Download Unit I: The Renaissance through the Age of Religious Wars, 1450

Unit I: The Renaissance through the Age of Religious Wars, 1450-1600
As Europe arose from the medieval age the foundations for a dynamic epoch of trading, global
discovery and state building emerged that would affect the lives of rich and poor for centuries.
Historians often call this the Renaissance or Risorgimento (rebirth or resurgence of a focus on
classical thinking). During this time humanists rediscovered texts from classical Greece and
Rome and began to debate truth and the meaning of life. Debates among historians and
Renaissance aficionados rage on where this change first occurred and why, but all agree that
scholars and artists in both the north and south of Europe celebrated the dignity of all things
human and the beauty of nature in ways their Medieval counterparts had not. The Renaissance
reverberates because it framed a western intellectual and cultural outlook that dominates modern
Europe and much of the world even to this day.
Additionally internal and external political developments drove powerful or well situated
aristocratic families to consolidate power. Many of these families enlisted support from urban
elite, especially bankers and innovative thinkers and doers which and who challenged traditional
medieval/feudal economic and social arrangements. Peasants, merchants and artisanal folk
residing in towns and cities with at best supportive or at worst absent lords experienced new
found freedoms and a general innovative mindset that enriched and widened the outlook of the
civis. In this fashion social, economic and political change slowly occurred over time and
fomented our contemporary belief in the universal dignity of all regardless of social rank, job or
bloodline.
Finally after a period of adherence to a universal religion headquartered in Rome abuses led to
unstoppable calls for religious reform. Reform had always been a reality within the European
Catholic church but it was the convergence of two mid fifteenth century occurrences that sealed
the unstoppable “revolution” in thinking about religion. The development of movable type and
mass printing along with the fall of the Eastern Byzantine empire infused Greek ideas into
reformers thinking and more importantly made reform available to the masses. Religious
conflict and wars were the result of subsequent divides that tore Europe apart, lead to permanent
reform in the Church and left religious and intellectual divisions that can still be observed today.
Wars fought in the name of religion broke out within and between European states, beginning in
the late 16th century and culminating in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). By 1600, the pattern
of religious adherence had largely been established for the future of Europe.
This our first unit is arguable one of the most important, therefore pay close attention to the
details we uncover. If you are pursuing an AP track in the class, pay close attention to how
Humanism fomented change, reform and revolution and work with your team to address all the
IDs, short answer and essential question organized below in the syllabus. The Content outline
that follows is included as a reference for all but is not a study guide. Those who are not
tracking toward the AP exam, should focus on the MP1 project and be ready for all minor
opportunities. Good luck to all and remember, just as Petrarch, the famous father of humanism
would say “sameness is the mother of disgust, variety the cure.”
Content Focus and Assessments:
The College Board identifies three themes in which a teacher should focus the delivery of the
content of the course. These are:
I.
II.
III.
Intellectual and Cultural History
Political and Diplomatic History
Social and Economic History
We will focus our studies on these themes and all content from our textbooks, videos, source
materials and online resources will be organized around them. Keep in mind that although the
following information will help you focus your studies, the very best motivator and study support is
your own academic curiosity. Read deeply, especially the Listening to the Past
Chapter 13: After reading and studying this chapter, you should be able to discuss the
meanings of the term renaissance. You should be able to explain the economic context for the
Renaissance, the new status of the artist in Renaissance Italy, and the meanings of the terms
humanism, secularism and individualism as applied by scholars to the Renaissance. You should
also be able to explain how the Italian Renaissance affected politics, the economy and society in
general. Finally, you should be able to elaborate on the evolution of the medieval kingdmoms
into early modern nation-states and discuss how the Renaissance both contributed to this
evolution and also developed alongside this changing political reality.
The College Board identifies three themes in which a teacher should focus the delivery of
the content of the course. These are:
IV.
V.
VI.
Intellectual and Cultural History
Political and Diplomatic History
Social and Economic History
We will focus our studies on these themes and all content from our textbooks, videos, source
materials and online resources will be organized within these.
and to eventually frame a final capstone project in which you will each share the learning that
was important to the wider WW-P community. In the first unit we will study each of the themes and
prepare a presentation to World History classes if possible and if not to teachers, administrators
and/or parents who may be interested on hearing your understandings. Once you have mastered the
basic understanding within your theme – you will then begin the process of identifying a subtheme
to focus your research and studies on for the remainder of the year. I will outline that step in more
detail on project sheets to be handed out each Unit.
