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[[File:Florence_Cathedral.jpg|thumbnail|370px|left|The Duomo in Florence, Italy built during the Italian Renaissance]]
The Italian Renaissance (1380s-1550s) was one of the most exciting periods in human civilisationcivilization. It witnessed a great flourishing of the arts, literature, philosophy, architecture , and politics. Many of the greatest figures in World Civilisation appeared during the Renaissance in Italy, including Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Machiavelli , and Raphael. The Renaissance’s days of glories occurred from approximately 1400-1500. However, several factors led to the end of the Renaissance and the end of one of the most creative periods in human history.
====What was the Renaissance?====The term "Renaissance" or "rebirth" (or "''rinascita''" in Italian) was coined by Giorgio Vasari around 1550 in his book <i>The Lives of the Artists</i>. The Renaissancestarted in the late 15th century as Italians sought to imitate the lost world of ancient Greece and Rome and move away from gothic art. The Italian, artists, writers, and thinkers who all participated in the Renaissance, sought to create works that were the equal of the ancients, whom they regarded as the pinnacle of civilization.<ref>Burke, Peter. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691162409/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0691162409&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=3e8ba646ddb55793983df78fb425f39e The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy]'' (Princeton University Press, 1999), p. 6.</ref> The Renaissance, unlike the Middle Ages, stressed the individual, reason, beauty and secular values. This outlook became known as Humanism and has had a profound impact on European society. The Renaissance not only produced great works of art but also resulted in a dramatic change in the views of Europeans and a decisive move away from the world of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance was in many ways to lay the groundwork for the rise of the modern world and especially ‘individualism and a secular outlook.’<ref>Burke, p.9.</ref> The Renaissance was able to occur because of the unique conditions that prevailed in Italy in the period from 1400 to 1500.
The term means ‘re-birth’. The renaissance country was an effort to imitate rich, because of [[How did the lost world of ancient Greece Silk Road develop?|trade]] and Rome. The Italian, artists, writers industry and thinkers who all participated in the Renaissance, sought to create works this meant that many wealthy Italians were the equal willing to act as patrons of the ancients, whom they regarded as the pinnacle great artists. The Italian Peninsula was divided among a series of civilisationcity-states.<ref>BurkeRuggiero, PeterGuido. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06911624090521719380/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=06911624090521719380&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=3e8ba646ddb55793983df78fb425f39e 90629fdde8856871bdd69f392194f543 The Italian Renaissancein Italy: Culture A Social and Society in ItalyCultural History of the Rinascimento]'' (Princeton Cambridge University Press, 19992015), p. 6648.</ref> The Renaissance unlike the Middle AgesThese were Republics and they were tolerant societies, stressed that placed a high value on creativity in the individual, reason, beauty arts and secular valuesthough. This outlook became known as Humanism and has had a profound impact on European societyThey were unique societies in Europe of the time. The Renaissance not only produced great works Crucially, the influence of art but also resulted the church was limited in dramatic change these city-states and there was generally [[What were the social factors that led to the Renaissance in the views Italy?|freedom of Europeans thought and a decisive move away from the world expression]]. Indeed, many prominent Churchmen were active patrons of the Middle Ages. The Renaissance artists, including [[What was in many ways to lay the groundwork for role of the rise of Popes in the modern world and especially ‘individualism and a secular outlookRenaissance?|Popes]].’<ref>BurkeRuggiero, p.978.</ref> The Renaissance was able to occur because of the unique conditions that prevailed in Italy in the period from 1400 to 1500.
