The Main Components Of Renaissance Humanism

It is true that many different interpretations are offered as to what Renaissance humanism actually consisted of. It has been argued to have been both a political and civic philosophy [1], positing a great number of political and civic ideals that would be adopted by communes and countries across Europe. It has also been said to be a method of study revolving around the interpretation of classical rhetoric [2]. For it was the knowledge of classical rhetoric that provided the humanist with the skills to convey their opinions and ideas. Which in themselves were intrinsically linked with the ideas communicated in the classical texts that were so closely studied. It could be said that the view that humanism was a method of study is the most persuasive interpretation and that the resultant primary component of humanism was the common methodology of its works. Furthermore, it is critical to note that it is the works that are produced as a consequence of the humanist study of classical texts that created the new political and civic philosophies which were adopted in Renaissance society. [1: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 25 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2.] [2: Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 24, no. 4, 1963, pp. 498. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2707980.]

It is true that political and civic philosophies are one component of Renaissance humanism. A large number of humanist works posited political and civic ideas that were introduced. This includes Vives’s “De subventione pauperum” (1526). Here, his recommendation to separate the “able bodied” from the “dependent” along with the creation of hostels to prepare the “able bodied” for work was introduced in many northern Italian Communes and also in England. [3] This shows that humanist works had a very real impact on political policy. In addition, classical influence can be found in the political systems of many Italian communes. Bologna had a system of an indirect election where an elector would be drawn by lot [4]. Here, parallels can be found between this and the Roman elections of the Centuriate assembly where an elector would also be drawn by lot. This indicates that classical knowledge that was accumulated through humanist study clearly influenced political systems in Renaissance Italy. Something that is perhaps responsible for the political systems that were considered progressive by contemporary commentators [5]. Therefore, it is clear that a key component of Renaissance humanism was the politically motivated works it produced that influenced public policy. This is perhaps attributable to the unstable political situation in Renaissance Italy. It was common for competing cities to attempt to justify and glorify their political systems while denigrating others. This can be seen in Albertino Mussato’s verse tragedy “Ecrinis” which told the story of the fall of the tyrant of Padua while warning against the risks of domination by the ruler of Verona [6]. Here, a play written in a classical style was used as a political polemic. This indicates that humanist works did indeed produce political ideas as a response to the contemporary political system of the author. However, the extent to which humanist works produced new political ideas instead of merely supporting pre-existing ideas is contestable. Many political works of the time merely expanded on pre-existing ideas in order to support the humanist patrons’ political advances. For example, Valla’s great deconstruction of the Donation of Constantine merely expanded on pre-existing questions over Constantine’s authority to relinquish his Empire. Furthermore, Valla’s patron, Alfonso of Aragon, was locked in territorial disputes with Pope Eugenius IV [7]. Despite this, it is still true that one component of Renaissance humanism was the proliferation of political philosophies and works which were influenced both by the study of antiquity but also the present political situation. However, it should be noted that Renaissance humanism most definitely did not consist of purely political works, the study of the Greek geometer Euclid resulted in improvements in three-dimensional painting [8]. Consequently, it must be noted that political and civic philosophies are not emblematic of all humanist works and therefore cannot be considered to be the primary component of Renaissance humanism although nevertheless important. [3: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 25 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2.] [4: Waley, D. (2015). The Use of Sortition in Appointments in the Italian Communes. In J. Law (Ed.), Communes and Despots in Medieval and Renaissance Italy. Routledge.] [5: Brown, A. (2013). The Renaissance. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, p.13.] [6: Mann, N. (1996) “The origins of humanism,” in Kraye, J. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Companions to Literature), pp. 7. doi: 10.1017/CCOL0521430380.001.] [7: Celenza, Christopher S. ‘Lorenzo Valla, ‘Paganism,’ and Orthodoxy.’ MLN, vol. 119 no. 1, 2004, p. S66-S87. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/mln.2004.0028.] [8: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 25 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2]

