By: Cathleen Banks Period: 5 From the 14th to the early 17th century, the Renaissance was a time

of artistic and intellectual revival. The Renaissance spread from northern Italy to northern Europe. Many of its important achievements included the printing press, higher education, forms of literature, and many varieties of art. The Renaissance influenced many people intellectually through its literary works and new technologies. The Renaissance began in northern Italy and spread in many parts of northern Europe. It is divided into the Italian Renaissance, beginning from the mid-fourteenth to the mid-fifteenth century, and the Northern {Trans Alpine} Renaissance, beginning in the early fifteenth century to the early seventeenth century. The Renaissance is often referred to as the rebirth of GrecoRoman culture. During the Renaissance, European scholars, writers, and teachers known as humanists focused on the study of the humanities of grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, languages, and moral philosophy. Humanists reformed secondary education such as the study of Greco Roman literature and language. They felt that having a curriculum centered on the Greco Roman knowledge would provide intellectual discipline, moral lessons, and refined tastes. The influence of humanists aided in the growth of university education after 1500. The establishment of universities was a great accomplishment throughout the time of the Renaissance. In addition to the twenty institutions already in existence, sixty new universities joined as part of the higher learning in the Latin West during the Renaissance. Students and teachers could freely choose the appropriate university for them because all university courses were taught in Latin. Universities had examinations that determined a persons degree and if they passed, students received a teaching diploma known as a license. Students that continued their

education and completed a successful essay earned their masters or doctors. Some universities had a variety of studies, but usually they had a specific specialty. Universities such as Bologna studied law, Montpellier and Salerno focused on medicine, and Paris and Oxford pursued theology. At the time of the Renaissance, art and literature were prominent achievements. Literary works such as the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, and Don Quixote written by Miguel de Cervantes were very popular during the Renaissance. Another writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare who composed several famous poetries, comedies, histories, and tragedies that are still very well known today. After 1450, new technologies in printing led to the boost of humanist influence. Movable type consisting of individual letters, new ink for printing paper, and the printing press were three of the technological advancements that developed printing. The first book in the West that was printed was the Gutenberg bible written by Johan Gutenberg. At the time of the Renaissance, depictions of biblical subjects, Greco-Roman deities, and mythical tales, and scenes of daily life were common in art. Jan van Eycks new oil paint creation and his realistic paintings on religion and domestic themes became popular and were passed along to other painters in the Italian Renaissance. Other grand art pieces were The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper painted by Leonard da Vinci, The School of Athens depicted by Raphael Sonzio, and the frescoes of biblical scenes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were created by Michelangelo. In the cities of northern Italy and Flanders, the patronage of the wealthy and educated merchants helped in the development of art. The Renaissances revival brought scholarly and artistic successes that aided people in becoming literate and educated. Through new technologies such as the printing press, several texts could be translated and spread across the world. Various artistic masterpieces

during this time influenced later works of art. Greco-Roman culture was revitalized into common education and changed the path of schooling for many.