Lecture Notes: The Renaissance and Its Impacts

Introduction to the Renaissance

• Period when people began to track time more accurately.
• Invention of the pocket watch by locksmith Peter Henline in 1510.
• Enabled merchants to earn fortunes and seafarers to navigate oceans.

Discoveries and Navigation

• Columbus's arrival in the Americas expanded the known world.
• New understanding of the planet and emergence of global empires.
• Scholars could measure heavenly bodies more accurately.
• Copernicus proposed a heliocentric model of the solar system, challenging the church’s geocentric view.

Key Figures

Leonardo da Vinci

• Known as a polymath: artist, inventor, architect, etc.
• Famously painted the Mona Lisa, possibly a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo.
• Often dissatisfied with his work, constantly seeking perfection.

Christopher Columbus

• Attempted to find a western sea route to Asia.
• Miscalculated the size of Earth, landed in the Americas instead.
• Resulted in Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires.

Jakob Fugger

• Entrepreneurial genius, founded a global financial empire.
• Established the Fuggerei, the oldest social housing project.

Art and Architecture

Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel

• Tasked by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
• Created iconic works such as the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgement.

Development of New Architectural Styles

• Bramante and the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Socio-Economic Changes

• Rise of capitalism, influenced by economic theories of the time.
• Shift in lending practices, introduction of interest rates initially resisted by the church.
• Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses against church practices.

Science and Technology

• Johannes Müller’s astronomical tables facilitated navigation.
• Trigonometry became key in navigation and other fields.
• Printing press by Gutenberg revolutionized information dissemination.

Conclusion

• The Renaissance marked a period of immense change and development across various sectors.
• Set the stage for the Industrial Revolution and modern advancements.
• Encouraged exploration and intellectual curiosity, challenging existing paradigms.