Venice sent wine, grain, and timber to Constantinople in exchange for silk cloth, which was then peddled to other communities. Other coastal communities in western Italy, such as Genoa and Pisa, also opened new trade routes. By 1100, Italian merchants began to benefit from the Crusades and were able to establish new trading centers in eastern ports. In the High Middle Ages, Italian merchants became even more daring in their trade activities. They established trading posts in Cairo, Damascus, and a number of Black Sea ports, where they acquired goods bought by Muslim merchants from India, China, and Southeast Asia.
The Italian city- states would not under feudal control at the time the Renaissance began, so they were allowed them greater cultural and economic freedom. Italian city-states were located along the Mediterranean Sea, which enabled them to become great centers of trade and manufacturing, which gave them the wealth, as well as the influence they needed to become patrons of the arts. One important city-state was Florence, which became so influential, that its currency, the florin, became widespread as one of the major currencies of the world. Italy was also the first place hit by the black plague, so they recovered before Northern Europe. Additionally wealthy patrons of the arts fueled the Renaissance.
The Italian Renaissance marks the end of the Middle Ages, and was born out of a rapidly evolving society. The Italian Renaissance had roots in Romanesque and Byzantine traditions. The term renaissance means “rebirth” and marked the end of the middle ages and the beginning of the modern world. Many famous artists came from the Italian Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. The Italian Renaissance laid the foundation for Western values and traditions (Web Museum).
That’s why; the Renaissance was a time of great social and cultural changes in Europe. It was a period characterized by innovation, imagination and creativity. Algebra in the Renaissance Introduction The general cultural movement of the Renaissance in Europe had a pro-found impact also on the mathematics of the time. Italy was especially impacted. Up to this time, the Italian merchants traveled widely throughout the East, bringing goods back in hopes of making a profit.
Importance of the Crusades As military campaigns, the Crusades were a failure, but indirectly, and to some extent directly, they affected much of the European history that followed. Numerous important social, cultural, and economic changes took place during and immediately after these famous expeditions. While few of these developments can be flatly labeled as results of the Crusades, almost all were stimulated by the increased interchange between East and West that the Crusades brought about. Trade and Commerce: During and after the Crusades trade between Italy and the ports at the eastern end of the Mediterranean were tremendously increased, and wealth was circulating as never before. By the time European nobility had begun to look upon such imports as Oriental rugs and perfumes as essentials, the growing middle class of merchants and craftsmen was demanding the new foodstuffs, such as cane sugar, rice, garlic, and lemons, and textiles, such as muslin, silk, and satin, from the East, which naturally became less expensive as the shipments increased in size.
“Today, there is a popular consensus that the term ‘Renaissance’ refers to a profound and enduring upheaval and transformation in culture, politics, art and society in Europe between the years 1400 and 1600” (Brotton 9). Science was at the forefront of this expansion because of the speed at which technology advanced communication. With the invention of the printing press, education boomed and suddenly producing accurate copies of important books of the time was no longer a major time consuming process. Not only that, but now information in textbooks could continuously be updated as scholars began to better understand and learn more about their subject areas. This newfound availability of literature helped spur the movement of Renaissance Humanism.
d. Gutenberg: invented Printing Press; e. Petrarch: Important writer and poet who spread Humanism, the Renaissance. 2. The Renaissance occurred in Italy because 3 main reasons: #1 - National rivalries: In this time, Humanism appeared in Italy and it affected and made differences between the development of Italy and other Europe countries following Scholasticism. Humanism centralized in human-being and then it supported more and more scientific and artistic invention discovering. #2- Close link with the classical Past: Italy in that time located on the coast so that the culture and history were affluent in a long time.
Renaissance Comparison Essay The indication of Italian culture and rebirth from the medieval era began with the transformations that transpired throughout the Italian Renaissance. Society was shifting and the modern world was at its beginning. Italian values and characteristics were transferred out of Italy and into Europe created the Northern European Renaissance this was the renaissance activity that was identified outside of Italy. “Renaissance” is a French word meaning “rebirth.” The Renaissance period started in the early 14th century and continued into late 16th century. This era is known and studied for great cultural changes, literature, art, music, and successes in Europe.
Numerous wars were fought over trade, because of the great profit it brought to the land. The Crusades were not just holy wars, but they also aimed to take one of the largest trading centers and routes in the world. Trading and the City: Merchant and traders were not part of the medieval feudal society, yet they had great influence in it. As trade developed, towns along the trade routes became richer and richer. Some developed into great cities, such as Paris, France.
The colonialism stage of the expansion of Europe was beneficial and had a good affect on industrialization in the Western European countries. Colonial territories were established often through conquest and use of force. One of the main objectives of colonialism was to exploit the colonies and their residents to create economic wealth for the mother country. The key features of the colonialism stage were the economic, political and social/cultural features. Colonialism is the expansion of a nation's control over territory beyond its borders and has direct political and economic control over the country and its people.