Renaissance means “rebirth.” There was a revival of interest in the classical works of Greece and Rome, which inspired a new way of looking at the world. Thinkers turned away from the medieval preoccupation with saving souls and avoiding temptation, and began instead to explore people’s individuality and to educate them in their duties to society. This became a movement known as humanism. At the same time, artists celebrated the beauty of human body in more lifelike paintings and sculptures.
More than 12K medieval castles were built in Britain and France alone.
In 1453, the Ottoman Turks beseiged and captured the city, which became a major capital of the Islamic world. This event brought one great profit to the West — the arrival of refugee scholars, who possessed valuable insights into classical Greek language and literature.
Love requires Faith.
But the term means more than this. To a European of the 16th century, the “universal man” was not just a scholar and artist but also a fine swordsman and horseman, a witty talker, a graceful orator, a skilled musician, and a responsible citizen.
Utopia describes an ideal society on an island in the New World (America). In this Utopia (the Greek for “nowhere”), all people are equal, all possessions are shared, and all religions are tolerated.
By the early 15th century, forks had been introduced to Italy from Byzantium and the East. Soon, elaborately decorated forks were being used in wealthier homes. However, forks did not catch on in northern Europe until more than a century later.
Even the grandest Renaissance houses were sparsely furnished, with little more than chests, tables, chairs, and benches. Italian craftsmen produced ornately carved and decorated chairs, but these were usually unpadded and uncomfortable to sit on. It was not until the 17th century that comfort was considered an important factor in furniture design.
Water in a 16th century town was rarely clean enough to drink. Most Italians and French preferred to wine, which they drank in huge quantities. Even the poorest peasant had a small plot of vines, from which he could make his own wine.
Leonardo’s drawing of a warrior conveys all the arrogance and cruelty of the condottieri, or mercenary soldiers, hired by several of the city-states to fight their battles. By 1509, Venice employed nearly 30K of them. In fact, some mercenary bands prolonged wars so that they could continue to receive their wages.
Doctors believed that many illnesses could be relieved by draining “poisons” or excess blood from the body — a process known as bloodletting.
In Renaissance Europe, between a quarter and a half of all babies died in their first year.
German printers used thick, Gothic type that resembled that of old manuscript. Italian printers cast smaller types, such as italic, and roman. With these typefaces, more words could fit on a page, so fewer pages were needed, and books became smaller and cheaper.
His workshop could print about 300 sheets each day. In 1455, Gutenberg produced his first complete printed book — the Bible. His edition, known as the Gutenberg Bible, contained more than 1,2K pages in two volumes, and it probably took several years to set and print.
For Leonardo, music was the representation of invisible things and the sister of painting.
Birds and small animals were hunted with falcons. The falconer placed a hood over the falcon’s head in order to “hoodwink” it into thinking it was night, so the bird would remain calm. When the hunter spotted suitable game, he removed the hood and released his hawk.