The Renaissance: Was it a Thing? - Crash Course World History #22

Summary

In this Crash Course episode, John Green explores the Renaissance, challenging the notion of a singular, European rebirth of culture. He discusses the influence of Greek and Roman art, the role of humanism, and the importance of trade, particularly with the Islamic world, in fostering the Renaissance. Green also argues that the Renaissance was not a widely experienced phenomenon, affecting primarily the elite and questioning the idea of a clear, linear progression of European enlightenment.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The Renaissance is often considered a rebirth of European culture after the 'Dark Ages', characterized by a focus on secularism, rationality, and individualism.
• 🤔 The concept of a European Renaissance is controversial, as it assumes Europe was isolated and then rediscovered its former glory, ignoring external influences.
• 🏛 The Renaissance is marked by a revival of interest in Roman and Greek art and architecture, with a focus on human form and classicizing elements.
• 📚 Renaissance scholars, known as humanists, studied the humanities and ancient Greek and Roman writings, which were rediscovered and translated.
• 👨‍🎨 Contrary to popular misconception, Renaissance artists were deeply religious, as evidenced by the numerous depictions of religious figures like the Madonna.
• 💰 The Renaissance was financially supported by the wealth of Italian city-states, which were enriched through trade and specialized industrial production.
• 🛍 Trade with the Islamic world, particularly the Ottoman Empire, was crucial for the Renaissance, providing essential goods like alum for dyeing textiles.
• 🌍 The Muslim world was not only a source of trade but also a repository of knowledge, with Muslim scholars having preserved and studied ancient Greek texts.
• 🔍 The fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to the migration of Byzantine scholars to Italy, bringing with them valuable Greek texts and ideas.
• 🌐 The Renaissance was not a monolithic event but a complex series of interrelated developments over centuries, with varying impacts across different regions and social classes.
• 🕰 The Renaissance as we understand it today is a construct that emphasizes certain aspects of history that align with a narrative of European progress and enlightenment.

Q & A

What is the Renaissance and why is it considered controversial?

The Renaissance is a period in European history that is often seen as a rebirth of culture after the Dark Ages, leading to modern secularism, rationality, and individualism. It's controversial because the idea of a European Renaissance presupposes a self-contained Europe that was enlightened, lost its way, and then rediscovered its former glory, which oversimplifies the cultural exchanges and interactions with other civilizations.

What is the significance of the term 'humanist' during the Renaissance?

Humanists were scholars who studied the humanities, including literature, philosophy, and history. The term implies a focus on human concerns rather than religious matters, but it's a common misconception that Renaissance humanists were not religious. In fact, many were deeply religious and contributed to religious art and thought.

How did the city-states of Italy contribute to the Renaissance?

Italian city-states were wealthy, which was essential to support the arts and scholars. Their wealth came from being mini-industrial powerhouses specializing in certain products and from trade, especially Venice and Genoa, which profited greatly from trade with the Islamic world.

What role did trade play in the Renaissance, particularly for Venice?

Trade was crucial for the Renaissance as it provided the necessary wealth to support artists and scholars. Venice, in particular, became the richest city-state through its expertise in sailing, shipbuilding, and trade, especially with the Ottoman Empire, which allowed them to afford the arts and intellectual pursuits.

How did the rediscovery of Roman and Greek culture manifest in Renaissance art and architecture?

The rediscovery of Roman and Greek culture led to a 'classicizing' trend in Renaissance art and architecture. Artworks often featured an idealized human form, similar to Greek and Roman art. Architecture incorporated elements like Greek columns, triangular pediments, Roman arches, and domes.

What was the importance of alum in the Renaissance, and how did the discovery of alum in Italy impact the economy?

Alum was crucial for dyeing textiles vibrant colors, which were highly valued in the Ottoman Empire. The discovery of alum in Italy reduced dependence on Ottoman alum, and Pope Pius II granted a monopoly on its mining rights to the Medici family, further enriching them and contributing to the Renaissance's prosperity.

How did Muslim scholars influence the Renaissance, and what was their role in preserving ancient Greek texts?

