How the Renaissance marked a rebirth for Europe and how the Christian church split during the Reformation

1. 604–605 Bill Ross/CORBIS
The
Renaissance
and
Reformation The Duomo, or Cathedral
of Santa Maria del Fiore,
in Florence, Italy
1350 1450 1550 1650
c. 1350 1434 1517 1648
Renaissance Medici family Martin Luther Thirty Years’
begins in Italy begins rule of writes Ninety- War ends
Florence Five Theses

2. Chapter Preview Chapter Overview Visit
jat.glencoe.com for a preview
New ideas brought the Middle Ages to an end. Read this of Chapter 17.
chapter to find out how advances in the arts and learning
and dramatic changes to Christianity led to the beginning of
modern times in Europe.
View the Chapter 17 video in the World History:
Journey Across Time Video Program.
The Renaissance Begins
During the Renaissance, new values and new art developed in wealthy
Italian city-states.
New Ideas and Art
Wealthy leaders in Italian city-states supported talented artists and
writers, and Renaissance art and ideas spread from Italy to northern
Europe.
The Reformation Begins
Martin Luther and other reformers, such as John Calvin, broke from the
Catholic Church and began a new Christian movement that came to be
called Protestantism.
Catholics and Protestants
While the Catholic Church attempted to carry out reforms, Catholics and
Protestants fought bloody religious wars across Europe.
Compare-Contrast Make this foldable to help you compare and contrast what
you learn about the Renaissance and Reformation.
Step 1 Fold a sheet of paper in half from Reading and Writing
side to side. As you read the sections
on the Renaissance and
Fold it so the left
Step 2 Turn the paper edge lies about Reformation, record
and fold it into thirds. 1 important concepts and
2 inch from the
right edge. events under the
appropriate tabs. Then
Step 3 Unfold and cut the top record ideas similar to
layer only along both folds. Step 4 Label as shown. both under the middle
tab.
This will make
Renais- Refor-
three tabs. Both mation
sance
605

3. Analyze and
Clarify
Go Beyond the Words
Analyzing a passage means going beyond the definition of
the words. It is a way of reading for deep understanding, not
just memorizing or studying to pass a test. Read the following
paragraph from Section 2.
Renaissance painters also used new techniques. The
most important was perspective, a method that makes a
drawing or painting look three-dimensional. Artists had
tried to use perspective before, but Renaissance artists per-
fected it. Using perspective, objects in a scene appear to be
at different distances from the viewer. The result is a more
realistic image.
—from page 623
How can you analyze this passage? Here are
some suggestions:
1. Look at the drawing on page 626. Is the drawing
realistic as described by the paragraph?
2. Look at another painting or drawing in this book.
Compare the perspective to the drawing on page
ak
ing, bre 626. Which is more realistic? Why?
Wh en r ead ler 3. With a partner, sketch a view of your classroom.
to smal
th e text in under- Exchange sketches and see if you can tell where
help you
par ts to whole. your partner was standing when he or she made
s tand the the sketch. Based on your experience, what are
some difficulties an artist might encounter in
trying to draw a large area realistically?
606

4. Musee du Louvre, Paris/Giraudon, Paris/SuperStock
Analyze as You Read Read to Write
Choose any painting or
Read this paragraph from Section 2. drawing in this book
and analyze, in writing,
what is taking place.
Use the questions who,
To make their paintings more what, when, or how to
realistic, Renaissance artists also help you get started.
used a technique called chiaroscuro.
Chiaroscuro softened edges by using
light and shadows instead of stiff
outlines to separate objects. In
Italian, chiaro means “clear or light,”
and oscuro means “dark.” Chiaro-
scuro created more drama and emo-
tion in a painting.
—from page 623
Analyze the above paragraph by doing the
following:
1. Look at the painting of Mona Lisa from
page 622. Do you see the use of
chiaroscuro? If so, in what way does it
create drama or emotion?
2. Choose another painting in this or a dif-
ferent text. Look at it carefully to see if
the technique of chiaroscuro was used.
Describe to a partner the light and dark The Mona Lisa
areas that you see.
3. Try your hand at drawing an
object or scene using the tech-
nique of chiaroscuro.
As you read this chapter, choose at
least one section to study and ana-
lyze for deeper meaning. Exchange
your analysis with a classmate who
has analyzed a different passage.
607

5. The
Renaissance Begins
What’s the Connection? Locating Places
Previously, you learned about life Florence (FLAWR • uhns)
in medieval Europe. In this section, Venice (VEH • nuhs)
you will see how Europeans began to
look to the ideals of the ancient Meeting People
Greeks and Romans as they left the Marco Polo (MAHR • koh POH • loh)
Middle Ages behind. Medici (MEH • duh • chee)
Niccolò Machiavelli (NEE • koh • LOH
Focusing on the MA • kee • uh • VEH • lee)
• The wealthy urban society of the
Italian city-states brought a rebirth of Building Your Vocabulary
learning and art to Europe. (page 609) Renaissance (REH • nuh • SAHNS)
• Italy’s location helped its city-states secular (SEH • kyuh • luhr)
grow wealthy from trade and banking, diplomacy (duh • PLOH • muh • see)
but many of the cities fell under the
control of strong rulers. (page 611) Reading Strategy
• Unlike medieval nobles, the nobles of Summarizing Information Complete
the Italian city-states lived in cities a chart like the one below showing the
and were active in trade, banking, reasons Italian city-states grew wealthy.
and public life. (page 614)
Wealth Grows in City-States
1350 1450 1550
Genoa Venice
Florence c. 1350 1434 1513
Renaissance Medici family begins Machiavelli writes
Rome begins in Italy rule of Florence The Prince
608 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation

