RENAISSANCE

• What is the Renaissance?– An era of awakening. People began to again look

at ancient Greek & Roman texts.

– Renaissance means ‘rebirth”.• “Europe is waking out of a long, deep sleep…time was

when learning was only found in the religious orders…learning has passed to secular princes and peers.”

• Italian Renaissance– Began to look at the ancient texts in search of

human achievement• Power of reason

• Advances in the arts & sciences

– The Renaissance flourished in Northern Italy is because of a wealthy class that invested in the arts.

– Humanities• Grammar, history, poetry, & rhetoric (using language to

persuade)

• People who specialize in these are called Humanists.

• Emphasis was placed on the importance of the individual– This is the main difference between the Renaissance thinkers

& the medieval thinkers.

» Medieval Europeans placed an emphasis spiritual matters

• Art– Renaissance artists painted realistic scenes and

images

– They used a technique called perspective (made distant objects smaller), which created the illusion of depth.

• Leonardo da Vinci 1459-1519– Architect

– Engineer

– Painter• Used mathematics to

organize the space of his paintings

– Sculptor

– Scientist

• Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, 1475-1564– Sculptor

– Painter

– Designer

• Sistine Chapel

Censored

The Pietà

Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1598 - 1680

• Writers– Francesco Petrarch 1304 -1347• Had a desire to continue the works of the classical

writers of Ancient Greece & Rome – this came to be called Classical Education

– Niccolo Machiavelli 1469 – 1513• Wrote The Prince in

effort to show how governments actually work.– “A prince never lacks

legitimate reasons to break his promise.”

• The Spread of Ideas– Invention of the Printing

Press by Johannes Gutenberg (about 1450)

• Some people were not happy– Scribes made a living hand

copying manuscripts.

• History Channel

Northern Renaissance

– Writers (differed from the Italian Humanists in that they were interested in early Christian culture as well as ancient Greece & Rome)

• Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch) (1466 - 1536)– Learned about the

humanists by reading printed books.

– Used critical thinking to examine the Bible.

• Thomas More (English) (1478 – 1535)– Wrote the book Utopia

which spoke out against governments & private ownership of property.

– He contrasted life in Europe with `an Utopia – an ideal place to live.» His writing will

inspire Karl Marx and the creation of Communism

• William Shakespeare (English)– Stands out as the leading

literary figure of his time

– Transformed well known stories into dramatic masterpieces

– Was able to portray human emotions with great skill

THE REFORMATION

• Humanists argued that the Roman Catholic Church lost its way– This leads to a reform movement that would split

the Church – The Reformation

• Causes– Humanists argued the church cared more about

income

– Argued against bad behavior of priests

– The Church ignored the complaints.

– Humanists urged people to withdraw from the Church

• Martin Luther– Criticized the Church over

the sale of indulgences• Paying a fee to get

forgiveness for sin

• Posted his 95 Thesis on indulgences on a church door

• Luther used the printing press to spread his ideas

• Founder of the Lutheran Church

Other Protestant Movements

• Anglican Church (The Church of England)

– King Henry VIII of England, broke from the Church because it would not grant him a divorce (1529)

• Calvinism– Founded in Switzerland

1536 by Frenchman John Calvin

– Emphasized predestination• From the beginning of

time, God has decided who will be saved

• The Counter Reformation 1530– An attempt to fight back

against the Protestant Reformation• They began an inquisition

• Banned books

• Council of Trent 1545 & 1563– Pope Paul II summoned church leaders to clearly

define church doctrine.

• Ended the abuses that surrounded the sale of indulgences

• What was the Renaissance?• What are the Humanities?• What was the Protestant Reformation?– Who instigated this movement?

• What does the Renaissance have in common with the Protestant Reformation.