Chapter 11: The Renaissance: A Money Economy – Lesson 1



Chapter 11: The Renaissance: A Money Economy and Social Change – Lesson 1

Opening the Lesson:

1. The Renaissance: When? Where begin? Why did it begin in Italy? When did it begin?

2. When and how did the Renaissance receive its name?

Developing the Lesson:

I. Meaning and Characteristics of the Italian Renaissance

A. What are some important characteristics of the Renaissance that need to be examined?

1. Art: art was no longer exclusively for the Church.

2. Religion: traditional values, beliefs, and practices were questioned

3. Philosophy: secular ideas became important

4. Politics: centralization of authority and the development of nations

5. Economics: development of capitalism and mercantilism

II. The Making of Renaissance Society

A. The Commercial Revolution

1. It was an economic readjustment; a change from a barter to a money economy

2. What all was involved in this economic readjustment?

a. a movement of the center of trade from the Med. to the Atlantic – Why was the center of trade in the Med. and why did it move to the Atlantic?

b. the development of banking – Why did it occur?

c. the introduction of new products including tobacco, corn, tea, potatoes,

porcelain, cotton, tomatoes, indigo

d. the slave: may have had the largest impact – Why?

1. 1) it was highly profitable

2. 2) enabled the production of sugar and plantation crops

3) profits allowed new ventures

e. transition from a town-centered to a nation-centered economy

1) took place over several centuries

3. 2) town and adjoining countryside formed major economic unit in the Middle Ages

4. 3) craftsmen in guilds produced items for local use and produced only on order; little profit, little risk. little innovation

5. peasants sold agricultural goods in local town

6. 4) town protected itself with tariffs

3. What caused the economic readjustment and the transition from a town-centered economy to a nation-centered economy? the Crusades

4. Trade in Europe did not equal that of the Roman Empire until the end of the 15th Century

B. Trade declined in the 14th Century – Why?

1. climatic changes

2. Hundred Years War

3. The Black Death

C. The Hanseatic League

1. What was it?

2. Where was it?

3. Why did it exist?

4. How did the League resemble a country?

a. had its own law code

b. had diplomats and flag

5. When why did the League decline?

a. after 1500

b. major trade routes shifted from Baltic to the Atlantic

c. power of the League could not equal rising nation-states

6. What cities dominated trade in the late Middle Ages in addition to the League?

a. Italian cities of Venice, Genoa, Florence, and milan

1) Italian traders were traveling as far east as China

2) Marco Polo 1254-1324 was Venetian

b. Marseilles and Barcelona

D. Changes in Navigation: What changes occurred during the Renaissance to increase trade?

1. ship improvements

a. triangular sails allowed ships to turn more easily and sail with and against the wind

b. improved rudder

c. caravels

d. galleons

2. astrolabe

3. magnetic compass

a. allowed navigation in poor weather

b. no longer dependent on sun and stars

E. Industry

1. Trade expansion stimulated industry

2. Most work was done by the put-out system or domestic system where work went to the worker’s home to avoid the guilds

3. England began to develop its own spinning, weaving and dying industry

a. had been an exporter of raw wool and importer of finished cloth

b. changed during the Hundred Years War

4. Some industries required large outlays of capital

a. printing, shipbuilding, cannons, muskets, etc. for example

b. each industry needed to borrow money which brought about the development of banking

F. Banking

1. Bankers were money changers, lenders, and providers of letters of credit

2. The Medici of Florence were one of the important banking families

a. controlled Florence from 1400-1737

b. 3 popes, 2 queens, 3 kings

III. Social Changes in the Renaissance

A. Introduction

1. The Renaissance inherited its social structure from the Middle Ages.

2. The Three Estates:

a. First Estate: Clergy. Function—provide spiritual guidance to the people.

b. Second Estate: Nobility. Function—provide security and justice to society.

c. Third Estate: Peasants and the inhabitants of towns and cities.

B. The Nobility (2nd Estate)

1. By 1500, European nobility was being transformed. Members of the old aristocracy were losing wealth while many began to enter into the aristocracy by purchasing their titles of nobility.

2. Constituted 2-3% of the population. Continued to dominate European society as they had done so throughout the Middle Ages. How?

a. Served as military officers.

b. Held important political posts.

c. Advised the king.

d. By the 16th century, they began to use education as a way to maintain thei political power.

3. By 1500, certain ideal came to be expected of the aristocracy. They were outlined in The Book of the Courtier written by the Italian Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529).

a. Published in 1528. Became a best seller and was on Oprahs book of the month club.

b. He outlined the basic characteristics for a member of the aristocracy which were maintained as the ideals for centuries:

• Native endowments such as impeccable character, grace, talents and noble birth.

• Have achievements. Military, physical and athletic.

• Classical education. Played a musical instrument, painted, and understood the arts and philosophy.

• Standard of conduct. Make good impressions, be modest, and demonstrate accomplishments with grace.

4. The aim of the perfect noble was to serve the prince in an effective and honest way.

C. Peasants, Townspeople and Workers (3rd Estate)

1. Peasants constituted 85-90% of the population of Europe.

2. By the end of the 15th century, serfdom was in decline because of the introduction of the money system, the decline in the manorial system and the Black Death.

3. More and more peasants began to gain their legal freedom and in turn worked for a wage.

4. Townspeople were located in towns and urban centers. They were originally local merchants and artisans who formed the burghers.

5. The social and economic class of townspeople varied greatly.

6. Workers were at the lowest end of the 3rd Estate.

7. They did not own property and worked for very low wages. They were often unemployed. They made up 30-40% of the population in cities.

8. There were also slaves in Renaissance Europe.

D. Slavery in the Renaissance.

1. What is the history of slavery in Europe?

2. As a result of the Black Death (labor shortage), many Italian city-states began to import foreign slaves. In 1363, the government of Florence authorized the unlimited importation of foreign slaves.

3. Slaves were used as skilled merchants, house workers, nursemaids and concubines.

4. Slaves included Tartars, Russians, Albanians, Moors, Ethiopians and Spanish Muslims.

5. By the end of the 15th century slavery almost disappeared in the Italian city-states.

a. Many had been freed because of humanitarian reasons.

b. The Black Sea slave market dried up after the Turks took Constantinople.

c. Slaves were viewed as a “domestic enemy” and thus seen as a potential enemy and threat.

6. The large scale African slave trade began with the Portuguese. Between 1444 and 1505, approximately 140,000 slaves had been shipped from Africa to Europe.

E. The Family in Renaissance Italy.

1. Extended family. Included, parents, children, servants, grandparents, widowed mothers and unmarried sisters.

2. Surnames began to be used and were often viewed as symbols of status and power.

3. Marriages were arranged often to strengthen two families. The dowry was an important part of an arranged marriage.

4. Average age of women was 16-18. Males in their 30s or 40s.

5. The father-husband was in charge of all legal and economic matters in the household as well as the lives of the children. Women did not possess legal and economic power.

6. A child did not become an adult until the father went before a judge and legally emancipated them.

7. The role of the women was to bear children. Social status played a role often the wealthy could afford wet nurses. At least 10% of women died in child birth.

8. The death rate among children was also high. In Florence, 50% of children died before the age of 20.

9. Prostitution was viewed as a necessary vice because there were so many unmarried young men.

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