Muslim scholars had been studying and preserving ancient Greek texts for centuries, and their work provided the foundation for Renaissance scholars. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to Byzantine scholars bringing their books to Italy, further enriching the intellectual landscape of the Renaissance.

What is the heliocentric solar system, and how might Copernicus have been influenced by Muslim scholars?

The heliocentric solar system is the model where the sun is at the center, and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. Copernicus is credited with formulating this model, but there is evidence suggesting he may have been influenced by Muslim scholars, as some of his diagrams bear a striking resemblance to proofs found in Islamic mathematical treatises.

Why does John Green argue that the Renaissance may not have actually happened?

John Green argues that the Renaissance may not have happened as a unified, continent-wide phenomenon because it was not recognized as such by people living at the time. Its art and learning affected a very small portion of the population, and most Europeans were unaware of it. The concept of the Renaissance as a distinct period is more a construct of historical narrative than a lived reality.

What is the significance of the phrase 'Don't Forget to Be Awesome' in the context of the Crash Course series?

The phrase 'Don't Forget to Be Awesome' is a signature sign-off used by John Green in the Crash Course series. It serves as an encouraging reminder for viewers to strive for excellence and to approach life with a positive and proactive attitude.

Who are the main contributors to the Crash Course series, and what are their roles?

The main contributors to the Crash Course series include Stan Muller as the producer and director, Danica Johnson as the script supervisor, Raoul Meyer and John Green as the writers, and Thought Bubble as the graphic team, all of whom work together to create the educational content of the series.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Renaissance: Myth and Reality

John Green introduces the topic of the Renaissance, challenging the conventional narrative of its being a clear-cut rebirth of European culture following the Dark Ages. He humorously references the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to highlight the oversimplification of history. Green discusses the idea that the Renaissance was a period of secularism, rationality, and individualism, but also argues that the concept of a European Renaissance might be flawed, suggesting it was not a distinct event but rather a complex interplay of cultural, artistic, and intellectual developments. He emphasizes the importance of the rediscovery of Roman and Greek art and literature, and introduces the term 'humanists' to describe scholars of the period, clarifying that their focus on human studies does not imply a lack of religious belief.

05:03

💰 The Economic Roots of the Renaissance

This paragraph delves into the economic factors that enabled the Renaissance, particularly in Italy. Green explains that the wealth of Italian city-states, derived from specialized industrial production and trade, was crucial for supporting the arts and intellectual pursuits. He highlights the role of Venice and Genoa as major trading powers, especially their lucrative dealings with the Ottoman Empire, which provided the necessary funds for the flourishing of art and scholarship. The paragraph also discusses the importance of alum, a chemical used for dyeing textiles, and how the discovery of alum deposits in Italy granted the Medici family a monopoly, further illustrating the intertwining of commerce and the Renaissance.

10:06

🌐 The Global Context of the Renaissance

Green explores the global influences on the Renaissance, emphasizing the significant role of non-European cultures, particularly the Muslim world. He points out that the Muslim scholars' preservation and interpretation of Greek texts were vital for the Renaissance humanists. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 is noted as a pivotal event that led to the migration of Byzantine scholars to Italy, bringing with them valuable texts. Green also suggests that scientific advancements, such as Copernicus's heliocentric model, may have been influenced by Muslim scholars, indicating a more interconnected global intellectual landscape than often acknowledged in traditional narratives of the Renaissance.

🕰 The Myth of the Renaissance as a Unified Period

In the final paragraph, Green challenges the concept of the Renaissance as a unified period with a clear beginning and end. He argues that the Renaissance was not a distinct era recognized by people living through it, but rather a construct of later historical interpretation. Green emphasizes that the cultural and intellectual developments of the Renaissance were experienced by a very small segment of the population, and that the majority of Europeans were unaffected by these changes. He concludes by stating that the Renaissance, as we understand it, is more a narrative device that serves modern sensibilities than a concrete historical reality.

Keywords

💡Renaissance

The Renaissance refers to a period of cultural, artistic, and intellectual rebirth that began in Italy during the 14th century and spread throughout Europe over the following centuries. It is characterized by a renewed interest in classical antiquity, secularism, and humanism. In the script, the Renaissance is presented as a complex and controversial concept, not a unified event, but rather a collection of interrelated developments that have been retroactively labeled as such.

