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Influence of the Renaissance
The influence of the Renaissance
The influence of the Renaissance
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Recommended: Influence of the Renaissance
Sam Barbary
Professor Lawlor
History
2/10/2014
The Borgias
Renaissance Italy was full of famous powerful families: The Medici who ruled Florence, the Sforza ruled Milan and Forli. But out of all of them, the Borgia Family were the most famous and infamous that have ever graced the pages of history. The Borgia’s are a fascination to study because history is so divided over them. They used the power of the Catholic Church for their own personal fortune and political power. They were rumored to have committed every sin and vice under the sun. Many in their time period believed that they were mass poisoners. Yet at the same time, their sins paralleled those of most the nobility and royalty of that age, including previous popes. The Borgia’s presided over some of the most important events of the times; the Bonfire of the Vanities, the Spanish inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the Italian Wars, and, Treaty of Tordesillas. They can also be traced to the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. This paper tells of the Borgia’s rise and fall in the Papacy and their deeds and impact on the world at the time.
Before one can cover Rodrigo Borgia and his family, one must understand the time period in which they lived specifically in Italy. In the 15th century, Italy was divided in dozens of city states, kingdoms, and mini republics, all fighting over dominance of trade and land. There were five major powers in Italy at the time of the Borgia. They were Kingdom of Milan, the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Florence, the Kingdom of Naples and of course, the most important, Rome. (Chamberlin ix-xvi) Rome was a big player because the Church held power both monetarily and ecclesiastically in Italy. Because of this power, the ...
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... in the papal election that Rodrigo had bought. Some were cardinals and princes who didn’t get the jobs or prestige that they wanted. Others were genuinely pious priests who were disgusted by the Borgia opulence. The old “the borgias practiced incest” rumor can be traced back to her first husband, Giovanni Sforza. When Alexander VI decided the marriage was no longer politically useful he wanted to annul it and remarry Lucrezia to There were two main ways for marriages to be annulled at this point: by proving it was incestuous or by proving one of the partners was impotent. Alexander VI went the impotency route and Giovanni was obviously not happy about being slandered like that, in revenge he started spreading around the rumor that the real reason Alexander VI was breaking up the marriage was so he could have his daughter to himself or so that one of his sons could.
In the book, Giovanni and Lusanna, by Gene Bucker, he discusses the scandalous actions of a Florentine woman taking a wealthy high status man to court over the legality of their marriage. Published in 1988, the book explains the legal action taken for and against Lusanna and Giovanni, the social affects placed on both persons throughout their trial, and the roles of both men and women during the time. From the long and complicated trial, it can be inferred that women’s places within Florentine society were limited compared to their male counterparts and that women’s affairs should remain in the home. In this paper, I will examine the legal and societal place of women in Florentine society during the Renaissance. Here, I will argue that women were the “merchandise” of humanity and their main objective was to produce sons.
“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to foreign courts. Gregorio Dati, the grandson of purse venders, engaged in commerce, rising in social standing which culminated with his election to public office. Holding office was a definitive sign of success and recognition in Florence. In contrast was the tale Bianco Alfani, a deemed man unworthy of office. As told by Piero Veneziano, Alfani was the chief jailor in Florence who was duped into believing he had been named captain of the town of Norcia. Alfani publicly made a fool of himself, spending all his money and creating a great fanfare over his supposed appointment. Comparing the lives of Pitti and Dati to the story of Bianco Alfani illustrates how economic and social change in 14th century Florence produced a culture centered on reputation and commerce. For men like Pitti and Dati, who flourished within the constraints of Florentine society, their reward was election to office, a public mark of acceptance and social standing. Those who were ambitious but failed to abide by the values o...
Francesco Guicciardini, The History of Italy (1537), writings about Lucrezia heavily influenced by the Anti-Borgia opinion.
