RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION

Unit One

ALEX Standards

#1 Describe developments in Italy and Northern Europe during the Renaissance period with respect to humanism, arts and literature, intellectual development, increased trade, and advances in technology.

#3 Explain causes of the Reformation and its impact, including tensions between religious and secular authorities, reformers and doctrines, the Counter-Reformation, the English Reformation, and wars of religion.

The Dark Ages

Contrary to popular belief, the “Dark Ages” are so called because little is known about them beyond the warfare and absence of urban life.

Characteristics: Religious upheaval: Muslim invasion, conflicts within

Christianity, fighting the ideas of the Enlightenment, church losing control of the monarchies

War: Invasions from the Middle East and Western Europe, the Crusades, and blurred borders

Depopulation: Famine, plague and climate change

Myths of the Dark Ages

Society was cruel, the standard of living was poor, and no learning took place ~ They were the “dark ages” – there wasn’t much of a “society” to begin with, and with plague and war, you were lucky to live through it, however, plenty of people did live through it and many of them were educated.

Jousting and sword fights were the only entertainment ~ Typically, jousting was reserved for military drills and only became a sport a few centuries later.

Lots and lots and lots of war ~ More like lots and lots and lots of land disputes and arguments over who was king (Game of Thrones, anyone?)

Beginnings of Change

How did the Renaissance begin? Short answer – People started to question

everything. The Church, Importance of Religion, God(s), Heaven

and Hell The Monarchy and Aristocracy Social Classes/Structure Science Art Predestination: you are where you are supposed to be

(i.e. fate, preordained path, etc.) Life

Humanism

Definition: an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters

Explanation: believing that people are good and can prove it through actions, rather than devotion to a faith; thinking of yourself, and in doing so, improving the welfare of the whole

Humanism and the Renaissance

Humanism during the Renaissance included a revival of Greek and Latin philosophies.

Specifically, this meant a focus on the self, or how one could improve themselves.

Why does this matter? Christian teachings pushed a focus on God and

divinity. Bringing back Greek and Latin ideologies (from scholars that didn’t follow Christianity) challenged these beliefs and it spread to every aspect of society – art, culture, social class, and, eventually, the Church.

Latin and Greek Philosophers

Thales – “the first philosopher” Aristotle – “Father of Biology” and “The Great

Teacher” Plato – philosopher and mathematician Socrates – “Father of Philosophy” Xenophon – historian, soldier and mercenary

who studied under Socrates Plutarch – historian and biographer

Influence of Philosophy

All of the nobility was schooled in Greek and Latin thought as part of a well-rounded education.

Eventually, they began to see ways the philosophies of ancient Rome could be brought into everyday life.

Rise of Reason

In the Renaissance, people began to seek more natural explanations for various occurrences, rather than claiming divine intervention.

Ex. “Why did the crops die?” Instead of saying “God is punishing us for our

sins”, people reasoned that a lack of rain and/or an excess of heat caused a drought that failed to provide the crops with the nutrients needed to live, and thus tried to find ways to prevent this from happening again, such as irrigation.

Spreading Knowledge

Renaissance teachings encouraged everyone to learn, from the lowest peasant to the richest king.

While most societies of the time forbade anyone but wealthy males to get an advanced education, ancient philosophical ideas pushed people of all types to learn, including women and the poor, and they did so.

Socrates - “To find yourself, think for yourself.”  “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is

ignorance.” 

Challenging the Church

Power of the Pope – territories of Europe, succession of nobility, crowning of monarchs, excommunication and declarations of war

Crimes of the Church – hypocrisy, “paying your way into Heaven”, raiding the royal treasuries for personal gain, etc.

Corruption – granting pardons, land, titles and money in exchange for political favors

Scientific Revolution

The revival of ancient texts and the spread of knowledge through printing allowed more people access to new ideas, and thus created a thirst for knowledge among the population.

Educated individuals wanted to explore more, discover more, create more – all of this lead to new ideas and inventions which revolutionized daily life.

Science in the Renaissance

With the spread of humanism, people became curious about their world and began to study it.

Astronomy, alchemy, chemistry, horticulture, medicine, mathematics - all of these studies made a come-back during the Renaissance, thus leading to advancements in these fields.

Important Inventions and Innovations

Printing Press: Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1400s, this allowed for the mass production of books, newspapers and religious texts.

Clock: Invented in the early renaissance and then perfected by Galileo in 1581, the mechanical clock made time measurable by more than the sun.