A more significant component of Renaissance humanism is the common method of study adopted by humanists. humanist writers predominantly used the rhetoric style to support their ideas with the common pursuit of eloquence unifying their works [9]. A key characteristic of the humanist method was the close study of classical texts. This particular detail was described as a rebirth and recovery of classical ideas [10] that had been considered lost between the collapse of the Roman Empires and the 13th century. It is argued by Gray that classical rhetoric provided the humanist with a “body of precepts” for the communication of ideas [11]. Therefore, it could be said that one component of Renaissance humanism that is consistent throughout the vast majority of its works was the common literary style achieved through the focus on classical rhetoric. Furthermore, the ideas and style of humanist literature were strongly influenced by the humanist’s study of classical sources. For example, Mussato’s history of Emperor Henry VII was inspired by Livy [12] while Petrarch’s oratory style was strongly influenced by his appreciation for Cicero [13]. Anyhow, it could be argued that the political and civic ideas humanists posited were preconceived by the contemporary political situation [14] with their works (and by extension the use of classical rhetoric) merely acting as a vector through which to present them. This could potentially limit the value of classical texts’ ability to influence the ideas of humanists and thus limit the value of humanists’ methodology as a core component of humanism. However, this is perhaps insignificant for a multitude of reasons. It has been established that classical ideas proliferated the literary tone of humanist works. The humanist’s admiration for the classical world and its authors perhaps increased the likelihood that they would be open to both the content (in the shape of political ideas found in classical works) and the style that was so readily imitated. In addition, the desire to escape the commonly vilified ‘dark ages’ [15] would further increase the humanist’s openness to the ideas within classical texts. Furthermore, the study of classical texts in school became increasingly prevalent throughout the Renaissance due to the idea that one must have a strong classical grounding to be fit to rule. [16] Therefore, budding humanists would have been exposed to ideas posited in classical literature throughout their formative years when they are forming their political and civic identity. A time where one possesses a greater mental openness to the adoption of political philosophies. Therefore, it could be said that a critical component of Renaissance humanism was the close study and appreciation for the classical world and its resultant impact on the ideas and literary style of humanist work which is accurately described as a common “pursuit of eloquence” [17]. [9: Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 24, no. 4, 1963, pp. 498. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2707980.] [10: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 26 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2.] [11: Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 24, no. 4, 1963, pp. 498. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2707980. ] [12: Mann, N. (1996) “The origins of humanism,” in Kraye, J. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Companions to Literature), p7. DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521430380.001.] [13: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 26 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2.] [14: See comments about the circumstances surrounding Valla’s works deconstructing the Donation of Constantine in the prior chapter.] [15: Brown, A. (2013). The Renaissance. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, p.7 ] [16: Najemy, J. (2004). Italy In The Age Of The Renaissance. (New ed.). pp34-37] [17: Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 24, no. 4, 1963, pp. 498. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2707980.]

To conclude, it should be said that two core components of renaissance humanism are the political and civic philosophies that are posited within humanist works and also the close study of classical texts which acts as a unifying feature across the majority of humanist texts. Furthermore, it should be noted that there is a relationship between the political and civic philosophies produced and the focus on classical texts (Petrarch’s list of favorite books contains only two works from the medieval period [18]). It is evident that the study of classical texts impacts the political philosophies of humanist literature due to the imposition of classically influenced political systems such as the system of indirect election that was used in Bologna. [19]. Furthermore, one potential issue when considering a component of humanism to be its political philosophies is that there was no one political philosophy supported by humanists. The political philosophies posited typically revolved around geographic location and which commune a humanist served; in Milan, humanism centered around celebrating the Duke whereas Papal humanism centered around supporting an “international ecclesiastical state” [20]. Therefore, it is true that the common methodology revolving around classical rhetoric [21] is the most significant component of Renaissance humanism due to the commonality of it which cannot be found in other components of humanism and also for its profound impact on the style and political and civic philosophies of humanist works. [18: Reeve, M. D. (1996) “Classical scholarship,” in Kraye, J. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Companions to Literature), p.24. DOI: 10.1017/CCOL0521430380.002] [19: Waley, D. (2015). The Use of Sortition in Appointments in the Italian Communes. In J. Law (Ed.), Communes and Despots in Medieval and Renaissance Italy. Routledge.] [20: Scott, H., & King, M. (2015-07-01). A Return to the Ancient World?. In The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750: Volume II: Cultures and Power. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 26 Oct. 2019, from https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199597260.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199597260-e-2.] [21: Gray, Hanna H. “Renaissance Humanism: The Pursuit of Eloquence.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 24, no. 4, 1963, p498. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2707980.]

Bibliography

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