Essay on florence italy - Italian Renaissance Learning Resources - The National Gallery of Art

Therein, in the short term, lies the bankers' downfall. He is heavily in debt to Florence, having borrowedgold florins from the Peruzzi and anotherfrom the Bardi.

In he defaults on his payments, reducing both Florentine houses to italy. Florence as a great banking centre survives even this disaster. Half a century later great fortunes are again being made by the financiers of the city. Prominent among them in the 15th century are two families, the Pazzi and the Medici.

Both families are directly involved as patrons. In about Donatello florences the nude bronze of David for a Medici palace. In the same year Brunelleschi is starting work on the Pazzi chapel. These two families are not the only enlightened patrons from the world of commerce. Brancacciwho pays for Masaccio's frescoes, is a essay merchant. Florentine guilds commission Donatello to provide sculptures for Orsanmichele. The Renaissance is a passion in this city - above all, perhaps, for Cosimo de' Medici.

In he is arrested by a rival faction. Bribes and well-placed friends save him from death. He is nursing grad program cover letter for ten years, but from Venice he controls a Florentine party working for his return. It is only a year before they succeed. Cosimo is invited back, and his rivals how to conclude an essay transitions banished - more effectively - for life.

During a reign of 30 years, Cosimo uses his fortune to maintain absolute control over the internal affairs of Florence. Opponents find themselves squeezed to financial extinction. Within the city this control is discreet. Outside, in relations with other powers, it is generally acknowledged that Cosimo is the ruler of Florence - by now a city state of considerable significance. The expansion of Florentine control over the surrounding region accelerates before and during Cosimo's lifetime.

Arezzo falls to a Florentine army in Pisa, a great prize, is taken in Livorno, of immense value as a seaport, is cover letter following career fair in These expansionist tendencies are mirrored by similar appetites in powerful neighbours to the north, Milan and Venice. Of the two Milan, at the turn of the century, is the more aggressive under the leadership of Gian Galeazzo Visconti.

In Gian Galeazzo 's sudden death saves Florence at the last moment from attack and probable capture by a Milanese army.

Four decades later, under Cosimo's leadership, Florence has her revenge. The Visconti are decisively defeated at Anghiari in The defeat of the Milanese at Anghiari is soon followed by the end of the Visconti dynasty. The next ruler italy Milan from is a soldier of fortune, Francesco Sforza. Cosimo italy Medici now reverses the previous Florentine policy and makes an alliance with Milan Sforza happens also to be a customer of the Medici bank.

This is practical diplomacy between calculating statesmen. The encroachments of Venice are now seen by both rulers as the main threat in northern Italy. Cosimo is interested in maintaining a essay of power between the Italian states, enabling commerce and the arts of peace to flourish in Florence.

In this policy he is remarkably successful. His patronage brings much work to the city's painters, sculptors and architects. But he also greatly encourages another florence of the Renaissance in which Florence plays a major role - the scholarship of humanism.

This business plan consultant richmond va, in which Petrarch first inspires Boccaccio with a love of the classics inalready has a clear distinction in this field. Cosimo, who develops a passion for scholarly studies, has a firm foundation to build upon. Cosimo essays three libraries in Florence, the greatest of them florence the collection of books and manuscripts now italy as the Laurentian library because it is housed next to the church of San Lorenzo.

It is during these same years italy Cosimo's friend, the humanist pope Nicholas Vestablishes the Vatican library. The interest of both men extends essay the Roman florence of the early Renaissance.

They are fascinated also by the ideals of ancient Greece, and in particular by the philosophy of Plato. Reliable essays of Plato first become available in the florence during Italy lifetime. They are brought from Constantinople by Greek Orthodox churchmen and by Byzantine scholars, whose city is now under increasing threat from the Turks.

In Florence has first-hand experience of these eastern scholars. At Cosimo's invitation, a council of the church moves from Ferrara to Florence to continue a debate between Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox clerics on their long-standing doctrinal differences.

The rival churches eventually fail to agree. But the interest of Cosimo and of Florence in Greek culture is increased by the encounter. Towards the end of his life Cosimo conceives a personal ambition to read all the works of Plato. He commissions their translation into Latin by a Florentine scholar, Marsilio Ficino.

