stayed in Italy forever. Northern Europe caught wind of Renaissance ideas through trade around the end of the 15th Century, and nations were recovering from the Hundred Years’ War. This brings about very famous German writers and sets the stage for the world’s most celebrated playwright: William Shakespeare (Beck, p. 480).

Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa

Period: May 14, 1504 to May 14, 1506

Hailed as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”, the Mona Lisa is arguably considered Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest work (Lichfield). The realism, the subject, the expression, the fanciful background, and many other qualities have been scrutinized by art appreciators for centuries. Even a book has been written, trying to uncover the mysteries behind the enigmatic painter, titled The Da Vinci Code (Beck, p. 475;

Raphael paints the School of Athens

Nov 15, 1508

One of Raphael’s most famous frescoes, The School of Athens pays homage to a time when thinking was a real profession. It depicts Plato and Aristotle having a discussion while Socrates argues with some of his students. Many other notable Athenian minds are portrayed talking amongst themselves. The themes behind this painting are too complicated to explain for a World History class (as a start, notice the two central figures, Plato and Aristotle, each holding a modern – by Renaissance standards –

Desiderius Erasmus writes The Praise of Folly

Nov 15, 1509

Desiderius Erasmus, a famous Christian humanist, wrote his most famous work, The Praise of Folly, in 1509. The book, while ridiculing “greedy merchants, heartsick lovers, quarrelsome scholars, and pompous priests”, showed Erasmus’s belief in a “Christianity of the heart” sans official ceremonies and rules. Bible study was of the upmost importance, however (Beck, p. 482).

Machiavelli writes The Prince

Nov 15, 1513

Machiavelli’s The Prince is a “political guidebook”-esque read. The main focus of the text is about how a king should rule his people. The basic ideas are to assume that all people are “selfish, fickle, and corrupt” and to “be strong as a lion and shrewd as a fox.” If anything, The Prince is a good example of why the royal life isn’t cut out for just anybody (Beck, p. 476).

Albrecht Durer makes Saint Jerome in his Study and Melenolin I

Nov 15, 1514

One of the most famous German painters of the Renaissance, Albrecht Durer studied in Italy in 1494 and came back home to start making exquisite woodcuts and engravings. His emphasis on realism inspired another German painter of the name Hans Holbein. Holbein eventually reached a point where he painted portraits of King Henry the VIII and “other members of the English royal family” (Beck, p. 481).

Sir Thomas More writes Utopia

Nov 15, 1516

In Greek, the word ‘utopia’ means ‘no place’. After More’s Utopia, the English world has come to accept the term as an ideal world – perfect in every way. Utopia depicted More’s model of an ideal society: “Gold and silver, of which money is made, are so treated… that no one values them more highly than their true nature deserves” (Beck, p. 482).

Baldassare Castiglione writes The Courtier

Nov 15, 1528

A ‘Renaissance Man (or Woman)’ was often portrayed as a master of “almost every area of study.” Castiglione’s The Courtier was, essentially, a handbook on how to become an aforementioned ‘Renaissance Man (or Woman)’. Typically, a Renaissance man should be “charming witty, and well education” while enjoying The Arts through “dance, s[o]ng, … music, and… poetry” and being skilled at “rid[ing], wrestl[ing], and [fencing]” (Beck, p. 473).

William Shakespeare moves to London

Nov 15, 1592

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare is regarded as the “greatest playwright of all time.” In 1592, he moved to London and began his career as the playwright so often marveled about in present day. He had every aspect a playwright ought to have: a reverence for the classics, “masterful command of the English language”, “a deep understanding of human beings”, and the ability to “examine human flaws”. He also describes his line of work through his own plays: “What a piece of work is a

End of the Renaissance

Nov 15, 1600

All good things must surely come to an end, and so comes the end of the Renaissance. It was a period of mass “artistic and social” reform following the decaying importance of the Church. Ideas from ancient Classical civilizations brought scientific discovery back up to pace since before medieval times. This ‘end’ marks the start of when Renaissance ideas influence religious thought instead of “artistic and social” (Beck, p. 485).