Chapter 5

You will define what the Renaissance period was and what led to it.

You will explain what life was like for nobles and peasants in the Renaissance

You will describe the new forms of art and education in the Renaissance

You will explain how the Protestant reformation started

You will identify the new Protestant religions and reformations that emerged during the Renaissance

The renaissance (which means “rebirth”) was a period of European history, centered in Rome

Three characteristics of the Renaissance ◦ 1) An urban, secular worldly viewpoint, where material

things were treasured

Churches, homes, public buildings were immaculately decorated

◦ 2) An age of recovery from previous disasters (crusades, plague, decline of church power, political instabilities)

Old ideas led to trouble; New ideas were encouraged

◦ 3) Every individual has skill and ability

Painters, inventors, sculptors, politicians can come from anywhere

Italy never developed a single monarchy like England or France

The Renaissance developed in three specific city-states, each with a separate governor and politics ◦ Milan ◦ Venice ◦ Florence

While Italy remained separate city-states, European kingdoms flourished

One king, Charles VIII of France decided to take advantage of the Italian wealth

The Italians, fearful of Charles, formed an alliance with Spain

For the next 30 years, Italy/Spain and France waged war using mercenaries (soldiers hired for pay)

On May 5th, 1527 the mercenaries revolted

After not being paid for months, they entered the city of Rome killing the citizens, raiding their homes, and destroying their buildings

The war ended unfinished, and a period of recovery ensued called “the Renaissance”

One result of this war though was this Renaissance would have influences from Italian (Roman), Spanish and French cultures

Nobles were still nobles in the Renaissance, but 85-90% of people were peasants

During the Renaissance, peasants were released from the life of a serf. They were free to earn a living on their own.

Now, peasants could pursue a career of their choosing. But were also beholden to their own success. ◦ Artisans, shopkeepers, masons, etc

The newfound economic freedom expanded to the homes of the peasants as well.

A father had legal authority over children until he decided to go to a judge and release them ◦ Children would be required by law to obey parents sometimes

until the age of 30 under this system

The mother’s main role was to supervise the home and children

From the age of 2-3, children’s spouses were set up for them when they would come of age

The father of the daughter would provide the male’s family with an agreed upon dowry, or price for accepting the daughter into their family ◦ When she was married, the daughter was legally no

longer a member of her birth family

◦ The dowry was to help the paternal family take care of her for the rest of her life

New forms of education arose in the Renaissance

Humanism was a combination of grammar, rhetoric, poetry, philosophy and history

A well-rounded human was believed to be someone who could effectively communicate and debate

Stories and novels were written in vernacular (in a person’s native language) and included a variety of styles ◦ Prose, poetry, narration, story-telling all developed

Women also began writing and arguing about women’s roles and rights, and were not silenced

Another form of education that arose was the art of liberal studies ◦ Humanities subjects, plus mathematics, astronomy,

physical education and music

Liberal studies gave students a small portion of knowledge in all perceived fields of importance

Wealthy aristocrats sent their children to these schools to prepare them for leadership roles

Freedom to explore new ideas led to new innovations in the arts

Frescos were paintings done on fresh, wet plaster, that gave paintings a 3-dimensional experience

Art was realistically portrayed. Landscapes were painted 1in2 at a time; humans were painted nude to highlight the living body

Sculptures of marble, pewter, bronze and limestone were created

The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo

The Divine Comedy, By Dante

Bare walls were covered in paintings, emphasizing the power of nature, life, and knowledge

Religious paintings attempted to connect the physical world with the spiritual worlds ◦ “God is in the wind.”

In cathedrals where stained glass prevented the construction of paintings, wooden carvings and illustrated bibles reflected the renaissance way of thinking

Although they had lost their political strongholds, the Catholic church was still a powerful social structure ◦ They may not control Earth as much, but they control the

path to heaven.

The Pope had little power or esteem among peasants, but local bishops were greatly revered.

From 1450-1520, corruption had infiltrated the church ◦ Bishops were ignorant of basic catholic customs

◦ Popes personally led their constituents in battle

◦ The institution of the highly controversial indulgences

Indulgences were money, objects of wealth, or acts of penitence that, if given to the church, could be used to release someone from purgatory ◦ Purgatory was a “waiting room” where a soul was kept before

entering heaven or hell

What began as a method to encourage sacrifice amongst parishioners became a corrupt system of taking money from peasants through fear ◦ Go hungry and give up what little wealth you have or you and

your loved ones will be condemned to hell.

Actions like these sparked the need for reform among the lower Catholic authorities

Desiderius Erasmus was one of the first and best-known reformers

He believed the Catholic church should do away with outward expressions of religious devotion and focus on matters of personal faith

Those who believed that the church needed to change became known as the “protestants,” or protestors of the Roman Catholic Church

Erasmus was a protestant who wanted to change the church but still remain a part of it. Others wanted to break from it.

Martin Luther, a monk from Germany, believed that humans were powerless compared to an almighty God ◦ Therefore, humans could never play a role in determining who

entered heaven.

He believed in “justification,” or that only through faith in God could a person enter heaven ◦ “Works” get you nowhere because they are human-based

At first Luther simply discussed his concerns to his fellow priests, who took his protests as part of a normal process of growing in understanding.