6. Greeks and Romans had studied. After the
The Italian Renaissance horrible years of the Black Death, Europeans
The wealthy urban society of the began looking to the past when times
Italian city-states brought a rebirth of learning and seemed better. They wanted to learn how to
art to Europe. make their own society better.
Reading Focus Hollywood makes many of the During the Renaissance, Europeans also
world’s movies. Why is it the center of the movie indus- began to stress the importance of the indi-
try? Read to learn why the city-states of Italy became vidual. They began to believe that people
the center of art during the Renaissance. could make a difference and change the
world for the better.
Renaissance (REH • nuh • SAHNS) means People were still very religious during
“rebirth.” The years from about 1350 to the Renaissance, but they also began to cel-
1550 in European history are called the ebrate human achievements. People
Renaissance because there was a rebirth of became more secular (SEH • kyuh • luhr). This
interest in art and learning. means they were more interested in this
In some ways the Renaissance was a world than in religion and getting to
rebirth of interest in the same subjects the heaven.
Italy c. 1500
P S
L
A
KEY
Ferrara Milan
Po R.
Venice
Florence
Genoa Genoa Mantua 45°N
Lucca
Mantua Florence
Milan
Pisa A
Ad
Modena Siena 0 200 mi.
P
ri
E
Two Sicilies
at
ic
N
0 200 km
Papal States Corsica Se Chamberlin Trimetric projection
N
Siena Rome a
IN
Venice
E
S
Naples
N Sardinia 40°N
Tyrrhenian
W Sea
E
S Medi
te
rr
an
ea Many Italian city-states prospered
n Sicily
during the Renaissance.
S 1. In which territory was Rome
ea
located?
5°E 10°E 15°E
2. Why do you think the city-state25°E
of Venice spread out along the
coastline?
Find NGS online map resources @
www.nationalgeographic.com/maps
609

7. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? Renaissance. Wealthy nobles and mer-
akg-images
First of all, Italy had been the center of the chants wanted artists to produce works that
Roman Empire. Ruins and art surrounded increased the fame of their cities.
the Italians and reminded them of their In most of Europe, the vast majority of
past. It was only natural that they became people lived in the country, including the
interested in Greek and Roman art and knights and nobles who owned estates. In
tried to make their own art as good. Italy’s city-states, the population was
Another reason the Renaissance began becoming more urban. That means more
in Italy was because by the 1300s, Italy’s people were living in the city, rather than in
cities had become very wealthy. They the country. So many people living together
could afford to pay painters, sculptors, in a city meant more customers for artists
architects, and other artists to produce and more money for art.
new works. The large number of people living in
A third reason was because the region cities also led to more discussion and shar-
was still divided into many small city-states. ing of ideas about art. Just as the city-states
Florence (FLAWR • uhns), Venice (VEH • nuhs), of ancient Greece had produced many great
Genoa, Milan, and Rome were some of the works of art and literature, so too did urban
most important cities of the Renaissance. society in Italy.
The Italian city-states competed with Explain Why did the
each other. This helped bring about the Renaissance start in Italy?
Florence Cathedral
The Florence
Florence, Italy, was one of the centers of the Renaissance. The Cathedral today
Florence Cathedral became a symbol of the city, as well as one
of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture. What were
other important Italian Renaissance cities?
The cathedral’s
dome measures
140 feet (42.7 m)
across. New
techniques
allowed the tall,
massive dome to
The large, round be built without
windows in the the supports used
base of the in earlier Gothic
dome, called the cathedrals.
drum, allow in
plenty of light.

8. and the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires lay
The Rise of Italy’s City-States to the east. North Africa was only a short trip
Italy’s location helped its city-states to the south.
grow wealthy from trade and banking, but many of From the Byzantines, Turks, and Arabs,
the cities fell under the control of strong rulers. the Italians bought Chinese silk and Indian
Reading Focus Do you have a bank account? What spices and sold them to people in Western
are banks for? Read to learn how banking helped to Europe for very high prices. At the same
make the Italian city-states wealthy and powerful. time, from the Spanish, French, Dutch, and
English, they bought goods such as wool,
During the Middle Ages, no ruler was wine, and glass that they could sell in the
able to unite Italy into a single kingdom. Middle East. The Italian cities also had
There were several reasons for this. First of many skilled artisans, who could take raw
all, the Roman Catholic Church did every- materials the merchants bought and make
thing it could to stop the rise of a powerful goods that could be sold for high prices.
kingdom in Italy. Church leaders were Geography was not the only reason for
afraid that if a strong ruler united Italy, that the success of the Italians. Several events
same ruler would be able to control the led to trade becoming even more important
pope and the Church. in the city-states. First, the Crusades brought
At the same time, the city-states that Italian merchants into contact with Arab
developed in Italy were about equal in merchants. Second, the rise of the Mongol
strength. They fought many wars and often Empire united almost all of Asia into one
captured territory from each other, but no vast trade network.
state was able to defeat all the others. The Mongols encouraged trade and pro-
Probably the most important reason the tected the Silk Road from China to the
city-states stayed independent was because Middle East. This made it cheaper and easier
they became very wealthy. With their great for caravans to carry goods from China and
wealth, they could build large fleets
and hire people to fight in their
armies. A person who fights in an
army for money is called a mercenary.
The city-states also loaned money to
the kings of Europe. The kings left the
city-states alone so they could borrow
more money in the future.
Italy’s City-States Grow Wealthy
The Italian city-states became
wealthy through trade. The geogra-
phy of the long Italian peninsula
meant that most of the city-states had
a coastline and ports where merchant
ships could dock. They were also per- This painting shows a wealthy Italian family during the
fectly located on the Mediterranean Renaissance. How did competition between the city-
Sea. Spain and France lay to the west, states lead to great works of art?
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 611
Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy/M. Magliari/Bridgeman Art Library, London/SuperStock

