AP World History: The Northern RenaissancePeriod 3

Europe 1500 CE

I Northern Europe during the RenaissanceA) At the time of the Renaissance (15 – 16th centuries), northern

Europe was largely controlled by the Hapsburg family.B) The Hapsburg rulers in northern Europe sponsored many Italian

artists, helping to spread the renaissance north.

The Hapsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire for almost 4

centuries! They kept their power by selective marriage (often within the

family).

Maria Theresa, a famous Hapsburg ruler and mother of Marie

Antoinette.

C) Don’t forget the Gutenberg printing press!

II Northern Renaissance ArtA) With sponsorship from the Hapsburg family, many Italian

artists moved to northern Europe. B) In Flanders (modern day northern Belgium), renaissance

artists developed a new style, known as the Flemish School. The Flemish School was known for its realistic oil

paintings.

Northern Renaissance Art Continued…

C) Flemish School Artists1. Jan van Eyck (1390 – 1441)His most famous painting was

The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami, 1434.

Jan van Eyck

Details from The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami, 1434

Arnolfini was a wealthy merchant who lived in Bruges. Look for signs of wealth in this painting. One of the figures in the mirror may be the painter himself. The Latin sign says “Jan van Eyck was here 1434”.

Northern Renaissance Art Continued…2. Hieronymus Bosch (1415 – 1570)

The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1504Painted on a triptych (3 part altar-piece), depicting the Garden of Eden,

the fall of man, and finally, hell (a result of the fall of man).

The Garden of Earthly Delights DetailsLeft Panel

The Garden of Earthly Delights DetailsCenter Panel

The Garden of Earthly Delights DetailsRight Panel

Northern Renaissance Art Continued…3. Johannes Vermeer (1632 – 1675)

Girl with the Pearl Earring, 1665

Vermeer Continued…The Astronomer, 1668

II Northern Renaissance Writers A)Desiderius Erasmus (1466 – 1536)Erasmus was a Dutch humanist and priest. He called for the Bible to be translated into the vernacular.He scorned those who “don’t want the holy scriptures read in translation by the unlearned… as if the chief strength of the Christian religion lay in people’s ignorance of it…”“He who allows oppression shares the crime.”“Nowadays the rage for possession has got to such a pitch that there is

nothing in the realm of nature, whether sacred or profane, out of which profit cannot be squeezed.”

Northern Renaissance Writers Continued…

1. English playwright who wrote about Renaissance ideals (humanism, importance of classical knowledge)2. Wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and various other poems, dealing with humanist and timeless ideas3. 1599 Shakespeare & his acting company built the Globe Theatre on the banks of the Thames river

- 3 stories, open-air, sat 3000 people*The audience surrounded the stage on 3 sides

Poet Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare said that Shakespeare “… was not of an age, but

for all time.”

William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

Hamlet

“To be or not to be, that is the question”.

What is the humanist idea behind this quote?

Romeo & Juliet

Two households, both alike in dignity,    In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

    From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,    Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Stratford upon Avon (Shakespeare’s House)

The Globe Theatre

III Northern Renaissance Architecture

Antwerp Town Hall, Belgium

Chambord Castle, Loire Valley, France

HW Questions1. How/why did the Renaissance spread to northern

Europe?2. How did Northern Renaissance art reflect

Renaissance and humanist ideals?3. How did Erasmus and Shakespeare reflect

Renaissance and humanist ideals?4. Was the northern Renaissance different from the

Italian Renaissance? Explain your answer.

Key VocabularyHieronymus BoschChambord CastleErasmusFlandersFlemish SchoolHapsburg FamilyShakespeareThe Garden of Earthly DelightsThe Girl with the Pearl EaringThe Globe TheatreThe Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna CenamiJan van Eyck Johannes Vermeer