Renaissance Humanism

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RenaissanceHumanism
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Europe at the end of the Middle Ages was ready
for a change. The Crusades and the Plague were
catalysts propelling Europe into a new era. As a
result of the Crusades trade increased between
Europe and the outside world. As Europeans came
into contact with Byzantine and Arab Scholars
they discovered many Greek and Roman texts
that had been lost for centuries. This
desire for Roman and Greek writings led
to the Renaissance, a time when Greek,
Roman and Judeo Christian traditions came
together.
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In Italy in the 1400s scholars began to look to
Roman and Greek writings. These Renaissance
scholars wanted to learn more about the
literature, art, architecture, poetry, and
history of Ancient Rome and Greece.
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These scholars were latter called humanists
because they studied the classics or the
humanities. They undoubtedly spent a lot of time
learning Greek and Latin so they could read these
sources from the Greeks and Romans.
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Humanism began in Padua, Italy when people who
were paid to write letters and documents began to
copy the format of Roman poetry. They also began
to translate some of the great texts written by
Roman and Greek writers.
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Humanist scholars searched through libraries and
monasteries anxious to find books written by
classical authors. Benvenuto, a pupil of
Boccaccio describes his teacher going to a
monastery to look for books written by classical
authors. Boccaccio stepped up the staircase
with delight, only to find the treasure-house of
learning destitute of door or any kind of
fastening, while the grass was growing in the
window-sills and the dust reposing on the books
and bookshelves. Turning over the manuscripts,
he found many rare and ancient works, with whole
sheets torn out, or with the margins ruthlessly
clipped.
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As he left the room, he burst into tears, and, on
asking a monk, whom he met in the cloister, to
explain the neglect, was told that some of the
inmates of the monastery, wishing to gain a few
soldi, had torn out whole handfuls of leaves and
made them into psalters, which they sold to boys,
and had cut off strips of parchment, which they
turned into amulets, to sell to women.
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Many humanists were like Boccaccio and saddened
by the condition of the texts. Petrarch spent a
great deal of his life studying Cicero, a Roman
writer and politician. In a letter Petrarch
informs Cicero about the condition of his books.
Do you also wish to hear about your books, how
fortune has treated them and how the public and
scholars view them? Some splendid volumes still
exist that I can hardly list, much less peruse
with care.... But some of your books, I
suspect, are lost for us who still live, and I
know not whether they will ever be recovered....
Sculpture of Cicero
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Renaissance Humanists focused on three main ideas
of the Greeks and Romans. 1.Individual
Worth 2. Commitment to public service 3.
Development of a variety of skills and talents.
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• Individual worth The Greeks and Romans believed
  that men could improve themselves through study
  and reflection.
• 2. Commitment to Public Service Humanists
  learned how Pericles had revitalized Athens with
  public buildings like the Acropolis. They learned
  how Cicero had bravely fought for the Roman
  Republic.
• The Humanists in turn
• built orphanages, and
• public buildings. They
• also supported artists
• and writers.

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3. Development of a variety of skills and talents
Humanists believed that people should by well
rounded in their knowledge. They look up to
people like Archimedes, who had been a scientist,
mathematician, and an inventor.
Bust of Archimedes
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• Effects of Humanism on the people of the
  Renaissance
• Great artistic and intellectual achievements
• Great literature (Dante, Petrarch, and
  Boccaccio)
• Printing Press (books available to more people)
• Architecture
• Linear Perspective in art
• Realism in art (people and nature)
• Increased trade
• Gave money to make their cities better
• Gave money to support artists and writers.