Why the Renaissance started in Italy The role of money and patrons in creating the Renaissance The city of Florence as a centre of the Renaissance
NAVARRE PORTUGAL SPAIN Valencia Seville Granada
BALEARIC ISLANDS
Sardinia (Spain)
Palermo Sicily
Crete (Venice)
M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a
Cyprus (Venice)
FRANCE
Brescia Cromona
Milan Venice Genoa Florence
Corsica (Genoa)
Bologna Rome
PAPAL STATES
Constantinople Naples
KINGDOM OF THE TWO
O T T O M A N SICILIES E M P I R E Black Sea
Verona
HUNGARY VENETIAN REPUBLIC
From this map, why do you think Italy became the centre of the Renaissance?
While the Renaissance would affect all of Europe, it began in Italy. There are several reasons for this: 1. The ruins of the Roman Empire: Italy was the centre of the ancient Roman Empire. This meant that the remains of Roman buildings and art were everywhere. As Italian towns and cities expanded, they dug up Roman statues. The Italian language was based on Latin, which made it easier for people to read ancient works when they became available. All these things inspired Italians and many of them wanted to copy the achievements of their ancestors.
2. The fall of Constantinople in 1453: Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. It was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Many Greek scholars fl ed to Italy. They brought priceless ancient Greek and Roman manuscripts with them. These books were full of ideas from the ancient world which Italians had never seen.
3. Wealth from trade: Italy’s position in the middle of the Mediterranean meant that it had grown rich on trade in goods coming overland from the East, such as silks and spices. These merchants had money to spend on works of art and architecture to demonstrate their wealth and power.