Suggested Content
The Renaissance through the Age of Religious Wars: 1450-1600
I. The Renaissance
A. Politics in the Age of the Renaissance
1. The Italian Peninsula:
a. northern cities were communes of merchants seeking independence
i. they gained freedoms beginning in 12th century
ii. By 1300, ruled by signori or constitutional oligarchs
iii. city-states sought to develop commercial opportunities
b. Italian politics surrounded attempts to maintain balance of power among major Italian
states: ie: Venice, Milan, Florence, Papal States, Naples
i. Case Study - Venice:
-prosperity was based on its military and commercial control of the seas
-The republican government, strictly regulated oligarchy, controlled all
merchant contracts in a way that many, rather than a few, prospered.
ii. Case Study - Florence:
-a republic whose economy was based on the commercial successes of its
numerous banking houses and on the industrial capacity of its woolen
crafts
-the Medici, a powerful banking family, was able to secure domination of
the Florentine government.
c. Economic decline in second half of 15th century contributed to decline of
power of city-states
d. The End of Italian Hegemony, French invasion of Italy leads to destabilization
of peninsula
2. Politics over the Alps
a. “New Monarchs” exercise considerable authority
i. interest in centralizing power
ii. many seemed to act in Machiavellian ways
b. France
i. An age of recovery after Hundred Years’ War
ii. Charles VII makes state superior to the church
c. England
i. War of the Roses settles Lancaster-York dynastic struggle
ii. Tudors work with middle class to create foundation of modern England
iii. Parliament continued to gain power at the expense of the monarch
d. Reconquista Spain
i. Marriage of Ferdinand and Isabel lead to unification of territory
ii. Reconquista: movement to expel non-Christians from Iberian Peninsula
B. Intellectual development in the Renaissance
1. Intellectual outlooks
a. Humanism
b. individualism
c. secularism
2. Italian “Classical” Humanism
a. foundation seen in works of Petrarch and Bocaccio
b. influenced by the reexamination of work of the Greco-Roman world
c. attempt to reconcile classical “pagan” literature with Christian thought
b. Case Studies of Italian Humanists:
i. Baldassari Castiglione (1478-1529) The Courtier
ii. Masilio Ficino (1433-1499)
iii. Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola (1463-1494) On the Dignity of Man
iv. Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) The Prince
3. Northern “Christtian” Humanism
a. character of northern humanist movement differed: stressed social reform
b. sought to create a more perfect world
c. Case studies of Northern Humanists
i. Desiderius Erasmus (1469?-1536) The Praise of Folly
ii. Sir. Thomas More (1478-1535) Utopia
d. Call for reforms laid foundation for Reformation
“Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched”
C. Art in the Renaissance
1. Art in Italy
a. Basis: changes date to the work of Giotto and Massaccio in the development of
perspective, realism, and proportional-ism.
b. Location: Beginning in Florence, the changes in art eventually centered in
Rome and then Venice
c. The Patron and the artist: the role of both change in this time period
d. The quattrocento and cinquecento
i. .Giotto
ii. Massaccio (Representative art works: Expulsion from Paradise, Holy
Trinity)
iii. Donatello (Representative art work: David)
iv. Boticelli (Representative art works: Primavera, Birth of Venus)
v. Leonardo da Vinci (Representative art works: Mona Lisa, Last Supper)
vi. Michelangelo (Representative art works: Pieta, Sistine Chapel)
vii. Raphael (1483-1520) (Representative art works: Pope Leo III,
Madonna and Child)
viii. Titian (1490-1579) (Representative art work: Sacred and Profane
Live, Bacchus and Ariadne)
ix. Andrea Mantegna (1430-1506) (Representative art works: Gonzaga
Family, The Dead Christ)
x. Brunelleshi (Representative work: Dome of the Florence Duomo)
2. Art in Northern Europe
a, difference in northern art
b. artists
i. Van Eyck (Representative art work: Arnolfini Wedding
ii. Breugel (Representative art works: The Peasant Wedding, Fall of
Icarus)
iii. Durer (Representative art works: Four Horsemen, Self Portrait 1500)
iv. Holbein (Representative art works: Sir Thomas More, The Ambassadors)
D. Society in the Renaissance
1. Women
a. Renaissance affected role of women, status of noble women decline
b. Effect of Renaissance on lower class women difficult to assess
2. Blacks: increasing number of black in Europe serve as slaves and “curiosities”
3. Sexuality:
a. concept that women could not have pleasure without a man
b. Florence government set up Office of the Night to root out “abdominal vice”
