During the Renaissance and Reformation, Italian merchants and bankers amassed significant wealth, enabling them to acquire extensive libraries and fine art collections. This period saw a renewed interest in classical culture, fueled by the remnants of ancient Rome.
Erasmus: The most respected and influential humanist of the northern Renaissance was Desiderius
Erasmus
Sir Thomas More: an english statesman
The Northern Renaissance
They searched out classical manuscripts in the libraries of European monasteries, often finding
them in poor conditions and entirely forgotten.
Popes, princes and merchants collected these neglected treasures and stored them in magnificent
libraries. There they could studied by scholars from every corner of Europe.
Many wealthy Italians of the fifteenth century took a keen interest in the Ancient Romans.
The Recovery of Classical Culture
Petrarch: A Pioneer of Humanism
Subtopic
Francesco Petrarch, an Italian poet born in 1304, led the early development of Renaissance
humanism.
He studied Roman literature and philosophy and encouraged to do the same.
A collector of ancient manuscripts, Petrarch rediscovered a number of Roman authors whose work
had been forgotten during the Middle Ages.
Bookmaking became much cheaper, which meant that more people could affor to own books
Bookmaking became faster, so that many more books could be published
Scholars had better access to one another works and to the great books of the ancient and
medieval worlds
The Printing Press
Petrarch and other Renaissance humanists tried to understand the entire civilization of the
ancient world
Development of individual talents
Public service and politics
The role of women
New Attitudes
The Italian City-States
Italian merchants and bankers had the wealth to acquire libraries and fine works of art.
They admired and encouraged art, literature and scholarship.
Sorrounded by reminders of ancient Rome -amphitheaters, monuments and sculptures- they took an
interest in classical culture and thought.