9. India to Muslim and Byzantine cities. As The Wealth of Florence No city was
more and more silk and spices were shipped more famous in the Renaissance than
from Asia, the price of these goods fell. More Florence. It was the first to grow wealthy,
Europeans could afford the luxuries, and and it produced many famous artists. It
demand for the items greatly increased. In sat on the banks of the Arno River sur-
turn, business for Italian merchants contin- rounded by beautiful hills. It was walled
ued to grow. and had many tall towers for defense. Its
people were known for their love of elegant
Who Was Marco Polo? Europeans were clothing.
fascinated with Asia and its goods after At first, Florence’s wealth came from
reading a book written by Marco Polo trading cloth, especially wool. The city’s
(MAHR • koh POH • loh), a merchant from the merchants sailed to England to get sheep’s
city of Venice. In the 1270s, Marco Polo wool. Artisans in Florence then wove it into
went on an amazing journey with his father fine fabrics. Florentines also found another
and uncle to China. They set off to meet way to make money—banking.
Kublai Khan, the ruler of the Mongol With goods pouring into Italy from
Empire. around the world, merchants needed to
When the Polo family finally made it to know the value of coins from different
the khan’s court, the great emperor was countries. Florentine bankers became the
impressed with Marco Polo. He sent Marco experts. They used the florin, the gold coin
Polo on business all over China. Marco of Florence, to measure the value of other
Polo asked many questions and learned money. Bankers also began lending money
more about Asia than any other European. and charging interest. Florence’s richest
When he returned to Europe, he published
a book about his travels. His stories
helped increase interest in China and
made many people want to buy
China’s goods.
Lorenzo de’ Medici
This painting shows bankers in Florence
doing business at a counter topped with
brightly embroidered cloth. Why did
banking become so important in Florence?
612 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation
Scala/Art Resource, NY

10. The Ducal Palace today
This painting from Renaissance Italy shows the busy pier and the Ducal
Palace in Venice. What industry provided some of Venice’s wealth?
family, the Medici (MEH • duh • chee), were many of the streets in the older parts
bankers. They had branch banks as far of Venice are canals and waterways.
away as London. Gondolas—a type of long, narrow boat—
still carry people along these canals.
The Rise of Venice The wealthiest city- Some of Venice’s wealth came from
state of all was Venice, where Marco Polo building ships. Artisans worked on ships at
was born. Venice is at the northern end of a shipyard known as the Arsenal. Teams
the Adriatic Sea. The Venetians were great of workers cut the wood, shaped it into
sailors and shipbuilders. They built their hulls, caulked (or sealed) the wood, and
city on many small, swampy islands just off made sails and oars. Sometimes Venetians
the coast. Early Venetians learned how to needed ships quickly. When the Turks tried
drive long wooden poles into mud to sup- to take a Venetian colony in the
port their buildings. Mediterranean, the Arsenal built 100 ships
Instead of paving roads, the Venetians in only two months to prepare for battle.
cut canals through their swampy islands Describe How did Florence
and used boats to move about. Even today, and the Medici family become so wealthy?
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 613
(l)Scala/Art Resource, NY, (r)Kindra Clineff/Index Stock

11. they looked down on trade and believed
The Urban Noble themselves to be above the town merchants.
Unlike medieval nobles, the nobles of In the Italian city-states, old noble fami-
the Italian city-states lived in cities and were active lies moved to the cities. They mixed with
in trade, banking, and public life. wealthy merchants and decided that money
Reading Focus How does our society measure from trade was just as good as money from
wealth? Before the Renaissance, wealth was based on land.
the amount of land a person owned. Read to learn how Meanwhile, wealthy merchants copied
that changed during the Renaissance. the manners and lifestyle of noble families.
Soon, the sons and daughters of nobles and
The wealthy men of the Italian city- rich merchants were marrying each other.
states were a new type of leader—the urban Eventually, the old nobles and wealthy
noble. Before this time, European nobles got merchant families blended together to
their wealth from land, not trade. In fact, become the upper class of the city-states.
How Were Italian City-States Run? At
first, many of the city-states were republics.
A republic is a government controlled by its
citizens. Not everyone was a citizen, how-
The Prince ever, only the artisans and merchants who
In Machiavelli’s masterpiece, he explains his had membership in the city’s guilds.
theories about human nature. From your study of the ancient Romans,
“You should consider then, that there are two you might recall that when their cities faced
ways of fighting, one with laws and the other war or rebellion, they gave power to a dic-
with force. The first is tator. The Italian city-states did some-
properly a human thing similar. In many cases, the cities
method, the second
belongs to beasts.
were ruled by one powerful man who
But as the first ran the government.
method does not In Venice, the head of state was the
always suffice [meet duke, or doge (DOHJ). At first, the
your needs], you doge had great power over his council
sometimes have to of nobles. Later, he lost power to a
turn to the second.
small group of nobles.
Thus a prince must
know how to make In Florence, the powerful Medici
good use of both the family gained control of the govern-
beast and the man.” ment in 1434. The Medici ran Florence
—Niccolò Machiavelli, for many decades. Lorenzo de’ Medici
The Prince Niccolò ruled the city from 1469 to 1492.
Machiavelli
Known as “the Magnificent,” Lorenzo used
his wealth to support artists, architects, and
writers. Many of Italy’s Renaissance artists
Why must a good leader know more than owed their success to his support.
one way to fight? Politics in Italy was complicated. Within
each city, the rulers had to keep the poor from
614 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation
Archiv/Photo Researchers

