NAVIGATION: Index of Dr. Weller's Class Material
 

Petrarch and the Renaissance

On the left, Emperor Justinian I (483 - 565) presents a model of the church, the
Hagia Sophia, to the Virgin Mary and Child. On the right, Emperor
Constantine I presents a model of Constantinople, now Istanbul.
The mosaics were completed in the reign of Emperor Justin II (565 - 578).
Madonna and Child by Giotto (1267 - 1337)
David, by Michelangelo (1475 - 1564)

Petrarch is considered the first figure of the Renaissance, even though he died (1374) before Chaucer (1400), the last major figure of the Middle Ages. That's because he was the first humanist and the first poet who focused on the individual in his poetry. The rest of the development of the Renaissance happens in the second half of the fifteenth century (1400's) & the sixteenth century. During that time, the Early Modern Age (the Renaissance) emerged, fed by the forces of humanism and individualism.

You can see the change in outlook in art. See pictures to right.