15,697
edits
Changes
m
<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'>
====Related Articles====
*[[What was the Borgias contribution to Renaissance Italy?]]
*[[How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?]]
*[[What was the role of the Popes in the Renaissance?]]
*[[What were the causes of the Northern Renaissance?]]
*[[How did the Renaissance influence the Reformation?]]
*[[What was the influence of Emperor Frederick II on the Italian Renaissance?]]
</div>
{{MediaWiki:AmNative}}
Admin moved page Why did the Italian Renaissance End? to Why did the Italian Renaissance End
====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 Renaissance started 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 country was rich, because of [[How did the Silk Road develop?|trade]] and industry and this meant that many wealthy Italians were willing to act as patrons of great artists. The Italian Peninsula was divided among a series of city-states.<ref>Ruggiero, Guido. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521719380/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521719380&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=90629fdde8856871bdd69f392194f543 The Renaissance in Italy: A Social and Cultural History of the Rinascimento]'' (Cambridge University Press, 2015), p. 648.</ref> These were Republics and they were tolerant societies, that placed a high value on creativity in the arts and though. They were unique societies in Europe of the time. Crucially, the influence of the church was limited in these city-states and there was generally [[What were the social factors that led to the Renaissance in Italy?|freedom of thought and expression]]. Indeed, many prominent Churchmen were active patrons of Renaissance artists, including [[What was the role of the Popes in the Renaissance?|Popes]].<ref>Ruggiero, p. 78.</ref>
Over the following decades, Italy became a battleground for the first time in centuries.<ref>Lopez, 112.</ref> This was to have a negative impact on the Renaissance. In 1527, the [[Did the Sack of Rome in 1527 end the Renaissance in Italy?|Spanish army sacked Rome]] and caused widespread loss of life and devastation. Eventually, the Spanish, under Phillip II, established Spanish domination in Italy. 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 opinions.
====The Impact of the Counter-Reformation====
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’ 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.
====References====
<references/>
<div class="portal" style='float:left; width:35%'>
====Related Articles====
*[[What was the Borgias contribution to Renaissance Italy?]]
*[[How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?]]
*[[What was the role of the Popes in the Renaissance?]]
*[[What were the causes of the Northern Renaissance?]]
*[[How did the Renaissance influence the Reformation?]]
*[[What was the influence of Emperor Frederick II on the Italian Renaissance?]]
</div>
[[Category:Italian History]] [[Category:Renaissance History]] [[Category:European History]][[category:wikis]]
{{Contributors}}