==Spanish Domination==Florence's Economic Decline====[[File:SackofromeLeonardo.jpegjpg|thumbnail|390pxLeonardo da Vinci|200px|left|Sack of Rome by Johannes Lingelbach|370px]]The Italian city-states were very rich but also vulnerable to their larger neighbours. The kingdoms Until 1500 Italy was at the centre of Europe were becoming national states, with a unified government the Mediterranean world and standing armiesits vast network of trade routes. By Italian traders made vast profits by acting as middlemen in the 16th century, trade between the Italian city-states looked much weaker that large kingdoms such as FranceMuslim and Christian worlds. In the 1490sFurthermore, the French invaded Italy, in order to conquer Italian clothing industry exported its goods all over the kingdom of NaplesMediterranean. The Spanish Monarchy refused to allow the French to dominate southern Italy <ref>LopezRuggiero, p. 67134.</ref>. The French army eventually retreated from riches made enabled the elite to fund the Kingdom work of Naples great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. However, after Columbus discovered America, the Mediterranean economy went into a plague decimated the armysteep decline. However, their invasion was to result New trade routes were established in several decades of war, between France the Atlantic and Spain, for the control trade of first Naples and later Italythe Mediterranean dropped off. Over the following decades, This led to less money being spent on art in Italy became a battleground for the first time in centuries.<ref>Lopez, 112Robert Sabatino, ''[https://www.<amazon.com/gp/product/0316532002/ref> This was to have a negative impact on =as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316532002&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=d7834ce1e2ccb139a585310f8f29d767 The Three Ages of the Italian Renaissance. In 1527, the Spanish army sacked Rome and caused widespread loss ]'' (Charlottesville: University Press of life and devastation. EventuallyVirginia, the Spanish1970), under Phillip II, established Spanish domination in Italyp. The Italian city-states were still technically independent, but they were under de-facto Spanish control. The Spanish control resulted in a loss of political and individual freedom and this dealt a blow to the Renaissance as increasingly artists and thinkers were unable to create the worked they wanted or to freely express their own ideas and opinions89.</ref>
====The CounterRise of Spain====The Italian city-Reformation was states were very rich but also vulnerable to have a dramatic impact on artists, writers and scientists’ in Italy. No longer could they discuss or express their views freelylarger neighbors. They The kingdoms of Europe were afraid to create any daring worksbecoming national states, in case that they offended the Catholic Churchwith a unified government and standing armies. In order to ensure that they did not come to the attention of By the Inquisition16th century, they made sure that their works were suitably Catholic. The result of the CounterItalian city-Reformation was states looked much weaker that Italian artists worked in an environment that was repressive large kingdoms such as France. This led to ItalyIn the 1490s, falling behind [[What was the rest impact of Europe, intellectually and artistically . It should still be remembered that Charles VIIIs invasion of Italy (1494) on the Renaissance?|the French invaded Italy still produced great artists and thinkers such as Galileo]], but they were far fewer and less originalin order to conquer the kingdom of Naples. The old humanist tradition, of Spanish Monarchy refused to allow the Renaissance, was abandoned, during the Counter-Reformation French to dominate southern Italy <ref>MulletLopez, p. 14167.</ref>The French army eventually retreated from the Kingdom of Naples after a plague decimated the army. However, their invasion was to result in several decades of war, between France and Spain, for the control of first Naples and later Italy.
*[[What was the Borgias contribution to Renaissance Italy?]]
*[[How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?]]
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====The Impact of the Counter-Reformation====
[[File:Sackofrome.jpeg|thumbnail|390px|left|Sack of Rome by Johannes Lingelbach|370px]]
The Reformation began in Germany and soon Protestant Churches were being established throughout Northern Europe. This cause a crisis in the Catholic Church in Italy and throughout Europe. Many feared that Italy would even turn Protestant. This caused a change in direction in the Catholic Church and led it to change its direction. In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church engaged in a series of reforms and other measures. These sought to make sure that Protestant teachings did not become popular. The response of the Catholic Church became known as the Counter-Reformation. One of the most important aspects of the Counter-Reformation was the increasing role of the Inquisition in Italian Society. Any person, believed to be sympathetic to Protestant ideas was arrested as a heretic by the Inquisition. The Inquisition also arrested those who have opinions and views that were contrary to the teachings of the Church. <ref>Mullett, Michael A., ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415189152/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415189152&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2cee7968947f72dfe9e1cea5b8eafa6e The Catholic Reformation]'' (Routledge, London 1999)p. 56.</ref>
The Counter-Reformation was to have a dramatic impact on artists, writers, and scientists’ in Italy. No longer could they discuss or express their views freely. They were afraid to create any daring works, in case they offended the Catholic Church. [[How did Savonarola influence the Reformation and Counter-Reformation?|Girolamo Savonarola]] rose to power in Florence and ruled between 1494-1498. He sought to reverse the influence of secularism and ruled Florence as began its economic and cultural decline. Rulers such as Savonarola forced artists to recommit to the church to avoid attracting the attention of the Inquisition. The threat of the Inquisition ensured that artists and writers tailored their works to be more suitably Catholic. The result of the Counter-Reformation was that Italian artists worked in an environment that was repressive. This led to Italy, falling behind the rest of Europe, intellectually and artistically. It should still be remembered that Italy still produced great artists and thinkers such as Galileo, but they were far fewer and less original. The old humanist tradition, of the Renaissance, was abandoned, during the Counter-Reformation.<ref>Mullet, p. 141.</ref>
====Conclusion====The Renaissance was one of the most important historical epochs, it produced a culture that created great works of art and provided the world, with the humanist view of life, which encouraged individualism and the use of reason. However, economic decline meant that there was less money for the arts and learning. The Spanish came to dominate the city-states and this meant that artists had less freedom of expression. Finally, the Counter-Reformation by enforcing Catholic Orthodoxy meant that artists, thinkers and writers were afraid to be as daring or original as they had been in the past.<ref>Mullet, p. 134.</ref> These factors led to the end of the Renaissance.{{MediawikiMediaWiki:Renaissance HistoryAmNative}}====References====<references/>
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