Early Renaissance in Italy: Historical Background

The period known as the Renaissance—French for “rebirth”—began in Italy during the 14th century (often referred to as the Proto-Renaissance) and extended through the end of the 16th century. It marked a profound transformation in art, thought, and society, laying the foundation for the modern world.

• Building on shifts that began in the Gothic period, the Renaissance saw the decline of feudalism and the rise of centralized monarchies. City-states and emerging nation-states, supported by powerful rulers, replaced fragmented medieval rule and established more organized political and administrative systems.

• A money-based economy took root in the 13th century, fostering the growth of banking, trade, and a wealthy merchant class—especially in Italian cities like Florence, Venice, and Milan.

• Religion, while still deeply influential, began to function more as a branch of state power, and the intense spiritual fervor that had once fueled the Crusades gave way to a growing interest in science, nature, and human achievement.

• A HUMANIZATION of society occurred. Man was no longer preoccupied with his own salvation, but rather with his standing in society.

• The renaissance marks a REVIVAL of interest in ancient Greek and Roman texts and culture, thus Italy is a logical place for such a revival, since the model for imperial Rome was part of her own history and territory.

• Literacy among the general population increased dramatically during the Renaissance.

• Writers, such as Dante, dealt more and more with art and artists as a subject, bringing artists' achievements to the wider public.

• Another important feature of the Renaissance in Italy was the new attitude toward public fame, artists began signing their work on a regular basis.

  • The Renaissance artist was widely diversified, working in sculpture, architecture, and painting - he was the "universal man", the archetypal Renaissance genius such as Alberti, Brunelleschi, and Leonardo da Vinci.

• Science and art became fused, many artists were convinced that GEOMETRY was fundamental to the artist's education.

Above all, the Renaissance represented a shift in worldview: from the medieval focus on the supernatural and divine, to a renewed emphasis on the natural world, the human body, and the potential of the individual—ideas that would shape both art and culture for centuries to come.