By: Briana O'Hern =)
What was the Renaissance? | When and where did the Renaissance begin?
Influences of the Renaissance | Art and Architecture | Music | Literature | Math and Science
How the Renaissance affects us. | Works Cited
The Renaissance is the period of time between about 1400 and 1600. The word "Renaissance" means "rebirth" in French, and this period of time was probably named by the era after it. The name is the perfect word for this era, because this era is characterized by scholars, artists, and scientists finding an interest in and building on the Greeks and Romans who lived before them.
It all started in the 1300's when Turks conquered much of the Byzantine Empire. Scholars who wanted to escape the Turks ran to Italy, and with them came many precious works of literature. Everyone thought they were lost forever, but they sparked a great interest in the past when they were rediscovered, All of a sudden, scholars, artists and scientists wanted to either learn more about the past, or recreate past works. This change was the beginning of the Renaissance.
When and where did the Renaissance begin?
The Renaissance is believed to have started around the year 1400, after the Black Plague had swept throughout Europe killing about a third of the population. It originally started in Italy, and then spread north throughout Europe. It lasted a long time, too. Actually, it lasted about 200 years, until the 1600's.
Artists were most likely the most influential people of the Renaissance era because Greek and Roman art revival was one of the main "themes" of the Renaissance. There were a lot of them too, ranging from Sandro Botticelli to Michelangelo to Leonardo da Vinci.
The artists of this time had a big influence, but they weren't the only ones. Greek and Roman art wasn't the only thing "revived" in the Renaissance era. Other things that were brought back were architecture, mathematics, and astronomy theories.
One major artist of the Renaissance is someone almost everyone knows: Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, and he died on May 2, 1519 at 67 years old. He spent most of his time in Italy, and he was an assortment of things including an architect, musician, engineer, scientist, and an inventor. He also sketched a variety things we now use everyday, such as a parachute, helicopter, airplane, tank, repeating rifle, swinging bridge, paddle boat, and a motor car. I chose to write about Leonard da Vinci because he was very famous and I know he contributed much to our society.
A musician of the Renaissance you might not have heard of is Josquin Desprez. He lived from 1440 to 1521. He was born in Duchy of Burgundy, which is in modern day Belgium, but he lived mainly in Italy. He was very religious, and he expressed his words through the music he composed and played. It is said that he had complete command of musical technique. He ended up composing 18 masses. I chose him because he is not very well known, and I felt he should be better known.
Some of the most influential people of kingdoms are kings and queens. Queen Elizabeth I is one major influence in the subject of literature. She was born in 1533, but because she was a girl, she was rejected, and was not allowed to reign. Eventually, she was allowed to rule, and her reign was considered the "Golden Age of England." Because she was royalty, she lived in Greenwhich Palace. She also was a big supporter of the arts, particularly the theatre. She died in 1603. I chose Queen Elizabeth I because she was a queen. Because she was queen she had an immense affect on her country, and I also chose her because she was a girl, and I want to show that women had a large affect on society as well as men.
This man is well-known, but not extremely famous. His name is Nicolaus Copernicus. He was born in Poland on February 19, 1473, and he died in 1543. He was a well-known scientist in his time, probably because he contradicted other scientists up until that time. Until Nicolaus came along, everyone believed that the world was flat, and that the sun revolved around the Earth. Nicolaus stated the opposite. He said that the world is round, and that it revolves around the sun. He also said that the world has an axis. I chose him because I know that he created a basis for modern day science, but don't know a lot about him. I felt that someone who realized something this important should be better known.
How the Renaissance affects us.
One event that contributed a lot to Europe's Renaissance was Queen Elizabeth I's reign, which created the Golden Age of Europe. Another thing Queen Elizabeth I did was support the theatre. We don't know what life would be like without her, but for all we know the movie theatre might not exist.
A discovery that is extremely important to today's society is Copernicus' realization that the world is round, that the world has an axis, and that everything revolves around the sun. Hopefully someone would have figured it out if he hadn't been here, but you never know. People today could still be afraid of being able to sail right off the edge of the Earth.
Finally, a decision that helped us immensely was Leonardo da Vinci's decision to keep inventing new things even though everyone probably thought he was crazy. Nobody probably thought that one day almost all of his supposedly impossible drawings would be every day items that people use.
The Renaissance is very important to us today because the people of that time were great thinkers. They weren't
Jamie and Christie. "Leonard Da Vinci." Renaissance Personalities. 20 Apr 2007 <http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/main/davinci.html>.
Kandis and Sherry. "Josquin Desprez." Renaissance Personalities. 20 Apr 2007 <http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/desprez.html>.
"Elizabeth I Biography." Elizabeth R. 20 Apr 2007. 20 Mar 2007 <http://www.elizabethi.org/us/biography.html>.
Vikas and Stephen. "Nicolaus Copernicus." Renaissance Personalities. 20 Apr 2007 <http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/copernicus.html>.
"Renaissance." Annenberg Media Learner.org. 25 Apr 2007 <http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/index.html>.
Burstein, Stanley M.. World History to Early Modern Times. Student Edition. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006.