Essay: Renaissance Humanism

Renaissance Humanism was an intellectual movement that started in the 13th century in Northern Italy, and later spread all across Europe during the its peak. Renaissance humanism is essentially the study of classical antiquity that initially originated from Italy and later spread all across Western Europe from the 14th to the 16th centuries (Burke 47). It is the study of classical texts, which include Greek and Roman, so as to influence how human beings view the world, borrowing from the primeval world to transform the ‘modern’ and give a human point of view which focused on the ability of people to act and not uncritically follow a religious idea. At the center of Renaissance Humanism was the use of classical texts to change modern thinking, separating from the medieval mindsets and forming something new.
Development and Spread of Renaissance Humanism
Humanism first came into the public limelight through Francesco Petrarch (1304–1374), and his knowledge and interests are responsible for shaping humanist movement for a number of generations. He gave up studying law at a young age and dedicated his life towards studying literature, mainly the classical literature of Rome. His close disciples were Coluccio Salutati (1331–1406) and Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375). Petrarch was influential in shaping the idea of European history as split into ancient, medieval, as well as modern eras.
From its focal point in Florence, the spread of humanism throughout Italy was fast during the 15th century and as a result was able to establish itself as amongst the most significant intellectual movements of the Renaissance. The spread of humanism was possible because of the establishment of schools and it was taught by many scholars such as Gasparino Barzizza (1360–1430), Bologna, and Padua; and Guarino da Verona (1374–1460) among others in cities like Florence, Venice, and Verona (Kraye 72). During the 15th century, the humanism movement spread and established itself in different Europe countries such as France, Germany, England, among others. There was a great influence of humanism on the religious differences of the 16th century, mainly due to the fact that the Bible and the church founders came so principally into play. Nonetheless, its influence also stretched to other areas such as art, law, politics, philosophy, mathematics, and medicine. After 1600, humanism started to come together with other intellectual movements, although its education continued in Western Europe as well as the U.S. up to the 20th century.
Why the Renaissance Started in Italy
There are a number of reasons that explain why Italy was the origin of the Renaissance. One of the reasons was Italy’s prime location. The geography of Italy and its cities were located on the Mediterranean Sea, which were the hubs for trade and commerce. Another reason is that Italy was a refuge for scholars from different regions. Italy was the center of the past Roman Empire and following the 1453 fall of the Byzantine empire, intellectuals found refuge there and also brought with them books of the ancient Romans and Greeks (Burke 321) which were later rediscovered and used as the primary example used in the start of the Renaissance.
Additionally, the political reason that enabled Renaissance to start in Italy was the vacuum in leadership. The Holy Roman Empire had basically lost its power because of different political intrigues. The resulting leadership vacuum made merchants to change the laws relating to banking, trade and commerce.
Role of the Patronage and the Arts in Defining and Spreading Renaissance Ideas
Patronage is basically the support, backing, or financial assistance that a person or an organization gives to another party. Therefore, arts patronage is the support that wealthy merchants, popes, and kings provided to different artists such as sculptors, painters, and musicians. Patrons played a significant role in the defining the Renaissance era as well as spreading it ideas. In arts history, patronage of arts was significant in relation to Renaissance Europe. During the Renaissance, patrons spent their fortunes in assisting architects and artists to produce their works of genius. The result of this is that it led to the spread of Renaissance ideas from one country to another.
Distinct Aspects of the Northern Renaissance
The Northern Renaissance is a phrase that refers to the Renaissance that took place in Northern Europe outside Italy. Renaissance Humanism in the North has its own unique characteristics. One of its distinctiveness from the Italian Renaissance was in terms of centralization of political power. Nations in Central and Western Europe, which were part of the Northern Renaissance, started becoming nation-states. In addition, it was narrowly related to the Protestant Reformation as well as the external and internal conflicts amongst different Protestant groups and the Roman Church which had long-lasting consequences. Fundamentally, the Northern Renaissance occurred in parts of Eastern Europe such as the Netherlands. In the course of this time, emphasis was placed on the daily lives of peasants. As a result, Northern Renaissance artists painted pictures like “Haymaking.”
Emergence of Scientific Revolution from Medieval World-View
The scientific revolution marked the emergence of contemporary science throughout the early modern period, in a time when development in other fields such as physics, mathematics and biology changed the way the society viewed nature. The medieval idea of science underwent changes because of the following reasons: collaboration, the origin of fresh experimental methods, the capacity to build on the scientific philosophy that were in existent, as well as institutions that facilitated academic publications. In the course of the scientific revolution, there were changes in how scientists were perceived in relation to nature.
In conclusion, renaissance humanism emphasized on the expansion of knowledge and on education, the consideration of individual potential, as well as the commitment to civil and moral responsibility. It is the belief that man could attain perfection through education that triggered interest in the individual.