II. The Age of Reconnaissance
A. Technology and Motivation
1. Technology of Exploration
2. Motives of Exploration
B. Portuguese explorations
1. Prince Henry the Navigator
2. Bartholomew Dias
3. Vasco DaGama
C. Spanish explorations
1. Columbus’ Voyage 1492
2. Treaty of Tordesillas 1494
III. The Reformation
A. The Spark of Reform
1. Rise of Secular Authority
2. Church survived the late medieval crises of the Babylonian captivity and the
3. Critics and Reformers
a. John Wycliffe
b. Jan Hus
c. Desiderius Erasmus
d. Girolamo Savaranola
4. Europe was experiencing a revival of religious fervor.
5. sale of indulgences provoked a response, Martin Luther, attacked thE
theological basis for indulgences in a series of 95 theses or arguments
B. Martin Luther’s Faith
1. Luther suffered, however, from inner doubts concerning the safety of his soul.
2. Luther resolved his doubt and, in the process, created a theological revolution.
3. Justification, or salvation, came from faith, not good works
4. knowledge concerning religion in the Bible, the sole authority
5. The Priesthood of all Believers - men and women who had achieved faith were on an
equal footing All men were equally priests
C. Lutheranism
1. Effects of Lutheranism
a. The papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor assaulted Luther’s theology
b. electoral prince of Saxony offered Luther protection within his domain.
c. princes of the fragmented territories of Germany saw this as an opportunity to
free themselves from papal taxation and interference.
d. reform message attractive to the middle orders of towns - the lesser merchants
and craftsmen.
e. women also responded favorably to the reform movement
2. The Spread of Lutheranism
a. Lutheranism spread rapidly throughout the decentralized Holy Roman Empire
b. Poland-Lithuania, and Prussia all established Lutheran churches.
c. Denmark and Sweden embraced the new reform religion.
d. Jan Hus prepared the way for Lutheranism in Bohemia, but the Hussites
refused to take up the entirety of Luther’s reform package
e. Swiss states, the radical reform movement Huldrych Zwingli of Zurich was
influential
D. Spreading Reform
1. Geneva and Calvin
a. Geneva freed itself from the overlordship of both the Catholic Church and the
duke of Savoy.
b. citizens of Geneva voted to embrace Protestantism on the model proposed by
Zwingli.
c. Geneva turned to John Calvin, theology differed from Lutherís primarily in the
emphasis he placed on the doctrine of predestination
2. The English Reformation
a. The catalyst for the English Reformation was Henry VIII's need for a divorce
b. The papacy due to diplomacy of the Italian Wars dragged its feet on the issue.
c. Henry VIII took the issue to Parliament. By statute, papal interference was
denied.
d. king became head of the Anglican church, Catholic properties were
confiscated, monasteries were dissolved, and a Lutheran form of church service
was imposed.
e. under Thomas Cranmer adopted the Zwinglian interpretation of the Eucharist,
services were conducted in English rather than Latin, and the priesthood was
converted to a Protestant ministry
3. Anabaptists
a. Protestantism rapidly fragmented into various theologies
b. Anabaptists - believed in an exclusive membership of the spiritual elite
i. adult baptism was the rite through which one entered the elite.
ii. largest groups of Anabaptists, the Moravian Brethren, were eventually
driven to the eastern edges of Europe, to Bohemia and Hungary.
iii. Smaller pockets of Anabaptists or Mennonites, for example settled in
the Low Countries
E. The Catholic Reformation
1. Introduction
a. Protestant reform movement failed to eradicate Catholicism.
b. Within Catholicism, reform and renewed zeal for evangelism became evident
2. The Spiritual Revival
a. early Catholic reform. Bishops took up the call for reform: concern improving
the quality of pastoral care provided by parish priests
b. New religious orders abounded in the sixteenth century
i. Capuchins and Theatines: attempts to return to principles of asceticism,
poverty, and devotionalism.
ii. Women in reform of religious orders
-Teresa of Avila led the reform of the Carmelite order
-Italian Angela Merici founded the Ursulines
3. Loyola’s Pilgrimage
a. Ignatius Loyola: discovered the spiritual discipline necessary for Christian
devotion.
b. recorded his methodology in The Spiritual Exercises.
c. gathered a small group of priests dedicated to religious discipline: Jesuits
d. Jesuits became the principal arm of Catholic evangelism
4. The Council of Trent
a. reforms within Catholicism were necessary, papacy generally resistant to
further internal reform.
b. Conflicts delayed the calling of a general council of reform until 1545.