Telescope/microscope/glasses: By experimenting with lenses during the Renaissance, people were able to study space, discover small organisms, and improve their eye sight.

Important Inventions and Innovations

Scientific Method: Meant to prove/disprove hypotheses, this method was developed by Galileo created a step-by-step guide for experimentation.

Flush Toilet: Sir John Harrington invented what would become the forerunner for all indoor plumbing in 1596. While simple, a cleaner method of waste removal meant preventing the spread of diseases.

Gunpowder: First discovered by the Chinese in the 9th century, gunpowder made its way to Europe in the 1500s, changing warfare forever.

Reviewing the Crusades

When the Byzantine emperor was having trouble fighting the Turks, Pope Urban II saw the opportunity to regain the holy lands and annihilate the Muslim population that lived there.

How did he get people to rally to this cause? Automatic forgiveness of all sins.

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Early Crusades

During the First Crusade, French forces gained control of Jerusalem after several bloody battles, but lost it to Muslim forces less than 50 years later because of limited support.

France and Germany tried to regain control during a Second. Crusade, but it was a total failure.

France, Germany and England united for the Third Crusade, and managed to capture a few coastal cities but encountered problems and couldn't move inland.

Later Crusades

When the Muslim leader, Saladin, died in 1193, Pope Innocent III saw an opportunity to try again and initiated a Fourth Crusade.

The crusaders managed to sack the city of Constantinople, ending alliances with the Byzantine Empire and solidifying the division with the Eastern Orthodox Church, but nothing else.

More crusades were sent out, some with children, some with united forces, and some by sea - all failures. They did, however, bring the nations of Europe together and encouraged cooperation between them.

Consequences of the Crusades

The end of feudalism - nation-states were dissolved, nobles lost their power and paved the way for kingdoms

Extended knowledge of the world - maps grew larger, trading routes longer, and resources more varied

Resentment of the Church - thousands of lives were lost during the Crusades, money was spent, land was destroyed, etc. all for the sake of a "holy" cause

Art Expansion

Prior to the Renaissance, most churches prohibited art that depicted anything but Christian themes, while others did not allow the portrayal of important Christian figures at all (saints, disciples, Jesus, etc.).

With the beginnings of the Reformation, the Church became a sponsor for Bible-based art to help spread their beliefs and provide followers with a visual.

In the Renaissance, artists explored other subjects, such as natural settings, Roman gods, scenes from books, everyday occurrences, etc.

Humanism in Art

Humanism made its way into the art world by encouraging people to see art as more than a dedication to the church or nobility; to see art as a craft to be studied and mastered.

Painting, sculpting, drawing - it was done for enjoyment and expression, not just employment.

Realism

One of the most noted aspects of Renaissance culture is art.

The most dramatic differences between Renaissance art and all previous art forms is a focus on realism – depicting something as it truly is. Anatomically correct beings, shading to make objects

three dimensional, etc.

Realism

Art Techniques26

Shadowing - gives an image dimension Foreshortening - gives an image depth Perspective - painting so well it looks like

you're seeing it with your own eyes (like a picture)

Symbolism

Much like writers, it was common for artists to use their work to portray an idea, not just an image.

Ex. Lucrezia Borgia. By Bartolomeo Veneto

Art Impacts History

It was common practice for perspective brides and grooms to exchange portraits to help determine if they would be a good match.

Such was done with King Henry VIII and his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Anne's brother was desperate for a union with England, so he had the artist "enhance the painting" so the king would like it.

Renaissance Literature

Prior to the invention of the printing press, books were reserved for the Church and the nobility.

With the ability to mass produce literature like never before, books became more accessible. While the poor were still largely illiterate, having books encouraged them to learn to read, and by doing so, allowed them to broaden their minds.

The Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first book to be mass produced by movable type.

At the time, it was seen as heresy to have anyone but a religious official read the Bible, because it could be “misinterpreted”.

When people began to read the Bible, they used passages to justify their actions.

While the interpretation allowed for the spread of Christianity, it also allowed for the secularization of the Church.

Dante

Dante Aligheri is the less known Italian poet and author of “Divine Comedy”, which was broken into three parts – “Inferno”, “Purgatorio” and “Paradiso”.

Why is it important? One of the first works to be published in a language

other than Latin (Italian), meaning the common people could read it.

Gave people a visual of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, making crimes against the Church more frightening, and inspiring various religious works of art.

Renaissance Literature

Plays, novels, poems and other artistic works were, not only forms of entertainment but, used to spread new ideas.