💡Humanism

Humanism, in the context of the Renaissance, is an intellectual movement that emphasized the study of classical texts and the potential of humans to achieve greatness. It is often associated with a focus on secular subjects over religious ones, though the script clarifies that this does not mean Renaissance humanists were irreligious. The term is used in the script to describe the scholars who studied humanities such as literature, philosophy, and history.

💡Secularism

Secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions. In the script, secularism is mentioned as one of the values that the Renaissance is often credited with ushering in, indicating a shift towards a more rational and less religiously dominated society.

💡Individualism

Individualism is the moral stance, social theory, and political ideology that emphasizes the moral worth of the individual. The script suggests that the Renaissance contributed to the development of individualism by promoting the idea that each person has unique capacities for reason and creativity, which is exemplified in the works of artists like Michelangelo.

💡Classical Antiquity

Classical Antiquity refers to the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 6th century AD, particularly in the Mediterranean region, marked by the civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The script discusses how the Renaissance was influenced by the rediscovery of art, architecture, and literature from classical antiquity, which artists and scholars sought to emulate and build upon.

💡Humanist Scholars

Humanist scholars were intellectuals during the Renaissance who focused on the study of the humanities, which included literature, philosophy, and history. They were instrumental in the rediscovery and translation of ancient Greek and Roman texts, contributing to the intellectual revival of the period. The script mentions humanist scholars as a key group that helped to shape the Renaissance.

💡Rebirth

The term 'rebirth' is often used to describe the Renaissance, suggesting a revival or re-emergence of cultural and intellectual life after a period of decline, such as the so-called 'Dark Ages.' The script challenges this notion by arguing that the idea of a rebirth presupposes a simplified view of history and overlooks the continuous development of culture and ideas.

💡Visual Art

Visual art in the Renaissance is characterized by a focus on the human form, often idealized, and the use of techniques such as perspective to create depth and realism. The script notes that Renaissance visual art is one of the most recognizable aspects of the period, with artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo creating works that continue to be celebrated today.

💡Architectural Elements

Architectural elements from the Renaissance include the use of Greek columns, triangular pediments, Roman arches, and domes. These elements were inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome and were incorporated into new buildings of the period. The script uses architectural elements as an example of the 'classicizing' tendency in Renaissance art and design.

💡Trade

Trade was a critical factor in the economic prosperity of the Italian city-states during the Renaissance, enabling the patronage of the arts and the support of scholars. The script highlights the importance of trade with the Islamic world, particularly the Ottoman Empire, in providing the wealth necessary for the Renaissance to flourish, as well as the exchange of goods and ideas that facilitated cultural development.

💡Copernicus

Copernicus was a Renaissance-era scholar who is known for his heliocentric model of the solar system, which posited that the Sun, not the Earth, was at the center of the universe. The script suggests that Copernicus's work may have been influenced by Muslim scholars and that his ideas represent a significant shift in scientific thought during the Renaissance.

Highlights

The Renaissance is often considered a rebirth of European culture after the Dark Ages, introducing secularism, rationality, and individualism.

The idea of a European Renaissance assumes Europe was isolated and then rediscovered its former glory, which is a controversial perspective.

Renaissance art and architecture were heavily influenced by the rediscovery and emulation of Roman and Greek styles.

Humanists were scholars who studied humanities like literature, philosophy, and history, often misinterpreted as being non-religious.

Renaissance artists were deeply religious, as evidenced by the numerous depictions of the Madonna in their works.

The Renaissance is traditionally associated with the 15th and 16th centuries, though its precise timing and existence are debated.

Italy was the birthplace of the Renaissance due to its wealth, which was crucial for supporting art, architecture, and scholarly pursuits.

Italian city-states' wealth came from specialization in industrial products and trade, particularly with the Islamic world.

Venice became the richest city-state through trade with the Ottoman Empire, funding the Renaissance's artistic and intellectual growth.

Trade, despite potential conflicts, has historically led to more peaceful interactions than violent ones, fostering cultural exchange.

