Humanism In Italy

Peoples of various ethnic backgrounds and origins settled in the land of modern day Italy as the open coastlines and the availability of crossing points in the mountains of Northern Italy made migration and invasion easily accessible. The Greeks began to enter just after 800 BCE and founded several notable settlements which were established on the western coast as well as the mainland. Greeks referred to the southwest peninsula coast as the “land of cattle” or Fitalia which became the country’s name of Italia by the first century BCE. Another influential migration to the land was that of the Etruscans which were dominant during the sixth century BCE in Italy and had the greatest impact on the formulation of pre-Roman Italian history. These

In the eleventh century, the city-state form of government began to establish itself as the emerging Italian political system. These independently controlled regions began to gain power and wealth through improved trade with eastern merchants, and Venice and Amalfi became two of the strongest city-states. The Renaissance, which is the French word for rebirth, began in the fifteenth century. This period was characterized by artistic, cultural, and social advancements as well as the intellectual movement called humanism which believed that human intellect was the source of significance for man rather than the commonly accepted belief in the superiority of the divine and supernatural. Many of the Renaissance’s most notable achievements were in the area of the arts with Florence, Italy serving as the center of this phenomenon. Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo are three of the most famous and accomplished Italian artists of the Renaissance which ended with the fall of Rome in 1527 to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles

Using his strategy of dividing and surprising his enemies he was able to bring all of Italy including the papal-states, and Rome, under French control by 1809. In 1813, Napoleon was defeated, and the control of restoration Italy was divided between four entities. These ruling divisions, two of which were foreign groups, caused the climate of Italy to be fertile ground for insurrection. Additionally, many citizens wished to regain the former prominence of Italy in past centuries which fueled their nationalistic pride. Two nationalists, Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi, were key promoters and committed to the cause of reunification of Italy. Camillo Benso di Cavour, a regional prime minister, also used his newspaper the Il Risorgimento (The Resurgence) to foster