12. rebelling and prevent other wealthy people
from seizing power. They had to make deals
with merchants, bankers, landlords, church
leaders, and mercenaries. At the same time,
they had to deal with the leaders of the other
city-states.
To deal with the other states around
them, the Italians developed diplomacy
(duh • PLOH • muh • see). Diplomacy is the art This palace served as a government building
in Rome for hundreds of years. What form of
of negotiating, or making deals, with other government did many of the city-states have at
countries. Each city-state sent ambassadors first?
to live in the other city-states and act as rep-
resentatives for their city. Many of the ideas greedy and self-centered. Rulers should not
of modern diplomacy first began in Italy’s try to be good, he argued. Rather, they
city-states. should do whatever is necessary to keep
How could a ruler maintain power in power and protect their city, including killing
the Italian city-states? Niccolò Machiavelli and lying. Today when we say someone is
(NEE • koh • LOH MA • kee • uh • VEH • lee), a being Machiavellian, we mean they are being
diplomat in Florence, tried to answer this tricky and not thinking about being good.
question when he wrote The Prince in 1513. Compare How were
Machiavelli claimed that people were medieval and Renaissance nobles different?
Study CentralTM Need help with the
material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com
What Did You Learn?
Reading Summary 1. Why is the era from 1350 to
1550 in Europe called the
4. Economics Link How did
Renaissance cities gain their
Review the Renaissance? wealth? Give several examples.
• A rebirth of learning called the
Renaissance began in wealthy 2. Why did the Renaissance begin 5. Summarize Describe the gov-
Italian city-states in the 1300s. in Italy? ernments of Italian city-states
during the Renaissance.
Critical Thinking
3. Organizing Information Draw 6. Analyze Who were the
• Italian city-states, including
a diagram like the one below. Medicis and why were they
Florence and Venice, grew
Add details about the character- important?
wealthy through trade,
manufacturing, and banking. istics of the Italian Renaissance. 7. Persuasive Writing Write
a letter to the editor of a
Renaissance newspaper telling
• In the Italian city-states, a noble’s whether you agree or disagree
Italian Renaissance
wealth was based on trade, rather with Machiavelli’s beliefs about
than the amount of land owned. rulers and power during the
Renaissance.
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 615
Araldo de Luca/CORBIS

13. SuperStock
The Value of City-States
select a good
“I tell you that you must ove
ly was rnment, and ab
aissance, Ita form for your new gove himself
Duri ng the Ren 0 city-states. ink of making
more than 2 all n o one must th ty.”
divided into the city-state
form h to live in liber o Savonarola,
ple think that ad- head if you wis —Giro lam
Some peo d idea. The le ur Final Destruc
tion”
of g overnm ent was a goo -states “This Will Be Yo
the city
hy nobles of
ers and wealt iences. This p
ro-
antages and d
isad-
encouraged the arts and sc gelo, Exa mine the adv of gov-
by Michelan ty-state form
masterpieces uld tages of the ci ou
duced others. Wo van e whether y
Raphael, L eonardo, and have ernmen t. Then decid enefi-
and sciences is primarily b
this re birth of arts ndent ci ty- thin k this system
aly’s indepe ly harmful.
h appened if It cial or primari
t existed?
states had no ch as Girola
mo
r people, su Advantages: t
Othe inst the city-s
tate eir independen
were aga • Because of th on
Savonarola, After the fall
of , each territory
government. rence, governments able to
form of ily in Flo insula was
Medici fam new the Italian pen
the
oke out in fav
or of a culture.
have its own
Savonarola sp tes were led b
y
ip: • Some city-sta s, but most were
typ e of leadersh
ie
wealthy famil
leader. Almost
led by a single
ltural and sci-
al l supported cu -
ment. The com
entific advance so
g city-states al
petition amon t
e developmen
encouraged th
nce.
of art and scie
rs helped pre-
• City-state rule and teach-
es
serve the valu s
ings of the ancient Greek
They gave
and Romans.
sts, architects,
their own arti
writers oppor-
scholars, and
A detail from the ceiling of the Sistine dy classical
tunities to stu
Chapel painted by Michelangelo rpret them
works and inte
ays.
in their own w
616 616

