The Renaissance

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Posted by Your Guide on May 4, 2006 5:30 PM

After 1300 the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire both turned their attention away from Italy. The Popes were trying to exercise their authority outside of Italy and the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were concerned with threatening areas north of Italy. This lack of pressure and attention created a freedom in Italy that set the stage for the Renaissance. The prevailing free spirit combined with the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Latin writings spurred an intellectual and artistic revival, unparalleled to this day.

Meanwhile, the city-states fell to dictators and different areas of Italy came to be ruled by families, the most famous of which was the Medici family in Florence. Under the patronage of the Medici, Florence bloomed as a center for the arts during the vibrant Renaissance. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the area became the most influential in all of Europe.

Next Page: Italian Unification

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• Early History
• The Roman Republic
• The Roman Empire
• The Middle Ages
• The Renaissance
• Italian Unification