How did Jacob Burckhardt describe the growth of individualism in Renaissance Italy?

In his seminal work, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860), Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt characterized the Renaissance as the pivotal era in which "medieval" man evolved into "modern" man.12

Burckhardt argued that during the 15th century in Italy, a new awareness of the individual emerged, marking a departure from the collective identity that defined the Middle Ages. He famously described the Italian of this period as "the firstborn among the sons of modern Europe," suggesting that the Renaissance fostered a unique environment where individuals could develop their own personalities and talents.32

By utilizing programmatic subheadings—such as "the development of individuality"—Burckhardt analyzed how this shift manifested in the daily life, political climate, and intellectual pursuits of the time. While modern historians often challenge his sharp dichotomy between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Burckhardt’s framework remains a foundational model for the study of cultural history, emphasizing the emergence of a self-conscious, modern sense of self that distinguished the Renaissance from the preceding epoch.1342