14. Disadvantages:
were led by one
• Many city-states people were
on
man. The comm
Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS
d
until they revolte
often mistreated
eir leaders. This
and threw out th
ence’s Medici
happened to Flor
family in 1527. ker
-states were wea
• The divided city would have been,
y
than a united Ital
so they were of ten invaded by
foreign groups.
did not always
• Smaller territories r
iers to defend thei
have enough sold r-
ey hired mercena
cities and land. Th outside
armies from
ies—generals and
them fight. Some-
their city—to help -
took over the city
times mercenaries
red them.
states that had hi ,
alians were poor
• Because many It -
ble class differ
there were noticea -
tates. These differ
ences in the city-s ts
Renaissance nobles bloody conflic
ences often led to
al classes.
between the soci
often battled with
• Wealthy families s.
tate rol of the city-state
• Many citizen s liked their city-s each other for cont
aged lers became even
lp it. This encour
and wanted to he • Some city-state ru eing banking and
se
patriotism. wealthier by over xury,
rous to the citi-
trade. These le aders lived in lu
• Som e rulers were gene ens were very po
or.
r example, while many citiz
zens of th eir city-states. Fo
Montefeltro
Duke Federigo da ino,
pular ruler in Urb
(1422–1482), a po a
ls, churches, and
bu ilt schools, hospita
n money. He was
library with his ow
the commoners
kn own for talking to
poor.
and helping the Checking for Understanding
lped bring an end 1. Do you think that the art of the
• The city-states he ing merchants, Renaissance would have been cre-
mak
to feudalism by d ated if Italy had not been divided
ners, wealthy an
as well as landow into individual city-states? Why or
p between lords
endi ng the relationshi why not?
s. 2. Do you think Italian artists had
and vassal
more artistic freedom under this
form of government? Why or
why not?
3. Would you have enjoyed living
during the Renaissance? Would
you have wanted to be a ruler,
noble, artist, or commoner? Why?
617

15. New Ideas
and Art
What’s the Connection? Meeting People
In Section 1, you learned about Dante Alighieri (DAHN • tay
the growth of Italian city-states. In A • luh • GYEHR • ee)
this section, you will learn how the Johannes Gutenberg (yoh • HAHN •
wealth of the city-states led to an uhs GOO • tuhn • BUHRG)
age of artistic achievements. Leonardo da Vinci (LEE • uh • NAHR •
doh duh VIHN • chee)
Focusing on the Michelangelo Buonarroti (MY • kuh •
• Humanists studied the Greeks and LAN • juh • LOH BWAW • nahr • RAW •
Romans, and the development of the tee)
printing press helped spread their William Shakespeare (SHAYK • SPIHR)
ideas. (page 619)
• Renaissance artists used new Building Your Vocabulary
techniques to produce paintings that humanism (HYOO • muh • NIH •
showed people in an emotional and zuhm)
realistic way. (page 623) vernacular (vuhr • NA • kyuh • luhr)
• Renaissance ideas and art spread Reading Strategy
from Italy to northern Europe. Organizing Information Create a
(page 625) diagram to show features of
Renaissance art.
Locating Places Art
Flanders (FLAN • duhrz)
1400 1500 1600
c. 1455 1494 1512 1601
Johannes Gutenberg Leonardo Michelangelo finishes Shakespeare
uses printing press begins painting painting Sistine writes
to print the Bible The Last Supper Chapel’s ceiling Hamlet
618 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation
(cr)Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY, (r)Art Resource, NY, (others)Mary Evans Picture Library

16. Roman works very well. In addition, when
Renaissance Humanism
(l)Maiman Rick/CORBIS Sygma, (r)Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library
the Turks conquered Constantinople in
Humanists studied the Greeks and 1453, many Byzantine scholars left and
Romans, and the development of the printing press moved to Venice or Florence.
helped spread their ideas. One famous scholar of the ancient
Reading Focus Have you ever tried to draw a copy of works was Petrarch (PEH • TRAHRK). Francesco
a painting you like? Is it harder to copy what other peo- Petrarch was a poet and scholar who lived
ple have done or to come up with new ideas for your own in the 1300s. He studied Roman writers
pictures? Read to learn how Renaissance writers bor- like Cicero and wrote biographies of
rowed ideas from the past but tried to be original too. famous Romans.
Petrarch encouraged Europeans to
In the 1300s, a new way of understand- search for Latin manuscripts in monaster-
ing the world developed in medieval ies all over Europe. In time, his efforts paid
Europe. This new approach was called off and new libraries were built to keep the
humanism (HYOO • muh • NIH • zuhm). It was manuscripts. The largest was the Vatican
based on the values of the ancient Greeks Library in Rome.
and Romans. Humanists believed that the Italians studied more than ancient
individual and human society were impor- books. They studied the old buildings and
tant. Humanists did not turn away from reli- statues all around them. All over Rome, one
gious faith, but they wanted a balance could see workers cleaning the dirt and
between faith and reason. Their new ideas rubble from broken columns and statues.
encouraged men to be active in their cities Italian artists eagerly studied the propor-
and achieve great things. tions of the ancient works. If they knew
how long a statue’s arms were compared to
Ancient Works Become Popular In the
its height, they would be able to under-
1300s, Italians began to study early Roman
stand why it looked so perfect.
and Greek works. For most of the
Middle Ages, Western Europeans
knew little about ancient Greek and
Roman writings. When they went on
the Crusades, however, they opened
trade with the Middle East and began
to get information from the Arabs.
Arab scholars knew classic Greek and Francesco Petrarch has
been called the father
Ancient Greek manuscript of Italian Renaissance
on Archimedes humanism. How did
Petrarch contribute
to the preservation of
Roman knowledge?
619

