Download Notes Ch.15

THE RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION
BACKGROUND
A. Black Death swept throughout Europe (1347-1350), killing more than 1/3 of the
population
1. Social changes caused by Black Death
a. ended feudalism because lords had to pay serfs to work
b. some landowners & townspeople got richer from deceased relatives= land
c. some rural landowners had to sell because of lack of workers
2. Economic changes
a. end of economic boom ...........a high rate of unemployment in certain areas
b. survivor’s demand for higher wages; wages either improved their standard of
living or gained them freedom (serfs) ....rise of the middle classes
B. Improvements in Technology
1. Transportation
a. the astrolabe, more detailed maps, improved compass & sextant
better rigging of sails to take advantage of wind power
2. Communication
a. cheap paper ( learned from Muslims ) replaced parchment
b. use of wooden blocks to mass produce illustrations
c. invention of printing press (Johann Gutenberg), Bible 1st book
I. Renaissance begins in Italy
A. Definition : A rebirth or revival of classical learning of Ancient Greece and Rome
B. Reasons
1. Greek and Roman buildings located there
2. Location on strategic trade routes between Europe and Asia
3. Wealthy, independent city-states govt. aided by Church & Italian rulers
4. Presence of rich merchant families who became “Patrons of the Arts” (Medici in
Florence, Este in Ferrare)
C. Political conditions helped individualism
1. Italian city-states were aided in becoming independent republics by Church and
Holy Roman Empire
2. Despots or dictators assumed city-state control (Medici in Florence)
3. Lawlessness caused the individual to think for himself - matter of life or death - also
caused an interest in studying Justinian’s Code and the need for lawyers; Universal
Laws replaced feudal lords’ laws; Law School at Bologna
D. Humanism
1. Definition: The intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized the study
of Greek & Roman classical works beginning about 1350 AD. It stressed the beauty
and humanness of man on earth rather than his spiritual makeup.
2. Results of Humanist Movement
a. art & literature stressed non-religious rather than religious subjects
b. education expanded to include the “humanities” ( lit. and languages )
c. men became more versatile and developed more talents
3. Great Humanists
a. Petrarch - (1304-1374) wrote lyric poems in Italian, copied style of Cicero & Virgil
b. Boccaccio - wrote first prose masterpiece in Italian, The Decameron, tales of the
survivors of the Black Death
c. Leonardo daVinci - (1452-1519) very versatile; painter, sculptor, architect, engineer,
musician & philosopher; famous for “Last Supper” & “ Mona Lisa” 1.
E. Italian Art & Literature
1. Art
a. Painting - MOST ORIGINAL of Renaissance art because few ancient paintings
existed
1) subjects remained more Christian because it began while Church dominated life
2) fresco paintings were replaced by oils on wood and canvas
b. Sculpting (Michelangelo greatest)
1) showed great appreciation for the human form & emotions - stressed beauty
2) used in the Churches as statues
c. Architecture - had been important in Middle Ages
1) Renaissance style - combined Greek and Roman forms
2) included rounded arches & Greek columns to replace flying buttresses
3) showed the influence of Christianity - St .Peter’s, Papal Palace
2. Artists
a. Donatello - Italian sculptor; famous for men on horseback
b. Giotto - Italian Painter, famous for his frescoes of Christ & St. Francis
c. Leonardo da Vinci - Italian, “Last Supper” & “Mona Lisa”
d. Michelangelo (1475 - 1564), Italian, very versatile, painted ceiling of Sistine Chapel
(frescoes), sculpted “Pieta”, “David” and “Moses”, planned St. Peter’s dome
e. Raphael - Italian painter; famous for Madonna & use of color
3. Italian writers
a. Castiglione – “Book of the Courtier” - described the Renaissance man
b. Machiavelli – “The Prince” - stated that “the end justifies the means” - you can do
anything to achieve your goals ( lying, stealing, killing etc.)