c. The Council of Trent (1545ñ1563), dominated by Italian clergymen
i. restatement of traditional orthodoxy.
ii. Reforms limited to most obvious abuses, such as indulgences.
iii. The early Catholic emphasis on pastoral care was recognized and
reinforced.
iv. The council rejected Protestant theology outright
IV. The Age of Religious Wars
A. Religious war in Holy Roman Empire
1. Cuius regligio, 1524-1555
a. .Peasants' Rebellion, 1524-1525
i. Luther denounces the "murderous, rebellions peasants"
ii. Like Calvin, he feared widespread social revolution
b. Anabaptist movement
i. Menno Simmons advocates non-violent Anabaptist reform
ii. Radical Anabaptist rising at Muenster, 1534-1535
c. Religious War in Germany, 1546-1555
i. Settled by Peace of Augsburg
ii. This peace only interrupted the war
2. Thirty Years War in German lands, 1618-1648
a. Uneasy peace after 1608 (cold war)
i. Catholics suppress Lutherans in southern HRE
ii. Lutherans suppress Catholics in northern HRE
iii. .Protestant and Catholic leagues, 1608
b. Ferdinand (Catholic) elected King of Bohemia, then HRE
i. Tries to wipe out Protestants in Bohemia, Defenestration of Prague
ii. Protestant states in HRE intervene
iii. Kings of Denmark, Sweden intervene for Lutherans
iv. Kings of England and France intervene for Protestants
c. Total War, 1618 - 1648
i. Reason and aims blurred
ii. Germany devastated, loses 1/3 population
iii. roving bands of mercenary armies
d. Peace of Westphalia, 1648
i. German power virtually destroyed, easy prey for invaders
ii. Transformation of earlier European ideals
B. Religious Wars in France, 1581-1598
1. General suppression of Huguenots, 1515-1559
a. Francis I, 1515-1547
b. Henry II, 1547-1559
c. By 1559 perhaps 8% of the population is Huguenot
i. Largely concentrated in prosperous bourgeois
ii. Many noble families (i.e., Bourbons)
2. Weak rulers, 1559-1589, dominated by their Mother, Catherine de Medici
a. Rulers
i. Francis II, 1559-1560
ii. Charles IX, 1560-1574
iii. Henry III, 1574-1589
b. Catholic suppression of Huguenots
i. Religious war, 1562-1570
ii. Uneasy truce in 1570
3. War of the Three Henrys
a. Henry, Duke of Guise
b. Henry III (Valois)
c. Henry (Bourbon) of Navarre
4. Henry IV, 1593-1610
a. "Paris is worth a Mass"
b. Edict of Nantes, 1598
C. Religious Conflict in Tudor England, 1509 – 1603
1. Henry VIII, 1509-1547
a. 1534, Act of Religious Supremacy
i. Henry becomes head of English church
ii. Still Catholic in doctrine (mostly)
2. Edward VI, 1547-1553
a. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
i. 1549, Published Book of Common Prayer
ii. 1552, Revised (Calvinist) book of Common Prayer
b. 1552, Act of Uniformity: Protestantism established by law
i. Catholicism illegal
ii. Protestant church going mandatory
iii. Church revenues confiscated by the State
iv. Clergymen become state employees
3. Mary I, 1553-1558
a. Daughter of Catherine of Aragon
b. Devout Catholic
i. Tried to bring England back to the Church
ii. Reluctantly remains "Supreme Head of the English Church"
c. 1554, Act of Supremacy repealed
i. Landed gentry keep their church revenues
ii. England granted absolution by the Pope
d. Widespread Protestant rebellion
i. Mary suppresses the rebellion
ii. executes 300 Protestant leaders, including Cranmer
4. Elizabeth I, 1558-1603
a. Reissues Protestant edition of Book of Common Prayer
b. Restrictions on English Catholics
i. Forbade the celebration of Mass
ii. kills more Catholics than Mary killed Protestants
c. Elizabethan Settlement: Protestant in Dogma, Catholic in Ritual
d. .1568-1569, Northern Rebellion
i. Northern Lords, mostly Catholic, rebel
ii. Elizabeth defeats them, hangs or burns 800 Catholics
e. Catholic opponents
i. 1587, executes Mary, Queen of Scots, for treason
ii. 1588, Philip II of Spain launches armada of 130 ships
f. 1590s, Elizabeth turns on the Puritans
i. destroys Puritan printing presses
ii. destroys Puritan meeting houses
iii. mandatory attendance at Anglican services