HIS 101
Unit 14: Renaissance

David, completed in 1504 by Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti (1475-1564), is considered as one of the world's great artistic creations.  Michelangelo later commented on his statue: "A civic hero, he was a warning... whoever governed Florence should govern justly and defend it bravely. Eyes watchful... the neck of a bull... hands of a killer... the body, a reservoir of energy. He stands poised to strike."  Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

• Read chapter 12 in the textbook.
• Read Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince (the whole book).
• Read my notes on the Renaissance and watch the short video.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
• Submit the Machiavelli paper (100 points).

• Watch my longer videos from 1995 on the origins of the Renaissance and the key individuals of the Renaissance.
• Listen to some further information about this unit as a mp3 file.  You can also read the information as a txt file.

• Leonardo da Vinci
• Michelangelo's Moses
• Michelangelo's Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
• Michelangelo (biography)
• Michelangelo Revealed
• Raphael, School of Athens
• Raphael's School of Athens
• Leonardo's Last Supper
• Leonardo da Vinci (biography)
• All about the Renaissance Part 01 Historical Background Beginnings and Art
• Machiavelli • The Prince • The Common Sense of Politics (sometimes available online)
• The Renaissance: Was it a Thing? - Crash Course World History #22
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

• For up to 25 points of extra credit, in a one-page paper, assess the significance of the Medici family for Renaissance Florence.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the excerpts from Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), Leonardo da Vinci, and write a long paragraph in which you explain how da Vinci was a perfect expression of the Renaissance ideal.
• For up to 5 points of extra credit, you can submit the answers to the Machiavelli study questions.  Please write in formal, complete sentences.
• For 10 points of extra credit, contribute at least five photos to the Northern Virginia Digital History Archive.
• For extra credit, please suggest a relevant website for this unit of the course.  Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) define humanism, (2) explain the importance of the Italian Renaissance and its impact on northern Europe and (3) identify some of the important individuals involved in the Renaissance