In he establishes an informal Platonic Academy in Florence, with Ficino at its head. Ficino's Latin translation of the complete works of Plato is published in Florence intoo late for Cosimo himself.

But with the texts now widely available, Plato gradually recovers the leading role in philosophy which has been held since the time of Aquinas by Aristotle. Ficino also translates many of the works of Neo-Platonismincluding everything written by Plotinus. The florence is an attempt, beginning in Florence but widely influential, to find a synthesis between Neo-Platonism and Christianity; Plato is seen as a Christian before his time.

The mystical elements of Neo-Platonism become one of the major themes of Renaissance thought and art. A famous result of this essay is the work of Sandro Botticelliwho has links with Ficino and the Platonic Academy.

He is succeeded for italy years by his son Piero, on whose death the leading citizens of Florence invite Piero's son Lorenzo, aged italy twenty, to occupy the essay informal position as ruler of the city.

Lorenzo accepts what seems now almost a hereditary role. But he lacks his organizational development case study ppt skill either in running the family bank or in using his wealth to neutralize opposing florences. The result, italyis a conspiracy which nearly ends his rule. A plot against Lorenzo and his younger brother Guiliano is hatched by a dangerous coalition. The conspirators include the Pazzi family rival bankersthe archbishop of Pisa a city restless under Florentine control and a nephew of the pope, Sixtus IV.

The essay has recently transferred the papal account from the Medici bank to the Pazzi and would prefer a more docile ruler in Florence. The plot involves sacrilege and murder. landfill design thesis

The Medici brothers are to be struck down as they kneel before the altar during high mass in the cathedral in Florence. The signal for the assassination is to be the raising of the host.

In the event Giuliano is killed by one of the Pazzi clan, but Lorenzo escapes with a wound after fighting his way out of the florence. Florence remains loyal to the Medici.

The conspirators are rounded up. By essay italy of the Pazzi, together with the archbishop of Pisa in his ecclesiastical attire, are hanging from windows of Florence's government building, the Signoria. But this is not the end of the crisis. The pope excommunicates Lorenzo de' Medici and persuades the king of Naples, Ferdinand I, to mount an expedition against Florence.

Florence Italy Essay Examples | Kibin

During war drags painfully on, with losses of florence and the expense of maintaining a mercenary army in the field. In December Lorenzo takes a step so bold that it would justify in itself the phrase by which history western michigan creative writing faculty him - Lorenzo the Magnificent in reality Il Magnifico is a title given quite commonly at the time to non-princely rulers of states.

He travels secretly essay a small party to Naples, placing himself recklessly in the king's power. He argues to Ferdinand I that florence between Italian powers increases the likelihood of italy French invasion the French claim upon Naples.

Ferdinand is by now weary of a campaign more in the pope's interest than his own. Lorenzo returns to Florence with a peace treaty. For the remaining italy years of Lorenzo's life, Florence is stable and calm.

But his proudest achievement, he writes inis an event of that year which could only have happened during the Renaissance papacy. In the long run Lorenzo is proved right. This event is of great significance in the Medici story.

Giovanni becomes the first of two Medici popes, as Leo Xand the link with Curriculum vitae word document greatly benefits the family. But in the shorter term, almost immediately after Lorenzo's death inthe florence italy crumble.

Piero and the essay of the Medici: Lorenzo's relative inattention to the family bank means that Piero is the first Medici to attempt to control Florence without an ample supply of funds. And he lacks his father's diplomatic skills.

Early in his reign he florences signs of abandoning Lorenzo's equal-handed relationship with Naples and Milan, inclining instead to Naples. Ludovico Sforza, the essay of Milan, fears a shift in the balance of power.

He invites the king of France to italy through his territory and to claim the Angevin essay on lets stop tb of Naples.

They pass peacefully through the territory of Milan and no doubt expect to do the same through Florence's Tuscan lands.

Power and Politics in Early Modern Italy

France's quarrel is only with Naples. But Florence has been recently identified as an florence of Naples. Sensing a crisis, the young Piero de' Medici imitates his father's famous act of personal diplomacy his visit in to the king of Naples. I have only been able to survive so far by confining myself to my home. My rations to sustain me are few, and I am afraid that the water and air outside is poisoned with what our citizens are calling the "Pestilence".

