Renaissance
|
"Information learned is more valuable than information given" This article is currently being reworked by UDITORE as part of their apprenticeship. We ask that edits to this article are only minor or grammatical in nature until this warning is removed in order to not disrupt the major revamp. Should you have any questions regarding the revamp, please contact the apprentice at work's Mentor. |
| This article is about the cultural movement. You may be looking for Assassin's Creed: Renaissance. |
The Renaissance was a progressive cultural movement that spanned throughout the 14th to (and including) the 17th century, of which historians estimate began in Florence, Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spread to the rest of Europe. Ezio, an Italian Assassin and the ancestor of both Subject 16 and Desmond, lived during this time period.
Description
The term Renaissance (Italian: Rinascimento, from ri - "again" and nascere - "be born") is also used more loosely to refer to the historic era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not uniform across Europe, this is a general use of the term. As a cultural movement, it encompassed a resurgence of learning based on classical sources, the development of linear perspective in painting, and gradual but widespread educational reform. Traditionally, this intellectual transformation had resulted in the Renaissance being viewed as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the modern era. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, such as literature, philosophy, architecture, art, politics, science and religion, it also affected social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such polymaths.
Perception of perfection
During the Renaissance, perfection was strifing to be a polymath, or "Renaissance man". An examplary polymath was mainly Leonardo da Vinci, though Michelangelo and Machiavelli also inspired the term "Renaissance man". Being a polymath meant to be omnipotent; mankind had to pursue perfection in selfdevelopment of all aspects. For example, Leonardo was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist and writer.
The Plague
The Black Death, or Plague, had caused great devastation in Florence, the presumed location where the Renaissance started. Italy, in comparison to Europe, had been particularily badly hit by the pandemic, most likely causing the people of time to dwell less in the afterlife and spirituality, and think more of their lives on Earth. The Plague also brought a new wave of piety, that sponsored religious works of art.
Florence
It had long been a discussion of why the Renaissance had started in Florence, and not elsewhere in Italy. Some had noted the unique features to the Florentine cultural life, which may have caused such cultural movement. Many think it was the family of de' Medici who played a vital role in this development, by encouraging countrymen to commision works from Florence's leading artists, like Leonardo and Sandro Botticelli.
Some say it was pure "luck" that the Renaissance had started in Florence, as all "Great Men" were born in Tuscany. The chances of such men being born at the some place in the same time period seem improbable, though it could be that they were only able to rise due to the prevailing cultural conditions at the time.