Changes

This work takes a close look at the specific culture and society of renaissance Italy. The author asserts that the cultural changes that led to the Renaissance were as a result of a unique series of factors in Italy. They include a dynamic economy, popular participation in civic government and a society that was relatively secular in its outlook. These factors led to new ideas about humanity and its potential and led many to create a culture that was a marked departure from fatalistic medieval views and one that placed a greater emphasis on 'the individual and people’s ability to improve their circumstances' <ref> Burke, Peter,The Italian Renaissance, Culture and Society. (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 2014,p. 141)#.</ref>"

This book also by an Italian historian argues that the unique culture of the Renaissance that fostered the great artistic achievements in world history was a result of the basic egalitarian nature of the city-states. The elites in these city-states were not members of the nobility or traditional elite and to legitimise their authority they sponsored great works of art. Another crucial factor was the flourishing 'civil culture in these city-states'<ref> Martines, Lauro Power and Imagination: City-States in Renaissance Italy( John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1988), p. 189) #.</ref>. This led to the development of the humanist class, who were often lawyers and civil leaders, who had a secular outlook and popularised the ideas of Rome and Greece.

This remains a very influential work on the Italian Renaissance and especially the origins of the Renaissance. It was published in the 19th century by one of the most acclaimed historians of the century. Burckhardt believed that there were several interlinking causes of the Renaissance. He believed that the elite was willing to become the patrons of great artists because they believe that they could 'legitimize their rule'. <ref> Jacob Burckhardt, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (Penguin Classics) Third Printing Edition, (Penguin Books Hamondsworth, 2000), p. 67) #.</ref>. Many of the rulers of city-states, such as the Sforzas in Milan, were often tyrants or leaders of mercenary forces and they used art to persuade people they were the legitimate rulers. The Renaissance developed in a largely secular culture, because of the corruption of the church and this created an environment, where people could talk and create, relatively freely. Burckhardt also believed that the Italian preoccupation with arête or excellence, mean that people strove to great work of art and indeed ‘to turn their lives into art’.

The thesis of the book is that the merchants and the elite of the city-states were all bound in with the trade. Trade encouraged a more rational view of the world and this led to the 'secularization of the world-view of many', especially in the elite<ref>Stark, Rodney, The Victory of Reason, (New York, Random House, 2005), p.89)#.</ref>. Increasingly people used reason to explain the world and this led to a release of creativity and the flowering of culture that became known as the Renaissance.