THE RENAISSANCE BEGINS

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THE RENAISSANCE BEGINS
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THE RENAISSANCE

• The wealthy urban society of the Italian cities
  brought a rebirth of art and learning in Europe.
• Italys locations helped cities grow from wealthy
  from trade and banking, but many of the cities
  fell under the control of strong rulers.
• Unlike medieval nobles, the Renaissance nobles
  lived in cities, were active in trade, banking
  and public life.

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THE RENAISSANCE

• Renaissance means rebirth and it marks the
  re-emergence of art and learning in Europe.
• The Renaissance began in Italy and then moved
  north and spread throughout Europe.
• During the Renaissance, people began to stress
  the importance of the individual person and moved
  away from religion and took a more secular view
  on the world.

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THE RENAISSANCE

• The Renaissance began in Italy because it was
  the center of the old Roman Empire, a great deal
  of European wealth existed there, and country was
  still divided into very small city-states that
  competed very aggressively against each other.

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THE RENAISSANCE

• Italian city-states became very wealthy through
  trade.
• Italy was perfectly located on the Mediterranean
  Sea which made trade optimal.
• Because of the Crusades, Italians were able to
  come in contact with the Mongols and the Chinese
  which enhanced their wealth through trade.

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THE RENAISSANCE

• Marco Polo was a famous Italian trader who
  visited China and wrote a book about his travels
  that sparked interest in the Far East.
• Marco Polo came from Venice, which was the most
  wealthiest city at the beginning of the
  Renaissance.
• Venice was unique from other Italian cities
  because instead of roads, it had canals that
  traveled through the city.
• The Medici family came from Florence and are
  credited with financing the beginning of the
  Renaissance movement.

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• The wealthy men of Italian cities became a new
  type of leader.
• Before the Renaissance, noblemen got their wealth
  from land. The new wealth came from trade.
• Eventually, the old noblemen from the Middle Ages
  and the merchants from the Renaissance merged and
  became the new ruling class in Europe.

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• In Venice, the head of the city was called a duke
  or a doge.
• In Florence, the powerful Medici family ruled for
  many decades during the Renaissance.
• Politics in Renaissance Italy was complicated and
  diplomacy became a very valuable tool in avoiding
  conflict and rebellion.

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• As a result of competition among cities in Italy
  and the need for diplomacy, Italian diplomat
  Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a political book called
  The Prince.
• In his book, Machiavelli explained how people
  could gain and keep power.
• Machiavelli believed that a person should do
  whatever is necessary to protect their city and
  power even if it mean lying and killing.

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THE END