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Renaissance assignment essay
Renaissance assignment essay
World history: chapter 11 the renaissance
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In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.
Social historians in recent years have started to look at the people who made up most of the population in cities, people who are usually ignored when looking at society,
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Young women were expected to work. From a young age, women needed to contribute to the family income for the family to survive. His chapter is helpful in understanding what happened to young women who were struggling. Terpstra notes that homes like that of the Pieta were set up to help these women. Terpstra’s argument really informs the reader on the struggle present for so many lower class women. He writes that the lives of these young women were unstable, due to the fact that these women were always on the move. In Terpstra's research, he found that when women left the house to pursue a job, more than a third returned shortly after leaving. In Terpstra’s work again we see the theme of women in lower positions being abused by men in higher …show more content…
Gregorio Dati, according to the primary source, was married four times, and he documents the last three marriages. The manner in which he writes about these marriages does not show much emotion. Dati writes, for example:
“The dowry promised me was 600 florins. I went to dine with her that evening… The Saturday after Easter… I gave her the ring and then on Sunday evening, March 30, she came to live in our house simple and without ceremony.”
This excerpt is important when analysing how women were viewed by men and society. It shows the reader numerous practices. One is that the process was very quick, and this is also shown by his previous marriages. They were married within days of negotiating the marriage. A second interesting point is that wife is not present in the discussions, further proving the points that Cohn argues, namely that women had very little power. Lastly, there was no ceremony to celebrate the marriage. This speaks volumes to the reader. It further emphasizes that marriage was about the money, and women were objects used to get
During this time period women were not respected at all and were belittled by all med in their lives. Even though men don’t appreciate what women they still did as they were told. In particular, “Women have an astoundingly long list of responsibilities and duties – th...
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.
The Renaissance was beneficial in many ways, from its enlightening ideas, to its art. However, there are many debates about how The Renaissance changed the lives women. Did women benefit from The Renaissance?
“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...
Across Europe, between 1400 and 1650, there were women present in all major styles of time. They worked along side of great artists and were developing new techniques and styles. Women also played a very important role in the Renaissance. Although not as well documented as their male counterparts, women worked along with the other great masters, were just as innovating, and were key in developing new techniques.
The question of women’s agency, in moving history holds a long history dating back to the ancients, then turning away from that in small degrees during the Renaissance. Most notable in this change comes from the capital of education, the Italianate states. Home to rife differences in attitudes towards women, it also hosts the origins of the discussion around women’s purpose. The current field largely finds inspiration from writers during the American 1970s women’s rights movement, and it shows in the modern origins and their influence. However, the field’s creation date loom farther back than such a recent movement, easily dating back to Plato and Aristotle. Beginning with a negative view of the female sex as inferiority, the study of women and their rights progressed to Giovanni Boccaccio’s creation of female biography in 1374, and further developed with a female voice in 1405 under the pen of Christine de Pizan. Clearly, none of the prestigious scholars could have predicted the alterations and growth of the discussion surrounding a people group often considered subhuman.
This source provided the unique perspective of what was thought to be the perfect household, with a man who worked and a wife who cooked and cleaned. However, it also showed how a woman could also do what a man can do, and in some cases they could do it even better. This work is appropriate to use in this essay because it shows how men talked down to their wives as if they were children. This work shows the gradual progression of woman equality and how a woman is able to make her own decisions without her husband’s input.
Women had a complicated role in Italian Harlem society because they had power in some areas, but not all. The domus, the family’s home, is where the women were able to exercise their powers. However, when it came to public events and ceremonies, such as the festa, for the Madonna of 115th Street, women endured sufferings that men did not have to experience. The contrasting images of women in Italian Harlem caused a complex relationship between the devotion to the Madonna of 115th Street and the social institutions of Italian Harlem. In the public eye, women received harsh treatment and were expected to be obedient to their male counterparts. Behind closed doors the roles were reversed, with the women having the majority of the power.
While most renaissance readings ignore the role of women in the Renaissance, the sources make clear that throughout the time of “rebirth”, women were not given an equal education to men. The Renaissance education focused on the classics of philosophy, mathematics, and classical literature to produce a well-rounded individual. This definition however, fit that of only a man. In Document A, Jakob Burckhardt wrote that women in society were not expected to be active participants, but instead, their function was to only influence the distinguished men. Women did not contribute to decisions, but instead, stood up for their spouse’s opinion. Document B, by J. Stephan Edwards, also supported Burckhardt by writing that education for men and women were different. The study of liberal arts was...
In a speech by Il Duce himself, he states that the working woman lowers the birth rate, thus depriving men of work and dignity (Doc 5). A tenet of fascism is the belief of masculinity, an idea that would be challenged by the notion of the working woman, which Mussolini did not believe in. In order for the man and the masculinity to be emphasized, they must not stick to the wayside of the working woman. Another notion of “female insubordination” that is addressed is shown in document 8. In this document, Paolo Orano describes how the working women resist the notion of marriage due to modern and independent ideals (Doc 8).... ...
Cloud, Amanda. Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance. n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. < http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/shrew/acloud.htm >.
The Renaissance is a period in Europe following the revival of classical ideas, art, and architecture. Although this time period underwent many liberal changes, the idea that women were intended to be subjects to men still remained. On the other hand, a few women of the time were able to break this mold of subjugation. One woman in particular, Isabella d’Este, created her own feminine “rebirth”. Isabella d’Este was the daughter of Ercole I d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara. Unlike most women during this time period, d’Este was provided educational opportunities equal to her male siblings. At the age of sixteen, she was said to have spoken fluent Greek and Latin along with possessing various musical and artistic abilities. She could also engage in political debates with well-respected and knowledgeable men. Her various talents led her to become a powerful and well-educated political figure, patron of the arts, and humanitarian.
The first source, Christine de Pizan’s book ‘The Treasure of The City of Ladies’ contains a handful of sections on how differing demographics of women, elderly, young, property owning, should behave in order to cultivate a virtuous character and play the role of mediator between conflicting parties. It should be mentioned that this is definitely a prescriptive source, not an accurate portrayal of what was actually happening at the time, simply an ideal of what the author wanted to be happening and potentially observed. The document addresses women of middle and lower class in how they should be forging relations with both other women and men as a demographic. It has been contended that medieval shared “striking” similarities in experiences with class despite other cultural differences. Christine herself was a famous intellectual in the 13th c...
Emergent ideas of individual interests held great influence over human behaviour and relationships between individuals in Renaissance era Italy. In Florence in particular, the ideas of antiquity that dealt with human interests began to press significant influence over the relationships between individuals. For example, Burckhardt examines Niccolo Niccoli, a man influenced by heavily by antiquarian ideas, considering both his attire and behaviour for their expression of individualism. For example, Niccoli dressed himself in long robes, spoke to others kindly, maintained bodily cleanliness and decorated his home with symbols of the classical age. The instruction that influenced this individual were drawn not from religious instruction, but rather
This paper will explore the historical research that indicates what roles women were allowed to play in Rome, including the Ellis textbook for some of the basic facts. Additional research information comes from another book by Bauman which contained some more detailed information on the topic of the role of women in government and politics in Rome. I also used three internet websites, one of which is an encyclopedia (Wikipedia) for general overview information, and the other two of which are highly respected organizations, PBS and BBC. I also accessed two articles from the EBSCO Academic Search Complete library databases which helped me to understand some of the complexity of trying to explain the role of women in Rome.