1.2

The Northern Renaissance

World History 9th

Mr. Sanderson

Spread of the Renaissance

• Late 1400s—Renaissance spread to Northern Europe:• England

(London)

• France (Paris)

• German states

• Flanders

Spread of the Renaissance

•Populations in northern Europe began recovering from plague (Black Death)

•The Hundred Years’ War (England vs. France) ended

•Growth of trade growth of cities• Wealthy merchants became patrons of the arts

Italy & Northern Europe

• Italy—divided into city-states

•England & France—unified under strong monarchs•Rulers sponsored the

arts by purchasing paintings & supporting artists & writers

Artistic Ideas Spread

•1494—French king invaded Italy•Many Italian artists &

writers fled to safety in Northern Europe•Brought artistic styles &

techniques•Northern European

artists who studied in Italy brought Renaissance ideas back to their homelands

German Painters

•Albrecht Durer•woodcuts & engravings•Portrayed religious subjects, classical mythology,

realistic landscapes

•Hans Holbein•Portraits with nearly photographic detail• Immigrated to England; painted royal family

portraits

Albrecht Durer

Hans Holbein

Flemish (Flanders) Painters

• Jan van Eyck• Oil-based paints• Used layers of paint to create a variety of subtle colors• Unusually realistic details that revealed the personality

of the subjects

•Pieter Bruegel• Portrayed large numbers of people• Captured scenes from everyday peasant life—weddings,

dances, & harvests• Rich colors, vivid details, & balanced use of space

Jan van Eyck

Pieter

Bruegel

Pieter

Bruegel

Pieter

Bruegel

Northern Writers try to Reform

Society

•Christian humanism•movement to reform society through education•promoted education of women• founded schools for boys & girls

Christian Humanist Writers

•Desiderius Erasmus (Holland)• The Praise of Folly (1509)—criticized greedy merchants,

heartsick lovers, quarrelsome scholars, & arrogant priests

• Thomas More (England)• Utopia (1516)—depicts an ideal, perfect society where

greed, corruption, & war have been eliminated

•Christine de Pizan (France)• One of first women to earn a living as a writer• Argued that both boys & girls should be educated• The Book of the City of Ladies

The Elizabethan Age

• English Renaissance

•Named after Queen Elizabeth I of England (ruled 1558 to 1603)

•Well-educated; spoke many languages

• Supported the development of English art & literature

William Shakespeare•England’s major Renaissance

playwright• Inspired by Classical works•Created dramatic plots to examine

human flaws•Most famous plays:• Macbeth• Hamlet• Romeo & Juliet• A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Printing Spreads Renaissance Ideas

• c. 500—Chinese invented woodblock printing

• c. 1045—Chinese invented moveable type• Inefficient method due to Chinese writing system

•c. 1440—Johann Gutenberg, a craftsman from Mainz, Germany, developed moveable type

• More practical due to fewer letters

•1455—Gutenberg Bible printed• First full-sized book printed with moveable type

•More books cheaper books more accessible rising literacy rates

Gutenberg Bible, 1455

Legacy of the Renaissance

1. More secular society—Europeans abandoned the Church-centered ideals of the Middle Ages

2. New focus on humanism & what humans can accomplish

3. New emphasis on the individual & individual achievements

4. Art became more realistic & lifelike

5. Writers began using vernacular languages—more people had access to information

6. Printing press made books & information more widely available

7. People began questioning old political structures & religious practices