17. to write poems to the woman he loved, he
wrote in the vernacular (vuhr • NA • kyuh • luhr).
The vernacular is the everyday language
people speak in a region—Italian, French,
or German, for example. When authors
began writing in the vernacular, many more
people could read their work.
Movable Type c. 1450 In the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri
(DAHN • tay A • luh • GYEHR • ee), a poet of
Johannes Gutenberg, a German Florence, wrote one of the world’s greatest
goldsmith, built a printing press poems in the vernacular. It is called The
modeled after a winepress. Once the Divine Comedy. As a young man, Dante was
press was completed, Gutenberg spent active in politics, but when noble families
two years printing his first book. For began fighting over power, he had to leave
each page, he set metal letters in a Florence. That was when he wrote his long
frame, rolled ink over the frame, and poem—more than 14,000 lines. The Divine
pressed the frame against paper. Comedy tells the gripping tale of the main
Around 1455, he completed printing character’s journey from hell to heaven.
what is now known as the Gutenberg The horrible punishments for different sins
Bible, or the 42 Line Bible. This was were vividly described.
the first book printed using movable Another important writer who used the
metal type, sparking a revolution in vernacular was Chaucer. Chaucer wrote in
publishing and reading. English. In his famous book, The Canterbury
Gutenberg Bible Tales, he describes 29 pilgrims on
their journey to the city of
Canterbury. The Canterbury Tales
describes the levels of English society,
from the nobles at the top to the poor
at the bottom. The English Chaucer
used in his writing is the ancestor of
the English we speak today.
The Printing Press Spreads Ideas
The printing press was a key to the
spread of humanist ideas through-
out Europe. In the early 1450s,
Johannes Gutenberg (yoh • HAHN • uhs GOO •
tuhn • BUHRG) developed a printing press that
used movable metal type. This type of
Changes in Literature During the printing press made it possible to print
Renaissance, educated people wrote in many books much more quickly. With
“pure” Latin, the Latin used in ancient more books available, more people learned
Rome. Petrarch thought classical Latin was to read. Scholars could read one another’s
the best way to write, but when he wanted works and debate their ideas in letters.
620 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation
The Pierpont Morgan Library/Art Resource, NY

18. Ideas grew and spread more quickly than animals, human anatomy and medicine, and
ever before in Europe. the stars and planets. Their study of mathe-
The Chinese had already invented mov- matics helped them in many subjects.
able type, but it did not work well with One of the best Renaissance scientists
their large alphabet of characters. For was also a great artist, Leonardo da Vinci
Europeans, the printing press was a big ( LEE • uh • NAHR • doh duh VIHN • chee) .
improvement. It was easy to use with linen Leonardo dissected corpses to learn
paper, another Chinese invention. anatomy and studied fossils to understand
Gutenberg’s Bible, printed in the 1450s, the world’s history. He was also an inventor
was the first European book produced on and an engineer.
the new press. Soon books flooded Europe. Most of what we know about Leonardo
About 40,000 books were published by comes from his notebooks. Leonardo filled
1500. Half of these were religious works their pages with sketches of his scientific
like the Bible or prayer books. and artistic ideas. Centuries before the
airplane was invented, Leonardo drew
How Did Humanism Affect Society? sketches of a glider, a helicopter, and a
Humanist scholars studied the Greeks and parachute. Other sketches show a version
Romans to increase their knowledge of of a military tank and a scuba diving suit.
many different topics. They were curious Explain What was the ben-
about everything, including plants and efit of writing in the vernacular?
Leonardo’s Inventions
Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks contained
sketches of inventions that would not be Compare Leonardo’s sketches of a
produced for hundreds of years. helicopter and subway to their modern
counterparts. How accurate was Leonardo?
A multibarreled
artillery piece
A helicopter-like
flying machine Cross section of a palace
with subways for carriages
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 621
(l)The Art Archive/Manoir du Clos Luce/Dagli Orti, (c)Baldwin H. Ward & Kathryn C. Ward/CORBIS, (r)Alinari Archives/CORBIS

19. LEONARDO DA VINCI
–15191452
a peasant woman
Leonardo was born in Vinci, Italy, to
do’s birth, she left the
named Caterina. Shortly after Leonar
time Leonardo was
boy in the care of his father. By the
had artistic talent.
15 years old, his father knew his son
e an apprentice to
He arranged for Leonardo to becom
chio.
the famous painter Andrea del Verroc
ster in the painters’
By 1472, Leonardo had become a ma
ce until 1481, and
guild of Florence. He worked in Floren
re he kept a large
then he went to the city of Milan. The
tices. During this time,
workshop and employed many appren
of paper tucked in his
Leonardo began keeping small pads
the drawings by theme
belt for sketching. Later he organized
oks.
and assembled the pages into notebo
d to Florence,
Seventeen years later, Leonardo returne
or. During this time, Leonardo da Vinci
where he was welcomed with great hon
pieces. He also made
Leonardo painted some of his master
s, observations of the
scientific studies, including dissection “Nothing can be loved or
flight of birds, and research on
the movement of water hated unless it is first
currents. known.”
In 1516 Leonardo
—Leonardo da Vinci
accepted an invitation to live
in France. The king admired
Leonardo and gave him
ing the
freedom to pursue his interests. Dur
lived in a small house near
last three years of his life, Leonardo
most of his time sketching
the king’s summer palace. He spent
s.
and working on his scientific studie
ity and
Leonardo’s curiosity fueled his creativ
created in
interest in science. What invention
impress
The Mona Lisa by the last 100 years do you think would
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo the most? Why?
(t)Timothy McCarthy/Art Resource, NY, (b)Musee du Louvre, Paris/Giraudon, Paris/SuperStock

