The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spread all the way across Western Europe. It began in Italy and provided great art and information that was very practical and still used today.
The Renaissance was a period of rebirth. It came as a new faith with human effort. This was a period of great knowledge and creativity in the arts and sciences. Many people wonder how the Renaissance happened in Italy. It’s because Italy was the heartland of the old Roman Empire. Most of Italy was still using the old Roman law, therefore it was easy to combine medieval law with the Roman legal code. Majority of Roman rules, mosaics, sculptures, and wall paintings inspired Italian artists and architects, like Michelangelo. Italy was located in a place that was full of mountains. Although this meant less invaders by foreigners, it also made travel harder with only a few trade routes. In Renaissance times, most people didn’t really have to worry about climate. It was mildly cold in the winter and food was plentiful all year long. Since there weren’t a lot of worries people were able to devote their time to science, literature, and art, the things that made the Renaissance great!
Through the Renaissance times, religion was tested by many people in all different ways. An example is humanism. Humanism’s goal was to balance power of reason and science to find the scientifical explanation rather than having to depend on the reasonings of religion. Scientists tried to prove that people could have their own destiny’s and not have to follow and believe everything the Bible and chruch told them.
Science brought a whole new meaning to the world as time went on. Through the fourteenth and fifteenth century, science took a full 180 degree turn. It was highly dangerous to challenge the teachings of the chruch in a highly religous time like the Renaissance. Lawyer, doctor, mathematician and chruch administrator, Nicholas Copernicus of Poland was the very first scientist to state 1543, the revoultionary theory that the earth is not the centre of the universe. He didn’t use a telescope, or any technology, he used his brain and love for math. Galileo Gailie continued further with these observations and he too saw what Copernicus had discovered early. Galileo took this to the chruch, but was turned down. The chruch forced Galileo to go against his beliefs and stick to the chruch’s rulings. Threatned, he was sent to house arrest for life.
Ordinary people like Savonarola spoke up about religion and were critisized. A Dominican monk, named Savonarola, speant his life trying to fix corruption in the chruch. Savonarola perched against Pope Alexander VI. He was thrown in jail, tartere, burned, beaten, hung, and thrown in the river.
Two of the greatest cities that ever exsisted in the Renaissance are Florence and Venice.
Florence is located by the Arno River. The population known at the time was 100 000. The Black Death, however, swept out a huge chunk of that population. Thousands, in fact. Travel was always difficult in Florence. Mountains and hardly any paths made it tricky to get around, but hard for invasion. For hundreds of years, Florence was ruled by a powerful family called the Medici’s. The Medici’s produced many successful people including three popes. They were rich in clothing, banking, and trade. They knew which people to deal with and which not to.
Another popular city, Venice was surrounded by the Adrictic Sea. Bodies of water meant travel, drinking water, and bathing. With a population of over 150 000, Venice was a warring city-state that captured Padua and Verona.
Some of the greatest artist of all time were born in Italy. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of them. He never recieved a great education, he just observed the natural world around him. Da Vinci was a great painter and inventer. He is most famous for designing the Mona Lisa painting, and designing many useful things such as the helicopter, parachute, and tank. He often got side tracked and started a new project before finishing the old one. Leonardo Da Vinci started creating a book on human anatomy. The catch was though, he wrote it backwards so no one would take credit for his notes, but him. People latered discovered that by looking in a mirrior, you could perfectly see the notes written.
Another artist named Michelangelo is one of the most known artists of the Renaissance. He was able to accomplish so much in his life including being named the best sculpter in Italy at only the age of twenty-five. One of his most memorable pieces still continues to excite many tourist. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel in Rome, lying on his back.
The Renaissance was able to reach Northern Europe with many weathly merchants who responded by patronizing with writers and painters. A very helpful invention called the printing press was able to create books and notes to teach the the rest of Northern Europe.
In conclusion, I think that the Renaissance was a great time. It allowed many artists and writers to express how they felt. Not just one person made the Renaissance great. A whole bunch of people were able to create many valuable pieces that we still admire today.
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