The Renaissance 1450 - 1600; earlier in Italy (1300s)

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What Brought about the Renaissance?

- Greek/Byzantine scholars fled West when Constantinople fell in 1453.
- Invention of the Printing Press
- Growing Secular Power
- Acceptance of Reason
- Expanding Knowledge of the World
- Introduction of Arabic Numerals

The Times

- More personalized religion
- Challenges to Church Authority
- The Reformation
- Martin Luther(1483-1546)
- John Calvin (1509-1564)
- Revived Interest in the Classics
- Extreme Conservatism
- Inquisition, Persecution, Witch Burnings
- Hostility toward Philosophical Speculation
- Wary of intellectual freedom
- Wars - 30 yr. war, 100 yr. war
- Plague, obsession with death
- Magic, Superstition, Alchemy
- Self-Consciousness, Invented notion of Middle Ages.
- Growing Urbanism, early modern cities
- Growing Middle Class
- Plato grew in influence, Aristotle waned
- Growing Literacy & Education
- Greatest contributions in art & politics; little progress in philosophy & science; strong interest in practicality

Some Renaissance Figures:

Erasmus, DaVinci, Michaelangelo, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo

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