The Ottoman Empire's alum was essential for the vibrant dyes in Italian textiles, highlighting the interconnectedness of global trade and Renaissance art.

The discovery of alum in Italy and the subsequent monopoly granted to the Medici family illustrates the political and economic dynamics of the Renaissance.

Muslim scholars had been studying ancient Greek texts for centuries, influencing Renaissance thought and the spread of knowledge.

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to the migration of Byzantine scholars to Italy, bringing with them valuable Greek texts.

Copernicus, a key figure of the Renaissance, may have been influenced by Muslim scholars, as suggested by similarities in diagrams.

The Renaissance was not a unified period but a collection of interdependent events over centuries, challenging the traditional narrative.

The significance of the Renaissance is largely retrospective, shaped by its relevance to modern values and interests, rather than its immediate impact.

Crash Course's approach to the Renaissance emphasizes the importance of understanding historical events within their broader global context.

Transcripts

Hi, I'm John Green, This is Crash Course: World History and today we're going to talk

about something that ought to be controversial: The Renaissance.

So you probably already know about the Renaissance thanks to the work of noted teenage mutant

ninja turtles Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. But that isn't the whole story.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green. What about Splinter? I think he was an architect.

Ugh, me from the past, youíre such an idiot. Splinter was a painter, sculptor, AND an architect.

He was a quite a Renaissance rat.

[theme music]

Right, so the story goes that the Renaissance saw the rebirth of European culture after

the miserable Dark Ages, and that it ushered in the modern era of secularism, rationality, and individualism.

And those are all in the list of things we like here at Crash Course.

Mr. Green. I think you're forgetting Cool Ranch Doritos?

Yeah, fair enough.

Then what's so controversial? Well, the whole idea of a European Renaissance presupposes

that Europe was like an island unto itself that was briefly enlightened when the Greeks

were ascendant and then lost its way and then rediscovered its former European glory.

Furthermore, I'm going to argue that the Renaissance didn't even necessarily happen.

But first, let's assume that it did. Essentially, the Renaissance was an efflorescence of arts

(primarily visual, but also to a lesser extent literary) and ideas in Europe that coincided

with the rediscovery of Roman and Greek culture.

It's easiest to see this in terms of visual art, Renaissance art tends to feature a focus

on the human form, somewhat idealized, as Roman and especially Greek art had.

And this "classicizing" is also rather apparent in the architecture of the Renaissance which

featured all sorts of Greek columns and triangular pediments and Roman arches and domes. In fact,

looking at a Renaissance building you might even be able to fool yourself into thinking

you're looking at an actual Greek building, if you sort of squint and ignore the fact

that Greek buildings tend to be, you know, ruins.

In addition to rediscovering, that is, copying, Greek and Roman art, the Renaissance saw the rediscovery

of Greek and Roman writings and their ideas.

And that opened up a whole new world for scholars, well, not a new world, actually since the texts

were more than 1000 years old, but you know what I mean.

The scholars who examined, translated, and commented upon these writings were called

humanists, which can be a little bit of a confusing term, because it implies they were

concerned with, you know, humans rather than, say, the religious world.

Which can add to the common, but totally incorrect, assumption that Renaissance writers and artists

and scholars were, like, secretly not religious.

That's a favorite favorite area of speculation on the Internet and in Dan Brown novels, but

the truth is that Renaissance artists were religious. As evidence, let me present you

with that fact that they painted the Madonna over and over and over and over and over and STAN!

Anyway, all humanism means is that these scholars studied what were called the humanities.

Literature, philosophy, history.

Today, of course, these areas of study are known as the so-called dark arts. What? Liberal

arts? Aw, Stan, youíre always making history less fun. I WANT TO BE A PROFESSOR OF THE DARK ARTS.

Stan: The Dark Arts job is a dangerous position.

Yeah, I guess that's true, so we'll stick with this.

Right so here at Crash Course, we try not to focus too much on dates, but if Iím going

to convince you that the Renaissance didn't actually happen, I should probably tell you,

you know, when it didn't happen. So traditionally the Renaissance is associated with the 15th

and 16th centuries. Ish.