During the late 14th century and beginning of the 15th century, two businessmen accounted their lives in a diary. The ecclesiastical controversies, religious upheaval and The Great Western Schism affected these men, Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati, both of which were savvy money makers and were forced to conform to the change in society as well as any offices they held. Buonaccorso was more affected by these changes because of the several positions he held in society. Dati too was affected because he ran a business and was directly correlated with the economical situations at the time. Religion was one of the main disputes in Modern Europe during this time period because of The Great Western Schism and the many attempts to overthrow the rulers of France. Society within each empire were religiously, linguistically and politically diverse. Effects of the Black Plague proved to be a major factor in the ecclesiastical controversies that would eventually follow. The Babylonian Captivity also assisted the changes that were occurring within the church (Patrouch, 8/31, 9/12, 9/14). It was evident that these two men were somewhat oblivious to their surroundings and the main issues affecting their world.
The Cheese and the Worms is a book based upon the documentation of an Inquisitional case and execution. It attempts to display the life of an unique miller during the counter reformation. The author, Carlo Ginzburg, is an italian history writer who was written many dissertations and books based upon ancient religion and history. This book’s entire substance is based upon records of an investigation case upon a man named Domenico Scandella, his confessions, and the books he mentioned. The point of this book is to show that you didn’t have to be of noble birth, or in the church to be educated, and to show a glimpse of the lower class during the counter-reformation period.
A rediscover of their history and recognition of early Greek philosophers changed the way that the influential families and Princes, in Italy, considered themselves. Their way of thinking of the Devine and need to promote one’s own aspirations through sponsorship of the arts, as well as, civic duty became not only fashionable but important to progress in the city states. Although Donatello’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera are master pieces in their own right, their influence on future generations of artists cannot be ignored. The spark that ignited the fire which we call the Renaissance was a transformation of societies thinking and values to a Humanistic approach to one duties to society and the church. These two works are a reflection of the changing attitudes which would eventually change all of
Born in 1469 to an economically limited family under the parents of Bernardo di Niccolò di Buoninsegna and Bartolomea de’Nelli, Niccolò de Bernardo Machiavelli was exposed to numerous books covering law and Classical texts in his youth, which he consequently learned to reject even before entering in Florentine politics.2 A self-taught intellectual like his father Bernardo, Machiavelli began studies in Latin at age seven. Although he was well-learned in the language by his young adulthood, he quickly refused to write his treatises ...
Cesare Borgia, also called Duke Valentino, was named Duke of Romagna by his father, Pope Alexander VI. Borgia came into power through the arms and fortune of others, and according to Machiavelli, that is not a good sign because those rulers tend to not last very long. But Borgia showed tremendous efforts to make sure he would stay in power by strengthening his foundations, even when his father was no longer the Pope. He was able to conquer th...
A 16th-century movement in Western Europe that aimed at reforming some doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches. The world of the late medieval Roman Catholic Church from which the 16th-century reformers emerged was a complex one. Over the centuries, the church, particularly in the office of the papacy, had become deeply involved in the political life of Western Europe. The resulting intrigues and political manipulations, combined with the church’s increasing power and wealth, contributed to the bankrupting of the church as a spiritual force.
According to popular belief, Lucrezia Borgia murdered several of her lover’s, but, this is entirely mistaken. When Lucrezia was only a young girl, her father searched for someone for her to wed. After examining two beneficial candidates, he arranged for her to marry Giovanni Sforza. “Lucrezia was betrothed to a Spanish gentleman, the marriage, however, never took place” (James). Shortly after the marriage, Pope Alexander VI and Cesare Borgia decided they were unsatisfied with the couple and deemed Giovanni useless. They claimed, to the public, that Giovanni was not completing his duties in the relationship. Giovanni was forced to confess to this; therefore, he was exiled from Rome and forced to annul his marriage with Lucrezia. Her second lover, who lasted shorter than Giovanni, was Pedro Calderon. Th...
