Summer Session - Day 9

The Renaissance

The Renaissance Period (1350-1600) was the transition period between the Medieval Era and the modern world. The word renaissance means "revival" or "rebirth". This was a period of great achievements in the arts and sciences combined with deep religious concerns. The Renaissance became one of the most productive periods in all history.

About 1450, European scholars became more interested in studying the world around them. Their art became more true to life. They began to explore new lands. The new age in Europe was eventually called “the Renaissance.” Renaissance is a French word that means “rebirth.” Historians consider the Renaissance to be the beginning of modern history.

The Renaissance began in northern Italy and then spread through Europe. Italian cities such as Naples, Genoa, and Venice became centers of trade between Europe and the Middle East. Arab scholars preserved the writings of the ancient Greeks in their libraries. When the Italian cities traded with the Arabs, ideas were exchanged along with goods. These ideas, preserved from the ancient past, served as the basis of the Renaissance. When the Byzantine empire fell to Muslim Turks in 1453, many Christian scholars left Greece for Italy.

The Renaissance was much more than simply studying the work of ancient scholars. It influenced painting, sculpture, and architecture. Paintings became more realistic and focused less often on religious topics. Rich families became patrons and commissioned great art. Artists advanced the Renaissance style of showing nature and depicting the feelings of people. In Britain, there was a flowering in literature and drama that included the plays of William Shakespeare.

Renaissance Life

Please see the article Renaissance life for further detail.

Causes & Effects of the Renaissance

Causes:

• The Crusades
  • Cultural Diffusion - Ottoman Empire preserved Greek & Roman Culture and added Islamic Culture to society
  • Trade - with Asia & Europe through Istanbul
• Rise of Middle Class - because of trade, more specialization = growth of wealth
• The Black Death (Plague) - questioning the existence of God and Church since whole families were destroyed

Effects:

• Age of Exploration - Technology from Asia and Ottoman Empire
• Emergence of Middle Class - Wealth from Trade
• Emergence of Italian City-States - from Trade
• The Protestant Reformation
  • Martin Luther - Questioning the Catholic Church and the power of the Pope
  • Catholic Church power lessened as Royal (King & Queen) power grew - leads to Age of Absolutism
• Inventions
  • The Printing Press - Gutenberg recreates the Bible for the common person and in each countries language
  • Da Vinci - Inventions for military use
• Art & Architecture
  • Explosion in Art - Sculpture and Painting
  • Architecture - Revival of Roman & Greek Engineering
• Free Thinking (Humanism)- People starting thinking about themselves instead of the church

Protestant Reformation

Background

The Protestant Reformation was a major turning point in history. Not only did it affect religious life in Europe, but also affected social, political, and economic institutions as well. The Reformation's leaders were Martin Luther and John Calvin, both educated as priests for the Catholic Church. The Reformation was a protest against perceived wrong doings by the Catholic Church. The followers of Luther and Calvin became known as Protestants, because of their "protesting."

Causes

Church Corruption: By the 1500s the Catholic Church was the most wealthy and powerful institution in Europe. Many church leaders lived more like kings, than priests, and became increasingly involved in political matters. To raise money for these activities, the Church raised fees for services such as, marriage and baptism, and also began the sale of indulgences, which were letters of forgiveness for one's sins. This caused both anger and resentment across Europe, and many called for reforms to take place.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German monk who was concerned about the sale of indulgences and other corruptions in the church. In 1517, he wrote his 95 Theses, which were 95 arguments against the sale of indulgences. He posted these on the door of the Wittenberg church in protest. The Catholic Church ordered Luther to recant, or take back his theses, but he refused. The Church excommunicated him, and would have executed him had they been able to capture him. Luther's ideas spread quickly throughout the Germany and Scandinavia, mainly due to the new printing press. Luther's beliefs are what sparked the Reformation.

Beliefs

Luther believed that Christians could only reach salvation through faith in god. He did not believe that the Pope or other priests had any special powers, including the forgiveness of sins. Luther's beliefs became the basis for the Protestant form of Christianity.

John Calvin

John Calvin was another priest - turned reformer. Like Luther, he believed that faith in god provided the path to salvation, but he also promoted the idea of predestination. Predestination is the belief that certain people were chosen by god for salvation. Followers of Calvin all believed they were predestined for heaven. They setup religious communities throughout Europe and lived very strict, moral lives.

Effects

Luther's and Calvin's ideas spread across Europe quickly. This was due to unrest in the peasant population, inventions like the printing press, and the support of rulers wishing to free themselves from Catholic control. Religious unity in Europe was lost, which resulted in many wars including, civil wars in Germany and France, and wars between Protestant England and Catholic France and Spain.

The Reformation also leads to a period of anti-Semitism. Both Catholics and Protestants place restrictions on Jews, often forcing them to live in separate areas of town. Witch hunts also increased as many people, caught up in religious zeal, accuse others of Satanism. Thousands were killed as a result, most of them women.

Overall, the Protestant Reformation and the Counter/Catholic Reformation changed the face of society in Europe. Before the Reformation, Europe was united behind a single faith, with a strong Church for guidance. By the end, Europe is divided religiously, and strong monarchs fill the leadership void left as a result of a weakened Catholic Church.

Classwork & Homework

Lesson PowerPoint: The Renaissance - Overview

Lesson Video: The Renaissance