Although its beginnings are directly linked to the city state of Florence and the Medici family the reality is probably more complex than that. Greek and Roman knowledge had been lost and forgotten in most of Europe, except in monasteries where monks would keep and copy many of the texts nor in the Iberian Peninsula, where it flourished under Muslim scholars. These scholars translated ancient texts, interpreted them and further developed their ideas, in the humanities and the sciences. Similarly, in the Eastern Roman Empire this knowledge had also been kept and taught, so when Constantinople finally fell to the Seljuk Turks in 1453 its people had, for a long time by then, been escaping the city and taking with knowledge with them. The Plague might have also boosted thinking out of the box, encouraging new ideas to do necessary work with less people, and led people to question their existence overall, thus also questioning religion.
The Medici were a banking family that rose to power in the 15th Century. It was Lorenzo the Medici, in 1469, the third Medici to rule in Florence, who really set off the Renaissance by his patronage to artists, philosophers and scientists. Watch this video and post in Facebook what are, for you, the three most important messages of the video.
When you have completed the task go to the next page. Next page
Please refer to the lecture notes (available through Blackboard - only accessible to registered students)