The Renaissance Moves to Rome

In the last years of the 15th century, the power and the drive of the Florentine Renaissance began to wane. Within the city politics, the Medici lost power and were driven out of the city. The next years under the opressive leadership of Fra Savonarola brought at end, temporarily, to the creative energy of the city and people like the young Michelangelo got out of Florence and went first to Bologna and then to Rome. And although there was a brief moment of great artistic creation for a decade in a real republic, finally the international powers of Pope and Emperor snuffed out the republic and Florence settled into a mild dictatorship that lasted all the way to modern times. While this Florentine decline unfolded, power and money moved to Rome. And the great Florentine Medici family regained great power in Rome in the persons of two Medici popes. So now as we approach the year 1500 in our class studies, we will turn out attention to Rome.

REQUIRED READING: This week, Chapter VI, "Rome"

J. H. Plumb,

The Italian Renaissance,

Mariner Books; Revised edition (June 19, 2001),

ISBN 0618127380

Amazon: Spanning an age that witnessed great achievements in the arts and sciences, this definitive overview of the Italian Renaissance will both captivate ordinary readers and challenge specialists. Dr. Plumb’s impressive and provocative narrative is accompanied by contributions from leading historians, including Morris Bishop, J. Bronowski, Maria Bellonci, and many more, who have further illuminated the lives of some of the era’s most unforgettable personalities, from Petrarch to Pope Pius II, Michelangelo to Isabella d'Este, Machiavelli to Leonardo. A highly readable and engaging volume, THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE is a perfect introduction to the movement that shaped the Western world.

RECOMMENDED READING:

J. R. Hale, The Civilization of Europe in the Renaissance. This study of the whole Renaissance period in all of Europe was the final masterpiece of one of the greatest historians of the Early Modern period. John Hale was working on this book when he suffered a debilitating stroke. But his wife, Sheila Hale, and other scholars finished the book for publication and we are all enriched by its availability. It is in print, but you might also look at used copies of the original quality paperback. This book will serve us for the whole year-long course. It is especially useful for Winter and Spring Quarters.