Speaking out publicly against the Church or nobility would send you to the gallows, but disguising it as “just a story” kept you safe.

Shakespeare

One of the most accomplished artists of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. With almost 200 works, consisting of plays, poems, and sonnets, Shakespeare was an inescapable influence in the 16th century.

A common theme Shakespeare used was tragedy, usually befalling people of the upper classes.

He created new genres, and inspired later works.

Although today his work seems verbose, his grammar and writing styles helped modernize the English language.

Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was an author, philosopher, alchemist, astronomer and diplomat who is most known for “The Canterbury Tales”, a collection of satirical stories depicting English society of the time.

Chaucer was one of the first poets to blatantly criticize the Church through his work and his language helped modernize English.

Machiavelli

One of the major works from the Renaissance is Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, a how-to guide for rulers.

Almost all of the nobility read this work, though many of them disagreed, as it challenged traditional political ideas.

Main Arguments: Is it better to be feared or loved? Is it better to conquer people for profit or for the

common good? How important is one’s reputation?

Reformation

Beyond Religion

The Reformation was not all about religion; it was also about power.

When people broke away from the Catholic Church, they also broke away from the power of the Pope.

This break included royalty - they no longer needed approval of the Pope, but they didn't get his support either.

Henry VIII

Although he initially rejected people like Luther as heretics, King Henry VIII found he disagreed with the declarations of the Pope as well, especially when those declarations kept him from divorcing his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, so he could be free to marry Anne Boleyn.

Instead of joining Luther, however, he elected to create his own religion, with himself as the head of the Church - the Church of England.

Christian Humanism

Humanism: an intellectual movement that pushed people to better themselves and, therefore, better society

Christian humanists pushed people to read the classics, especially religious works. They believed that people could live good lives by adhering to the ideas in these texts.

Counter-Reformation

When it became clear that the threat of excommunication was no threat at all, the Catholic Church had to change tactics to prevent the loss of their followers.

In an attempt to keep the Catholic Church alive, many patrons and leaders in the organization sought to reform the Church and address the issues brought up by individuals like Luther.

They not only wanted to keep people faithful, but also keep their power over the heads of Europe.

Causes of the Reformation

Corruption of the Church- Popes and other high-ranking religious officials spent more time involved in politics and frivolity than fulfilling their spiritual roles.

Selling "Indulgences" - release from all punishment for sin

Desire for Salvation - people felt their spiritual needs were not being met

Protestant vs. Catholic

Based largely on humanism:• Individual relationship with God, outside of

the Church• Many allow for divorce and don't require

baptism at birth• Born good but free to do evil• No saints, penance, confession, idols, or

conditional salvation Disclaimer: not converting you or preaching,

all statements are from www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/catholic_protestant.htm

John Calvin

Believed it was the duty of men (and women) to interpret the Bible and create a godly society

Like Luther, he agreed in a personal relationship with God and distribution of religious texts in the modern tongues, but he maintained the idea of a church and state relationship, as well as, predestination.

Erasmus

"Philosopher of Christ" Believed Christianity could show people how

to live good lives on a daily basis rather than a system of beliefs by which to be saved

Stressed self-reflection of actions Did not want to break away from the Catholic

Church

Martin Luther

Monk and professor Believed people were saved by their faith, not

by their good works Ninety-five Theses: enraged by the selling of

indulgences, Luther drafted a list of ways the. Catholic Church was failing its patrons

When Pope Leo X rejected his claims, Luther sought to permanently break from the Church.

Renaissance Review

What does it mean?

Renaissance: "rebirth", revival of art and learning

Renaissance Man & Woman: A Renaissance man was one who studied

and mastered various fields, making him charming, artistic, witty and well-educated

A Renaissance woman were expected to understand the classics and inspire works of art, taking an interest in the world without putting herself in the middle of it.

Where did it begin?

The Renaissance began in small Italian city-states, such as Florence and Milan.

Starting in Italy is what kept the Renaissance alive, because it had some key advantages: thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, and classical heritage due to its vicinity to Greece and Rome.

How did it change society?

Humanism inspired a focus on the self, which included indulging in worldly pleasures and trying to make oneself better through study and practice.

It encouraged the spread of knowledge, particularly literacy.

Why does it matter?

Without humanism, we would not have differing styles of government or different branches of religion.

We may not have ever challenged the ideas of class, order, or power.

We would not have an appreciation of art, nor an understanding of how to manipulate it.

We would not have the discipline and desire to learn.