The Renaissance Rundown

As discussed in class, the Renaissance can be summed up neatly as the last time when Greco-Roman antiquity and Judeo-Christian religion fuse together. The result? A vibrant intellectual and artistic Italian Peninsula (remember, Italy is not unified as a single country until 1861) that brought forth an Italian language, the Petrarchan sonnet, one of the key writings in the study of political science, and masterpieces of art.

  

In class, we briefly discussed Brunelleschi's dome. To the left is the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which was created by Michelangelo. To the right is the dome of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Are there similarities? Differences?

Need to know from the Renaissance: Three Crowns of Florence, Humanism, Machiavelli, Medici Family

What is to come? Lorenzo's letter to his son becoming a cardinal gives a taste of what is to come. The lavish nature of the College of Cardinals in Rome was disgusting and there was a call for change. The changes that occur in Western Christendom will become known as the Reformation.