Cultural Achievements of the Italian Renaissance

... Cultural Achievements of the Italian Renaissance. Humanism was a key movement in the Renaissance and had a major influence on the cultural changes and achievements. Humanists studied history; they were particularly interested in Ancient Greek and Roman civilisation, and classical works, as well as in contemporary history and politics. Although the Humanists were Catholic, their ideas were more secular - "learning emerged from the cloister... to rejoin the human mainstream." The humanist ideas soon spread into the classroom. Previously, learning had been ecclesiastical - theocracy and theology were taught a lot - but during the Renaissance, learning became more secular. It was based upon classical culture so students studied classical authors, philosophers and mathematicians, for example: Ovia, Cicero, Livy, Plato and Aristotle. More progress could be made now that learning was not entirely based upon the church. Ideas soon spread due to the invention of the printing press in Germany in 1469;

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