The Renaissance happened all across Europe, but weíre going to focus on Italy, because

I want to and I own the video camera. Plus, Italy really spawned the Renaissance.

What was it about Italy that lent itself to Renaissancing? Was it the wine? The olives?

The pasta? The plumbers? The relative permissiveness when it comes to the moral lassitude of their

leaders? Well, letís go to the Thought Bubble.

Italy was primed for Renaissance for exactly one reason: Money.

A society has to be super rich to support artists and elaborate building projects and

to feed scholars who translate and comment on thousand-year-old documents. And the Italian

city states were very wealthy for two reasons.

First, many city states were mini-industrial powerhouses each specializing in a particular

industrial product like Florence made cloth, Milan made arms.

Second, the cities of Venice and Genoa got stinking rich from trade.

Genoa turned out a fair number of top-notch sailors, like for instance Christopher Columbus.

But the Venetians became the richest city state of all.

As you'll remember from the Crusades, the Venetians were expert sailors, shipbuilders,

and merchants, and as you'll remember from our discussions of Indian Ocean trade, they

also had figured out ways to trade with Islamic empires, including the biggest economic power

in the region: the Ottomans.

Without trading with the Islamic world, especially in pepper, Venice couldn't have afforded

all those painters, nor would they have had money to pay for the incredibly fancy clothes

they put on to pose for their fancy portraits.

The clothes, the paint, the painters, enough food to get a double chin, all of that was

paid for with money from trade with the Ottomans.

I know I talk a lot about trade, but that's because itís so incredibly awesome, and it

really does bind the world together.

And while trade can lead to conflicts, on balance, it has been responsible for more

peaceful contacts than violent ones because, you know, death is bad for business.

This was certainly the case in the Eastern Mediterranean where the periods of trade-based

diplomacy were longer and more frequent than periods of war, even though all we ever talk

about is war because it's very dramatic, which is why my brother Hank's favorite video

game is called Assassin's Creed, not Some Venetian Guys Negotiate A Trade Treaty.

Thanks, Thought Bubble. So here's another example of non-Europeans supporting the Renaissance:

The Venetians exported textiles to the Ottomans.

They were usually woven in other cities like Florence, and the reason Florentine textiles

were so valuable is because their color remained vibrant.

That is because they were dyed with a chemical called alum, which was primarily found in

Anatolia, in the Ottoman Empire.

So to make the textiles the Ottomans craved, the Italians needed Ottoman alum, at least until 1460.

When Giovanni da Castro, Pope Pius II's godson, discovered alum, in Italy, in Tolfa.

And he wrote to his godfather, the Pope: "Today I bring you victory over the Turk. Every year

they wring from the Christians more than 300,000 ducats for the alum with which we dye wool

various colors, But I have found seven mountains so rich in this material that they could supply

seven worlds. If you will give orders to engage workmen, build furnaces, and smelt the ore,

you will provide all Europe with alum and the Turk will lose all his profits. Instead

they will accrue to you."

So the Pope was like, "Heck yeah." More importantly he granted a monopoly on the mining

rights of alum to a particular Florentine family, the Medicis.

You know, the ones you always see painted.

But vitally, Italian alum mines didn't bring victory over the Turks, or cause them to lose

all their profits, just as mining and drilling at home never obviate the need for trade.

Okay, one last way contact with Islam helped to create the European Renaissance, if indeed

it happened: The Muslim world was the source of many of the writings that Renaissance scholars studied.

For centuries, Muslim scholars had been working their way through ancient Greek writings,

especially Ptolemy and Aristotle, who despite being consistently wrong about everything

managed to be the jumping off point for thinking both in the Christian and Muslim worlds.

And the fall of Constantinople in 1453 helped further spread Greek ideas because Byzantine

scholars fled for Italy, taking their books with them. So we have the Ottomans to thank for that, too.

And even after it had become a Muslim capital, Istanbul was still, like, the number one destination

for book nerds searching for ancient Greek texts.

Plus, if we stretch our definition of Renaissance thought to include scientific thought, there

is a definite case to be made that Muslim scholars influenced Copernicus, arguably the

Renaissance's greatest mind.