In 1944, Jorge Luis Borges published “The Secret Miracle”, a short story describing Jaromir Hladik, a Jew living in the Second World War. Jaromir Hladik is taken away by the Germans to a jail by the Germans to be executed shortly after. While in jail, he ponders on all the ways he could be killed and later realizes that he still has yet to finish his play “The Enemies”. He prays to God, begging for a year to be granted to him so that he can complete his last masterpiece. In a dream, he is granted that year. When the Germans pull the trigger, the world freezes for a full year so he can finish his play. At a first glance, “The Secret Miracle” appears to be merely a fictioness story. However, Borges included so much of his own life in the character of Jaromir Hladik that the story no longer seems to be so made up. “Borges writing was impelled and shaped by experience” (Williamson 296). Borges grew up loving books from the very start of his life. His father was always a reader, so he had a room set up like a library that housed hundreds of books. Borges also grew up in a family with colorful war history, which allowed him to be introduced to interesting stories early on. At the age of 56, he was completely blind, causing him to see literature in a different way. He no longer thought literature was a reality. For instance, he believed that although an apple is called an “apple”, it may not actually have that name. Yet he continues to write in this unreality for he feels that it is a writer’s duty to speak out against Juan Peron through literature. In spite of Borges’ belief that literature is not reality, there is evidence of Borges’ life embedded in it which clearly shape the issues and concerns of his work.
She examines 6 popes between 1470-1530 who she claims lead in a way similar to politicians. They lost touch with the common people both emotionally and intellectually. A little known cleric led the revolution challenging papacy that culminated in the reformation of the church. In that context, Barbara outlines that the popes were venal, immoral, and their power politics was calamitous. The faithful were distressed by their leadership, which ignored all the protests and the signs that a revolt was coming. In the end, the papal constituency lost almost half of its followers to Protestants. Barbara says that these people were driven by the greed and the urge to create a family empire that would outlive them. This chapter sums up the essence of folly in these major failures, lack of a fixed policy, over extravagance, and the illusion that their rule was
Agathocles of Syracuse was considered to be an individual engaged in a life of crime, although not one devoid of mental and physical virtù (Machiavelli, 2000: 45). Nevertheless, his most remarkable success was the assassination of the senators and wealthy people of Syracuse, an action that could be considered to be based on bloodlust rather than responding to rational calculations (Machiavelli, 2000: 48). At the same time, Machiavelli seems to be very clear about the differences that resulted in the case of Cesare Borgia, who arranged the killing of Oliverotto of Fermo, who had disrupted the social order through a series of assassinations. The actions of Cesare Borgia have been premeditated in the same way as those undertaken by Oliverotto and Agathocles (Machiavelli, 2000: 51). However, in this particular case the ulterior motives differ considerably from the other two, as they obeyed to a rational and moral logic that was conducive to pursuit of virtù (Vivanti, 2013:
The Medici’s were a prominent family in the Renaissance, who ruled Florence from 1434 to 1737. They are regarded as being one of the most powerful and richest families in the whole of Europe. The Medics used this great status and wealth to develop an improved Florence, one that was significantly influenced by the Renaissance. The Medici family can most certainly be regarded as the significant heroes of the Renaissance. This is due to their significant promotion and patronage in the arts, in turn bringing focus back to the antiquities, a major importance during the Renaissance period. Furthermore, the Medicis can be considered the great heroes of the Renaissance, due to their significant influence of Renaissance Humanist thinking. On top of this, although the Medici family were allegedly corrupt and supposedly paid many bribes in order to become so powerful, they still focused on benefiting the heart of the Renaissance- the city-state of Florence- and should thus not be considered the great villains of the Renaissance, but instead the heroes.
After five hundred years, Niccolo Machiavelli the man has ceased to exist. In his place is merely an entity, one that is human, but also something that is far above one. The debate over his political ideologies and theories has elevated him to a mythical status summed up in one word: Machiavelli. His family name has evolved into an adjective in the English language in its various forms. Writers and pundit’s bandy about this new adjective in such ways as, “He is a Machiavelli,” “They are Machiavelli’s,” “This is suitable for a Machiavelli.” These phrases are almost always the words of a person that understands more about Niccolo’s reputation than the man himself. Forgotten is that Machiavelli is not an adequate example of the ruler he is credited with describing; a more accurate statement would be to call someone a “Borgia” or a “Valentino.” Most of the time they are grossly mistaken in their references. All these words accomplish is to add to the legend, and the misinterpretation, of the true nature of Niccolo Machiavelli.