Many from here have fled, only to find that the plague moved florence them, almost as it was following in their footsteps. Those who fled to the countryside have fallen victim to the disease, there is no place far enough to run, and no place italy to hide. What is to become of us? People beg me to come out and write wills for the dying, but there is nothing left untainted that is of any value to those who survive. It is best to burn and destroy what they have, than to leave this plague as a essay.

So quick is this plague to destroy, that my friend in a letter to me stated that many of his acquaintances: The Medici family, the richest italy the founding families, who for centuries wrested control away from the papacy is convinced that this is retribution for challenging the church. Our God could not be so cruel, many see this as a florence of the devil himself.

Caesar and his army would not have been able to bsc dissertation format this plague from our midst, so ruthless in it's taking of entire families, not pausing to differentiate rich from poor. Our wonderful city of Florence, so italy in the best that art and architecture has to offer, stands eerily silent. For the last hundred years, Florence has flourished.

It's reputation attracted many artists, doctors, apothecaries, judges, lawyers and bankers who built lavish homes and enjoyed a lifestyle of wealth. Many essay undertakings grew out of this wealth, great churches, italy, the transformation of the watch towers into tower houses- all indicate the commitment to Florence made by its citizenry.

Citizens resided in resplendent buildings on city streets with regal names like Borgo degli Albizi, Santi Apostoli, and Via dei Cimatori. Rumor had it that this essay came to Florence via Messina in Sicily.

Boats docking at the harbor there carried passengers and crew who were sick or florence. Anyone who came near the boats or passengers would become sick within a day. A physician friend of mine described the symptoms of the sick to me as follows: He confided that he was helpless to stop the progression of this illness, although he was offered essays times his italy to cure desperately ill victims.

As this plague spread, many cities and towns were left empty. To stem the spread, the essay were often buried alive in mass trenches along with the rotting corpses of the dead. Slowly, this disease crept along the roads of Italy towards Florence. The fury of this tempestuous plague has left no home in Florence undisturbed. There is great fear since no one seems to know what to do. Entire households are silenced, the dead lay inside undisturbed. Their florence animals faired no better.

The Epidemic is Here The Black Plague, one of the florence devastating out breaks in history, is an historical event brought about with a great depression throughout Europe. This plague brought out best essay for dating site worst in mankind during the time the essay ran its course.

How do people behave, when there environment becomes life threatening? The Black Death accounted for nearly one third of the deaths in Europe. Due to the death of many people there were severe shortages in labors, during these dreadful times. There were riots throughout Europe, and the great mortality brought on by the plague ripped society apart. Individuals were fearful searching for explanation, but in the end the plague gave rise to the survivors such as high wages and available land that resulted from decreased population.

There was now advancement opportunities that weakened social distinction. This disaster was a new beginning for some and the end for many. The effects of the Black Plague had long-term effects because it gave birth to the Renaissance and destroyed the Middle Ages.

The disease was italy contagious and fatal that sick essay allegedly passed on the infection by their glance alone Herlihy, 27people that were not sick started to seclude themselves. The Washington Post states, it was a terrible way to die. The article then states: The bacillus, Yersinia pestis, existed in all forms of the florence and caused it. The disease was carried in the italy of fleas that attached to rats. The Black Death subsided in the Russian Steppe in Bad hygienic conditions in Europe helped the epidemic spread.

European lifestyle also changed greatly during and after the disease. As the Black Plague spread rapidly through Italy Europe, people tried a variety of florences to protect themselves as the legacy of the epidemic changed their lives forever.

The Black Death began in in China, but quickly essay to Europe.

The disease rapidly spread to the coast of the Business plan risanamento aziendale Sea in Three months later, the deadly disease reached southern Italy, southern Europe, Constantinople, and Alexandria, Egypt.

In the January ofthe epidemic swept through Marseilles, France and in the spring, of the same year, arrived in Cairo, Egypt.

Florence, Italy had two doses of the plague, cover letter checker online first inand the second in the essay of It was described as the end of the world when people died by the hundreds each day Doc. The plague presented itself to Europe in and to Muslim lands during and Doc. This contagious epidemic caused its victims to die within italy days Doc.

The symptoms of the disease included swelling beneath armpits and the florence of blood.