Oh, it's time for the open letter? An Open Letter to Copernicus.

But first, let's see whatís in the secret compartment today. Wow, the heliocentric solar

system? Cool. Earth in the middle, sun in the middle, earth in the middle, sun in the

middle. Ptolemy. Copernicus. Ptolemy. Copernicus.

Right, an open letter to Copernicus.

Dear Copernicus,

Why you always gotta make the rest of us look so bad?

You were both a lawyer and a doctor? That doesn't seem fair.

You spoke four languages and discovered that the earth is not the center of the universe, come on.

But at least you didn't discover it entirely on your own. Now, there's no way to be sure

that you had access to Muslim scholarship on this topic.

But one of your diagrams is so similar to a proof found in an Islamic mathematics treatise

that it's almost impossible that you didnít have access to it.

Even the letters on the diagram are almost the same. So at least I can tell my mom that

when she asks why I'm not a doctor and a lawyer and the guy who discovered the heliocentric solar system.

Best wishes, John Green

Alright, so now having spent the last several minutes telling you why the Renaissance happened

in Italy and not in, I don't know, like India or Russia or whatever, I'm going to argue

that the Renaissance did not in fact happen.

Let's start with the problem of time. The Renaissance isn't like the Battle of Hastings

or the French Revolution where people were aware that they were living amid history.

Like, when I was eleven and most of you didnít exist yet, my dad made my brother and me turn

off the Cosby Show and watch people climbing on the Berlin Wall so we could see history.

But no one, like, woke their kids up in Tuscan village in 1512 like, "Mario, Luigi, come

outside. The Renaissance is here!"

"Hurry, we're living in a glorious new era, where man's relationship to learning is changing."

"I somehow feel a new sense of individualism based on my capacity for reason."

No. In fact, most people in Europe were totally unaware of the Renaissance, because its art

and learning affected a tiny sliver of the European population.

Like, life expectancy in many areas of Europe actually went down during the Renaissance.

Art and learning of the Renaissance didn't filter down to most people the way that technology does today.

And really the Renaissance was only experienced by the richest of the rich and those people,

like painters, who served them.

I mean, there were some commercial opportunities, like for framing paintings or binding books,

but the vast majority of Europeans still lived on farms either as free peasants or tenants.

And the rediscovery of Aristotle didnít in any way change their lives, which were governed

by the rising and setting of the sun, and, intellectually, by the Catholic Church.

In fact, probably about 95% of Europeans never encountered the Renaissance's opulence or art or modes of thought.

We have constructed the Renaissance as important not because it was so central to the 15th

century. I mean, at the time Europe wasnít the worldís leader in, anything other than

the tiny business of Atlantic trade.

We remember it as important because it matters to us now. It gave us the ninja turtles.

We care about Aristotle and individualism and the Mona Lisa and the possibility that

Michelangelo painted an anatomically correct brain onto the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,

because these things give us a narrative that makes sense.

Europe was enlightened, and then it was unenlightened, and then it was re-enlightened, and ever since

it's been the center of art and commerce and history.

You see that cycle of life, death, and rebirth a lot in historical recollection, but it just isn't accurate.

So it's true that many of the ideas introduced to Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries became very important.

But remember, when we talk about the Renaissance, weíre talking about hundreds of years. I

mean, although they share ninja turtledom, Donatello and Raphael were born 97 years apart. And the

Renaissance humanist Petrarch was born in 1304, 229 years before the Renaissance humanist Montaigne.

That's almost as long as the United States has existed. So was the Renaissance a thing?

Not really. It was a lot of mutually interdependent things that occurred over centuries. Stupid

truth always resisting simplicity. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next week.

Crash Sourse is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Danica Johnson. The show is

written by my high school history teacher Raoul Meyer and myself, and our graphic team is Thought Bubble.

Last week's phrase of the week was Angry Birds. If you wanna suggest future phrases of the week or guess at

this week's, you can do so in comments where you can also ask question about today's video that will

be answered by our team of historians. Thanks for watching Crash Course. As we say in my

hometown, Don't Forget to Be Awesome.