DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.67683#0342
CHAPTER XV
THE RENAISSANCE IN ITALY
C. 1300-1600 A.D.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Renaissance, meaning rebirth, is the name applied to the move-
ment that began stirring Italy in the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries, reached its climax in the fifteenth and sixteenth, and
then spread with different manifestations over western Europe,
continuing into the nineteenth century, and even today exercis-
ing a strong influence in our life. Two aspects of this movement
stand out preeminently — the delight in life and the enthusiasm
for classical antiquities. The former received great impetus from
Saint Francis with his exuberant love and enjoyment of nature;
the latter gradually increased as the Italians opened their eyes to
a great civilization that lay all about them. In the early Renais-
sance the church, working largely through the two great mon-
astic orders, the Franciscan and Dominican, was the dominating
power, and religious matters were inextricably interwoven with
the other everyday affairs of life.
Under these new influences, we see a gradual turn in the tide of
thought from the medieval point of view that looked toward the
future life, to a realization of the value of the present for itself,
and to a vision of the joy and the beauty of this life. The Renais-
sance, then, meant essentially a new attitude toward life and,
because of the recognition of the value of this life, led to a de-
velopment of the individual and a greater freedom of thought,
a natural consequence of which was the attitude of curiosity
toward nature. Hence we find ourselves in an age of scientific
research and invention. The introduction of gunpowder, prob-
ably early in the fourteenth century, changed methods of war-
fare; the invention of the printing-press, about the middle of the
fifteenth century, meant the gradual substitution of printed
books for manuscripts. Interest in man’s surroundings naturally
led to voyages of travel and discovery like those of Columbus
(1492.-1504 a.d.), which had been prompted by the earlier jour-
neys of Marco Polo in China (12.60-12.95 a.d.) and by the tales
2.31
THE RENAISSANCE IN ITALY
C. 1300-1600 A.D.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Renaissance, meaning rebirth, is the name applied to the move-
ment that began stirring Italy in the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries, reached its climax in the fifteenth and sixteenth, and
then spread with different manifestations over western Europe,
continuing into the nineteenth century, and even today exercis-
ing a strong influence in our life. Two aspects of this movement
stand out preeminently — the delight in life and the enthusiasm
for classical antiquities. The former received great impetus from
Saint Francis with his exuberant love and enjoyment of nature;
the latter gradually increased as the Italians opened their eyes to
a great civilization that lay all about them. In the early Renais-
sance the church, working largely through the two great mon-
astic orders, the Franciscan and Dominican, was the dominating
power, and religious matters were inextricably interwoven with
the other everyday affairs of life.
Under these new influences, we see a gradual turn in the tide of
thought from the medieval point of view that looked toward the
future life, to a realization of the value of the present for itself,
and to a vision of the joy and the beauty of this life. The Renais-
sance, then, meant essentially a new attitude toward life and,
because of the recognition of the value of this life, led to a de-
velopment of the individual and a greater freedom of thought,
a natural consequence of which was the attitude of curiosity
toward nature. Hence we find ourselves in an age of scientific
research and invention. The introduction of gunpowder, prob-
ably early in the fourteenth century, changed methods of war-
fare; the invention of the printing-press, about the middle of the
fifteenth century, meant the gradual substitution of printed
books for manuscripts. Interest in man’s surroundings naturally
led to voyages of travel and discovery like those of Columbus
(1492.-1504 a.d.), which had been prompted by the earlier jour-
neys of Marco Polo in China (12.60-12.95 a.d.) and by the tales
2.31