Luther was eventually pushed toward actual action after another local monk, Johann Tetzel, initiated an immensely successful campaign to win converts through the purchase of indulgences ◦ “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory

springs.”

On October 31, 1517, Luther wrote a series of arguments called the Ninety-Five Theses and nailed his points to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany

Lower priests and members of the church sympathetic to his argument took his papers and printed thousands of copies ◦ The copies had spread across Europe within 60 days carried only

by hand and word of mouth.

Pope Leo X thought Luther to be harmless (heretics and complainers were nothing new). Meanwhile, support for Luther exploded among peasants and townspeople

Luther’s fervent and seemingly successful attack on indulgences forced him to attend several Diets (church court assemblies).

Luther never recanted his position, and as his case continuously moved higher up the church ranks, Luther’s arguments also grew ◦ By 1519 Luther was even challenging the authority of the

Pope himself.

In June 1520 the Pope wrote a “papal bull” giving Luther a final ultimatum: recant your words, or be excommunicated.

Luther literally burned the bull in the public square and mailed the Pope another copy of his message. In January, 1521, he was excommunicated

The excommunication needed support from a secular court to actually punish Luther.

Emperor Charles V of Spain and Italy presided over Luther’s trial in Worms, Germany.

The trial was simple. Luther’s enemy, Johann Eck (who had him reported to the Pope in the first place) presented the court with Luther’s writings. ◦ The gravest sins presented were Luther’s denouncement of five

of the seven sacraments: Confirmation, Penance, Anointing of sick, Holy Orders, and

Matrimony He kept Baptism and Communion

Eck asked Luther 2 questions: 1) did you write these words, and 2) do you stand by them?

Luther’s response the next day is considered one of the most famous courtroom speeches in history:

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen”

After 5 days of deliberation, Luther was declared an outlaw and sentenced to prison.

Luther’s friends “kidnapped him” and hid him in a room in Wartburg castle

During his exile he translated scripture into vernacular (common speech) and continued writing reforms for the church.

Within the year he would sneak back to Wittenburg, protected by his parishioners.

In 1525 he further incensed the church by marrying Katerina von Bora and breaking the priestly convenant of celebacy.

By this time, the protestant movement had officially begun.

The Protestant reformation wasn’t only about Luther

John Calvin also believed in the concept of justification, but claimed even the ability to understand faith was beyond human control

Calvin emphasized “predestination,” which says that God determines who will enter heaven and who won’t.

Calvinism became the second major religion to emerge from Protestantism ◦ Modern day Episcopals, Evangelicals

In May 1533 King Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon, who never birthed a son for Henry

The Pope was unwilling to annul (declare invalid) the marriage for Henry ◦ Divorce may have meant an eternity in Hell for Henry

Instead, he asked the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, to null the marriage.

In June, Henry married Anne Boleyn, and 3 months later she gave birth to a girl ◦ The baby would later become Queen Elizabeth I

These actions led the way for Henry and parliament to officially break with the Church of England and give all powers to the King

Henry then began selling monasteries and church-held lands to wealthy landowners, who became devoted to Henry

Henry’s first daughter to Catherine, Mary, was not a fan of her father’s decisions

When Henry died in 1547, she fought her way to the throne.

In an effort to restore Catholicism to Europe, “Bloody Mary” burned 300 protestants as Heretics.

Once again, violence made the martyrs stronger. By the end of her reign, England was more Protestant than Catholic.

So far, the reformations still left the church somehow tied with matters of the state

Some reformers wanted church and state to be completely separate from each other ◦ The state should have no bearing on the church

◦ If the opposite happened, though, no big deal

The Anabaptists believed anyone could receive salvation through faith

If they were worthy of salvation, they were also worthy of church service.

Anyone in the community was eligible to be a minister

Anabaptists also had a radical new idea which gave them their name: adult baptism.

Baptism had previously been given to infants to “seal” them as a child of God

Anabaptists believed adults should be baptized or re-baptized as an outward symbol of their salvation.

This would eventually lead to the Baptists, Foursquare, and other similar denominations

Losing so many churches and members to the Protestant reformation, the Catholic church was forced to accept changes

This showed itself in three different forms ◦ The Jesuits

◦ The Return of the Papacy

◦ The Council of Trent

The Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola and affirmed by Pope Paul III in 1540

Jesuits focused on devotion to the Pope and improving education among members

Jesuits also set up missions throughout the world and sent missionaries to convert heathens and lost souls to the Catholic church

Popes needed to be trusted again. The office of the Pope had become a disgrace.

The Catholic archdioceses paid special attention to the need to appoint moral, educated, devoted men to the role of Pope

Pope Paul III worked toward this goal by organizing the Council of Trent

Beginning in 1545, hundreds of cardinals, archbishops, bishops, abbots, and theologians met in Trent, on the border of Germany and Italy

Over 18 years, they worked to solidify the tenets and beliefs of Catholicism ◦ Both faith and good works are necessary for salvation

◦ The seven sacraments were upheld

◦ Clerics were expected to be celibate

◦ Purgatory was reaffirmed

◦ Indulgences were forbidden

Now, with a unified doctrine and clear leadership, the Catholic church once again became a religious player in the Western World.