20. Artists in Renaissance Italy
Renaissance artists used new tech-
niques to produce paintings that showed people in
an emotional and realistic way.
Reading Focus Have you ever had trouble making
your drawings look real and three-dimensional? Read
to learn how Renaissance artists learned to make their
art look natural and real.
During the Renaissance, wealthy Italian
families and church leaders paid artists to The sculpture, La Pieta, by Michelangelo shows
Mary holding the body of Jesus after his death.
create paintings, sculptures, and buildings
What did Renaissance artists try to portray in
for display throughout their cities. The their works?
pope himself funded many works of art to
decorate the Vatican. Renaissance artists
Chiaroscuro softened edges by using light
followed the models of the ancient Romans
and shadows instead of stiff outlines to sep-
and Greeks but expressed humanist ideas.
arate objects. In Italian, chiaro means “clear
or light,” and oscuro means “dark.”
What Was New About Renaissance Art? Chiaroscuro created more drama and emo-
If you compare medieval and Renaissance tion in a painting.
paintings, you will see major differences in
their styles. Renaissance art tries to show The Peak of the Renaissance The artistic
people as they would appear in real life. It Renaissance lasted from about 1350 to 1550,
also tries to show people’s emotions. When but it hit its peak between 1490 and 1520. At
a medieval artist depicted the birth of Jesus, that time, three great artists were producing
he wanted to remind Christians about their their masterpieces—Leonardo da Vinci,
belief that Jesus was born to save the world. Raphael Sanzio, and Michelangelo
A Renaissance artist painting the same Buonarroti (MY • kuh • LAN • juh • LOH BWAW •
scene might try to show how tender Mary nahr • RAW • tee).
looked with her tiny baby. Although Leonardo also became a great
Renaissance painters also used new tech- scientist and inventor, he trained as an
niques. The most important was perspective artist. Born in 1452, he began his training in
(puhr • SPEHK • tihv), a method that makes a Florence at a young age. Training in work-
drawing or painting look three-dimen- shops was an old tradition, but during the
sional. Artists had tried to use perspective Renaissance, individual artists began to do
before, but Renaissance artists perfected it. something no medieval artist had done—
Using perspective, objects in a scene appear they signed their own work.
to be at different distances from the viewer. One of Leonardo’s most famous works
The result is a more realistic image. is The Last Supper, which he began painting
To make their paintings more realistic, in 1494 on a wall behind a church altar. He
Renaissance artists also used a technique painted on wet plaster with watercolor
called chiaroscuro (kee • AHR • uh • SKYUR • oh). paint. A painting done this way is called a
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 623
Vatican Museums & Galleries, Rome/Canali PhotoBank

21. fresco (FREHS • koh), which in Italian means
Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
“fresh.” Frescoes were painted in churches
all over Italy.
One of Leonardo’s great artistic skills is
visible in The Last Supper. In this painting of
The Life of a Renaissance Artist If a Jesus and his disciples, Leonardo was able to
young boy in Renaissance Italy wanted show human emotions through small differ-
to be an artist, he would become an ences in how each apostle held his head or
apprentice at a workshop run by an the apostle’s position in relation to Jesus.
established artist. The main job of Leonardo showed this skill again in the Mona
apprentices was preparing materials for Lisa. People still argue about what the
the master artist and his assistants. woman in the portrait is thinking—what is
Apprentices used minerals, spices, egg the mystery behind her smile?
yolk, and other everyday materials to Although Raphael worked at the same
mix paints. They readied wax and clay time as Leonardo, he was much younger.
for sculpture modeling. Eventually, Even as a young man, Raphael worked
with ease and grace and became known as
apprentices became assistants. Talented
one of Italy’s best painters. Italians espe-
assistants could become masters of
cially loved the gentle Madonnas he
their own workshops.
painted. He also painted many frescoes in
Master artists could afford to have the Vatican Palace. Perhaps his best-known
workshops because of the patronage painting is the School of Athens, which
system in Italy. Patrons—people who depicts a number of Greek philosophers.
pay to support someone else’s work— The third great Renaissance artist was
would commission, or hire, an artist to Michelangelo. Like many other artists of the
complete a project. That artist was time, Michelangelo painted, sculpted, and
usually helped by his assistants and designed buildings. He painted one of
apprentices. the best-known Renaissance works—the
Patrons were ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
usually political Although he painted many outstand-
and church ing works, Michelangelo was a sculptor
leaders, at heart. He believed his talents were
inspired by God. He carved his statues to
organizations,
show perfect versions of human beings
and wealthy
as a symbol of God’s beauty and perfec-
bankers and
tion. Michelangelo’s best-known sculp-
merchants. Renaissance ture is the 13-foot-tall statue David. The
painter and sculptor made David seem calm, yet ready
apprentice
for action. Also impressive is Michelangelo’s
statue of the biblical Moses. The huge figure
Connecting to the Past appears both wise and powerful.
1. What was the main job of apprentices?
2. Does the patronage system or the Compare and Contrast
apprentice system exist today? If so, What were some of the differences between
in what fields? medieval and Renaissance artists?

