Background – The Renaissance began in Italy

• Location – centrally located in the Mediterranean Sea region• As trade with Europe and Asia

increased, Italian cities became centers of banking, commerce, and industry• Merchants and nobles acted as patrons– Supported artists, writers, and scholars–Powerful leaders (because no single ruler

had united the Italian peninsula)

Characteristics of the Renaissance• Secularism (non-religious) – increased as people

began to show greater interest in this world rather than the “here after”

• Reason – used observation and experience to explain the world rather than Christian teachings

• Humanism – emphasized dignity, worth, and uniqueness of individuals. (man is the focus of all things)

• Christian Humanism – a movement in northern Europe that promoted reason through Christian teachings

• Study and imitation of the classical cultures of Greece and Rome

Architecture• Studied ruins of buildings from

ancient Rome• Abandoned Medieval styles

(pointed arches, ornamentation)• Used columns and circular arches

of the classical period• Demonstrated technical

achievements of applying reason• One of the most famous architects

was Filippo Brunelleschi

Gutenberg and the printing revolution

• Johann Gutenberg (German printer)–Developed a printing press with

moveable type–Moveable type, a special press, and oil-

based inks allowed the mass production of printed books– Encouraged the spread of new ideas – Increased literacy

MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)

• A German monk and Bible scholar• Opposed the sale of indulgences– Pardons from punishment for sin– Church sold them to increase

revenue for the Church• Posted Ninety-Five Theses

(statements) on his Church door, challenging the Pope’s right to sell indulgences

• Translated the Bible into German

LUTHER’S FIGHT WITH THE CHURCH

• Pope excommunicated him (in defiance, he publicly burned the decrees)

• Was summoned to the Diet of Worms where he refused to recant (take back) his statements and was declared an outlaw

• Received protection for a number of German princes

• Started a new church, the Lutheran Church

LATER REFORMERS• Luther’s ideas spread quickly due to the printing press • John Calvin (1509-1564) started a new Protestant Church and theocracy in Geneva (Switzerland)

–Wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion– Taught predestination (fate already decided by God)– Said while faith was the key to salvation, it was God

who gave faith to some and denied it to others (only the “Elect” would be saved)

– Stressed hard work and a strict moral code (no gambling, drinking, swearing, dancing, singing, etc.)

– Saw worldly success as a sign of God’s favor

• “Native Americans” experienced their own Neolithic Revolution (grew maize [corn], squash, and beans – the “three sisters”)

• Several complex civilizations emerged in Mesoamerica (called pre-Columbian civilizations, because they existed before the arrival of Columbus)

• These did not emerge in river valley, but in warm and humid rain forests

• Supported by farming corn (a crop unknown to peoples of Africa, Asia, and Europe) and used creative farming techniques adapted to their environments

GROWTH OF CIVILIZATIONS

MAYAN POTTERY

MAYAN CALENDAR

HIEROGLYPHS

MESO-AMERICAN ART

• BUILDERS – built huge cities, large palaces, temples, and pyramids

• WRITING SYSTEM – hieroglyphics (picture symbols)• MATH AND SCIENCE – complex number system,

used zero, 365 day calendar• ARTISTRY – painted colorful mural, invented popular ball game

MAYAN ACHIEVEMENTS

• Created by an alliance of several local peoples of the high valley in Mexico

• Created the city of Tenochtitlan– An island in the center of the Valley of Mexico– Grew crops in “floating gardens” in wet marshy land

• Engaged in frequent warfare to conquer other people in the region

• Math and Science advancements– Made careful observations of the sky and aligned

their temples based on the movements of the sun and moon and developed an accurate calendar.

THE AZTECS (1200 – 1521)

CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS• Spanish conquistadors (conquerors) and priests

arrived soon after the first explorers• Came to conquer native peoples, seize gold and

silver, obtain natural resources, and convert the natives to Christianity (Gold, Glory, and God)

• Soon after Columbus’ first voyage, the Spanish conquered the main Caribbean island– Small numbers of Spanish soldiers, using horses

and firearms, and acting with local allies, were able to quickly overcome large numbers of Native Americans

SPAIN AND PORTUGAL LEAD THE WAY(Columbus, da Gama, Magellan)

• Located at the western end of Europe with coasts on the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean

• Wanted their fair share of trade with Asia• Had economic resources to finance

exploration• Developed new navigational tools and

used new technology

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE• The exchange of products and ideas

between Europe and the Americas– Improved the European diet with the

introduction of new foods (tomatoes, corn, potatoes, peppers, squash, chocolate and turkey and other animal products)

– Tobacco was also brought to Europe– From Europe, new products were introduced

to the Americas (wheat and other grains, sugar, cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens)

COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA• COLONIAL GOVERNMENT– Viceroys (royal governors) were sent to rule the

colonies that had been established in the Spanish king’s name

– Spanish officials filled the most important positions in colonial government and Church leaders shared political power

– Land was divided among soldiers who used Native Americans to work the land and mines (the encomienda system) – This system was ruled by the central government (not local)

ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE• Had existed long before European intervention• Expanded on a scale unparalleled in human history• Usually captured by African tribes in raids on villages• Brought to the West Coast to trade/sell to European and

American slave traders for guns and other goods• As many as 15 million Africans were taken over a 300 year

period (more than 11 million to Spanish colonies)• Many died during the “Middle Passage” because of

horrible conditions on board the ships• Most worked in sugar fields (Caribbean and Brazil) or

raising cotton or tobacco (N. America)• The population of many African communities declined

greatly.

THE COMMERCIAL REVOLUTION• Aspects of the Commercial Revolution– Global Trade– Production of more goods for sale rather than

own use• Mercantilism (economic theory of the time)– Wealth and power based on amassing gold and

silver– Total wealth of the world is limited, so had to be

gained through war or trade– Promoted the removal of trade barriers

Absolute Rulers to know from your charts:

• James I – Divine Right of Kings• Louis XIV – supported arts, but bankrupted France

with building projects and costly wars• Philip II – created a colonial empire creating wealth,

promoted Catholicism, armada destroyed by England• Peter the Great – westernized Russia while spreading

serfdom• Elizabeth I – created Act of Supremacy, returned

Protestantism to England, defeated Spain

• Create a flow chart describing the events leading to England’s Limited Monarchy:– Tudor Monarchs: Henry VIII and Elizabeth I– Early Stuart Monarchs: James I and Charles I– English Civil War (1642-1649): Oliver

Cromwell– The Restoration: Charles II– The Glorious Revolution: William and Mary

and the English Bill of Rights

England’s Road to a Constitutional Monarchy

POLITICAL THINKERS IN THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM

• Thomas Hobbes – Man was not naturally good and was incapable of maintaining social order, therefore absolute rule was necessary

• John Locke – believed rulers obtained power from the people, not God. Promoted the “social contract”. The purpose of government was to protect natural rights (life, liberty, property)

• Sir William Blackstone – explained English common law (judges following precedents of other courts) and England’s “mixed monarchy” where power was shared by king and Parliament.