09/02/2009 Renaissance Europe

Renaissance Europe September 2, 2009 The Italian City States Wrap up Medieval Intellectual World Italy at Start of Renaissance Self-Governing Communes Florence Warfare and Diplomacy IDs (from Monday): Scholasticism/Gothic Papal States The Medici Podestá Condottieri The University of Paris was a professorial guild. The University of Bologna was a student run guild. The universities were divided into faculty, each in charge of their own department. All male students. Two basic qualifications: pay the tuition and speak Latin. When they began their studies they would enter into a liberal arts program. Liberal Arts: Trivium grammar, logic, and rhetoric Quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music Completing the Quadrivium earned the student a master of arts. They could then take that degree and go on to teach, or they could continue their education. If continuing education, they would study medicine, law or theology. Paris was best known for its Theological faculty. Theology was the most prestigious subject you could pursue. Renaissance intellectuals are going to take this model and redefine it even more, perfect it. (Speaking of the University and how it compares to that which we know now) Arabic scholars had preserved Greek and roman texts, throughout the 12th and 13th century as they began to travel the texts were translated into Latin, etc. Scholarship employed what is known as the scholastic method, this involved the use of a rigorous technique of logical reasoning. It would start with a premise implied with authority. For questions of Christianity they would start with the bible. They would reference various texts to try to answer a question. If faculty disagreed scholars would work together to find an answer that everyone agreed with. It was a process of synthesis. Abstract ideology, such as ?how many angels could dance on the head of a pin?? Using these works to better understand, to justify and prove their Christian faith. If reasoning disproved faith they abandoned it all together. Around the year 1000 they started to build cathedrals and churches that were based in Romanesque architecture. Gave sense of stability, solidness, because they were so huge and heavy the inside tended to be dark and gloomy. To solve this, architects came up with gothic architecture and the invention of flying buttresses, stained glass windows, high points and arches. As a result of these changes, gothic cathedrals gave the effect of soaring. They had a greater expression of religious belief. Within these cathedrals we have examples of medieval sculpture. They were built into the walls and the structure of the cathedrals. Animals, fruits, flowers... they gave us the inclination that artists did pay attention to nature. They were trying to make the saints appear human. Everything within these gothic cathedrals had religious, symbolic value. Everything was meant to show a single and harmonious composition. The design was meant to represent the human struggle to find God. They served to glorify God in general. Italian City States Italy's political development was unique in many ways. France and England were based on feudal models of government. Italy's geographical location and heritage helped to produce a distinct political experience. Political power began to be held by merchant families. Burghers. The kingdom of Naples was a mountainous terrain with relatively poor soil. It was never going to become an agricultural center. But it had the richest cultural past. The region was much more Hellenistic, more Greek, than it was Latin. It had the largest cities with the highest and most diversified culture. Sicily fell to the Muslims in the 9th century and took on a very Arabic culture. In the 12th century it became under the control of the Normans. In the late 12th century they fell under the influence of the royal family of Germany. Sicily became economically poor and was frequently exploited by its rulers. After the Germans, Sicily was ruled by an irresponsible French prince. The war of the Sicilian vespers (1282) terminated French ruling Sicily, but meant there would be a long time before there were any stable regimes. France and the indigenous Sicilians, a civil war that brought in a bunch of outsiders, started because the soldiers were rude to a lady. The Papal States It as over a period of time that the papacy had acquired all of these centralized territories. In the middle ages the pope granted these territories like a feudal land. The people living in these lands always resented the pope?s political authority. Primarily they resented the fact that the Pope always demanded a lot of money. There were lots of revolts among the land for this reason. Rome has a unique position within the Papal States. All of the individuals affiliated with the centralized authority were located in Rome. All united under Christendom or Catholicism at the time. Throughout every year there were tons of tourists or pilgrims who came to Rome to be close to the pope or the center of Catholicism. By the 15th century papal policy became more international. Renaissance popes did not hesitate to use all of the territories as pawns in various power struggles. Northern Italy is where the renaissance began. Italian city-states, otherwise known as communes, were independent, self governing city states. Each was unique and distinct. They became the centers of banking, commerce and industry. City states like Genoa, Pisa and Venice all became important in the Mediterranean trade and in turn Venice would become the most prosperous. Florence became recognized for its outstanding banking and woolen manufacturer. It is within these economic opportunities that these became the most populous cities in Western Europe. As this economic revival is taking place, like every place else, land owning nobles moved into the town to become a part of this city state life. Whereas in France nobility was associated with land ownership, in the city states wealth came to businessmen, lawyers, bankers, etc. Italian city state introduced new urban class based on economic growth. They started to have more and more wealth and prosperity and started to take over the organization of guilds. Grandi = Great People (The old ruling class) Popolo = the ?people? (newly wealthy businessmen, burghers, etc) Over time the popolo started to take over the leaderships of the city states, the government, the guilds, etc. They worked very, very hard to make sure that their power was absolute. If a particular captain was very successful he was able to make that position hereditary. The Medici Florence in the 14th century there was a collapse of the banking system the Medici survived while other banks crumbled this made them prosper 15th century Elaborate system of checks and balances so effective it was completely immobilized this is how the Medici was able to secure power Medici Were the ones who ran Florence, no one disputed it In Florence during 15th and 16th centuries. controlled all aspect of the government and economy this was good for Florence, stability and protection made sure the city was kept free of foreign dominance or occupation Patriarch = Cosimo de Medici First of the ruling Medici in Florence A tyrant, but a nice guy? He was popular; despite all of the people he had his family kill. Had control of everything. Was a charismatic guy. Liked to put money back in the community. Podestá Podestá was an office of an individual who was a foreigner to that particular city state. He would normally come from another Italian city. The citizens who employed him would entrust him to settle differences? He would come in as a temporary substitute and was typically a nobleman with some legal training. Like a city manager. They would become professional administrators who would enforce rules and bring peace to the city itself. Traditionally they would only stay for about a year and move on. If he failed to do his job right or became embroiled in crossfire he could be killed. There were times where this person situated himself in the position well enough to become the new tyrant. If at the end of the year his books checked out and he did a good job he would be paid and maybe get a letter of recommendation and then leave, maybe to do it for another city state somewhere else. If he was corrupt, he would be killed. Not a peaceful serene time. There was constant turmoil between city states and within each city. There was warfare for commercial supremacy, trade routes, seaports, expansion, and natural resources. Rivalries were always long drawn out and bitter. Soldiers for hire from Switzerland and Germany were led by nobles who were maybe squeezed out of political power. Condottieri were mercenary who had no alliance to anyone and would fight for whoever paid them the highest bid. They were fighting purely for profit. Warfare became a business enterprise. Condottieri would put enough effort to make it look like they were fighting for victory but really they just wanted to keep the war on so they could keep their jobs. They made the senseless chaos much more difficult.