22. a region that is in northern Belgium
The Renaissance Spreads today—oils let artists paint intricate details
Renaissance ideas and art spread from and surface textures, like the gold braid on
Italy to northern Europe. a gown.
Reading Focus If you were a Canadian artist, would Jan van Eyck was a master of oil paint-
your painting look different than if you lived in ing. In one of his best-known paintings, a
Arizona? Read to learn how the Renaissance changed as newly married couple stands side by side in
it moved into northern Europe. a formal bedroom. Van Eyck showed every
fold in their rich gowns and every detail of
In the late 1400s, the Renaissance spread the chandelier above their heads.
to northern Europe and later to England. Albrecht Dürer (AHL • brehkt DUR • uhr) is
The printing press helped humanist ideas perhaps one of the greatest artists of the
to spread, as did people who traveled. Northern Renaissance. Dürer was able to
master both perspective and fine detail. He
What Is the Northern Renaissance? The is best known for his engravings. An engrav-
Northern Renaissance refers to the culture ing is made from an image carved on metal,
in places we know today as Belgium, wood, or stone. Ink is applied to the surface,
Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands. and then the image is printed on paper.
Like Italian artists, northern artists wanted Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
their works to have greater realism, but they is an outstanding example of a woodcut, a
used different methods. One important print made from carved wood. In it, four
method they developed was oil painting. fierce horsemen ride to announce the end of
First developed in Flanders (FLAN • duhrz)— the world.
Globe Theater
William Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the Globe
Theater in London. It could hold about 3,000 people. Plays were Flags announced the type of play.
performed every day of the week except Sunday. White flags meant comedies, black
Performances occurred during the day, since the flags meant tragedies, and red flags
theater had no lights. When did the Renaissance stood for history plays.
spread to northern Europe
and England?
Wealthy and
important
people sat
beneath the Poor commoners,
covered section. called groundlings,
stood on the
ground for the
show. They often
brought fruit and
vegetables to
throw at actors
they did not like.
CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation 625

23. Who Was William Shakespeare? In
England, the Renaissance took place in
writing and theater more than in art. The
Renaissance began in England in the later
1500s, during the rule of Elizabeth I.
Theater was popular in England in the
1500s. Admission was only one or two cents,
so even the poor could attend. English play-
wrights, or writers who create plays, wrote
about people’s strengths, weaknesses, and
emotions.
The greatest English writer of that era
was William Shakespeare (SHAYK • SPIHR).
He wrote tragedies, comedies, and historical Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
plays. Some of his great tragedies include
Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. In Henry V and Richard III. Shakespeare’s plays
each tragedy, the characters’ flaws cause are still performed today and remain very
their downfall. Among his most famous popular.
comedies are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Compare How did the
Twelfth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing. northern Renaissance differ from the Italian
His best-known historical plays include Renaissance?
Study CentralTM Need help with the
material in this section? Visit jat.glencoe.com
What Did You Learn?
Reading Summary 1. Explain the beliefs of human-
ists during the Renaissance.
4. Evaluate What was the
importance of the printing
Review the
2. Explain the artistic technique press on Renaissance society?
• During the Renaissance, scholars
examined the ancient works of of perspective. 5. Science Link Describe the
the Greeks and Romans, began to scientific efforts and contribu-
Critical Thinking
write in the vernacular, and tions of Leonardo da Vinci.
3. Summarizing Information
explored many scientific fields. Draw a chart like the one 6. Explain How were the ideals
• Italian Renaissance artists below. Use it to describe the of the Renaissance expressed in
employed new techniques and artistic work and techniques of England? Provide examples in
created masterpieces of painting each artist listed. your answer.
and sculpture. 7. Expository Writing Choose
Leonardo da Vinci a painting or sculpture shown
• As the Renaissance spread to
northern Europe and England, Michelangelo in this section. In a short essay,
artists and writers, such as Dürer describe the work and explain
Jan van Eyck how it demonstrates
and Shakespeare, created great
works. Shakespeare Renaissance techniques or
characteristics.
626 CHAPTER 17 The Renaissance and Reformation
Snark/Art Resource, NY

24. By William Shakespeare,
Adapted by E. Nesbit
Before You Read
The Scene: This story takes place in Athens, Greece, in a legendary time
when magical creatures lived among humans.
The Characters: Hermia and Lysander are in love. Demetrius loves Hermia,
and Helena loves Demetrius. Oberon and Titania are the King and Queen of
the Fairies.
The Plot: Hermia and Lysander run away to be married. Demetrius follows
them because he loves Hermia. Helena follows Demetrius because she loves
him. The fairies they encounter try to use magic to help the four humans.
Vocabulary Preview
betrayed: gave to an enemy suitor: one who wants
mortal: human to marry another
quarrel: argument bade: asked
glade: grassy open space in a forest scheme: plan
Have you ever tried to help someone
but made the situation worse? In
this story, fairies attempt to help
four young people traveling
through the woods, but
their efforts do not go
as planned.