II. The Renaissance Moves North
A. Printing helped to spread the Renaissance
1. Europeans learned to make cheap paper from Moors, Arabs and Chinese
2. Gutenberg invented the MOVEABLE type printing press in 1456
a. made learning available to more because of increased number of books
b. spread Renaissance from Italy
B. Northern humanists looked at social and religious problems
1. Erasmus of Rotterdam ( 1446-1536) Dutch Biblical scholar
a. wrote “In Praise of Folly” - book ridiculed superstition, warlike princes, insincere
priests and silly scholars (major problems of Church and society)
b. his criticism weakened the influence of the Church
2. Thomas More (1478-1535) English
a. wrote “Utopia”- the perfect state where all live in peace and harmony
b. inspired others to his high moral standards to help the poor
c. was killed by Henry VIII because he refused to accept King as head of Church
C. Art in Northern Europe - stressed detail, painted miniatures
1. Jan vanEyck - Flemish, invented OIL paints
2. Albrecht Durer - German, made woodcuts & painted nature
3. Hans Holbein - German, painted portraits of King Henry VIII, Thomas More & Erasmus
4. Rembrandt - Dutch, painted character portraits
D. Renaissance literature reached its heights in Shakespeare and Cervantes
1. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English
a. greatest writer of Queen Elizabeth’s rule
b. wrote many plays – “Romeo & Juliet”, “Julius Caesar”, “Hamlet” etc.
2. Cervantes - Spanish, wrote “Don Quixote” - good picture of Spanish life in 1500's
3. Francois Rabelais – French – wrote “Gargantua and Pantagruel”
2.
III. The Protestant Reformation
A. Background
1. Reformers tried to improve the Catholic Church
a. Weaknesses
1) Some clergy were immoral, worldly & involved in Italian politics
2) Some practiced SIMONY - the buying or selling of Church offices or indulgences
b. Reformers
1) Franciscans & Dominicans from the 13th century on
2) John Wycliffe - translated Bible into English in 14th century
3) John Huss - burned at the stake for criticizing the Church
4) Erasmus - criticized hypocrisy and felt Church could reform from WITHIN
2. New forces challenged the Church
a. Kings didn’t like obeying the Pope (usually a foreigner)
b. People resented most Church money being sent to Rome (for St Peter’s, Sistine
Chapel)
c. Merchants and bankers didn’t like Church laws forbidding usury
3. The Church was split
a. Philip IV of France arrested Pope Boniface VIII
b. From 1309, the Popes had their headquarters at Avignon, France - called the
Babylonian Captivity (lasted 65 yrs.)
c. Great Schism (1378 – 1417} , Period of time when two men were regarded as the
legal Pope)
1) A third Pope was elected, but the other two would not resign
2) A fourth Pope, Martin V, was elected in 1417 and all accepted him as Pope
d. As a result of the Great Schism and Babylonian Captivity, the power of the Papacy
was greatly weakened
B. The Reformation divided Europe
1. Definition - a revolt or protest begun by Martin Luther against certain practices
and teachings of the Catholic Church; changed the course of European History
2. Causes:
a. Religious – Church’s wealth, simony, sale of indulgences and nepotism (giving
offices to relatives)
b. Political - Spirit of nationalism; papal courts were higher than civil courts
c. Economic - Church taxation drained national wealth; was “tax-free”; business
was hindered because of ban on usury
d. Intellectual - Increased questioning spirit of Humanism challenged the authority
of the Church
C. Martin Luther
1. Born of poor German peasants in 1483
2. Highly educated; Master’s Degree at 22; remained a good priest for 12 years
3. Luther believed that salvation was based on FAITH ALONE; didn’t need good
works or priests
4. Luther’s objections – “95 Theses” criticized the sale of indulgences, church
authority and sacraments; posted on the Church door at Wittenberg in 1517
5. Diet of Worms - legislature of the Holy Roman Empire (1521)
a. Under Charles V - proclaimed Luther a heretic
b. Edict of Worms - excommunicated Luther
3.
6. Luther married and started his own religion; civil rulers were church leaders in their
areas
7. Luther favored the nobility in the Peasant’s Revolt....nobility ( included merchants
because of usury) became Lutherans and peasants remained Catholic - this caused
Civil War in Germany (1530 -1555 )
8. Peace of Augsburg (1555 ) - ended German Civil War as a compromise
a. Each prince chose his state’s religion
b. Protestants kept Catholic Church land gained before 1552
c. Catholic Bishops who accepted Lutheranism gave up lands
d. Forbade all Protestant religions except Lutheran
e. Resulted in the Thirty Years War
9. Lutheranism was accepted in Denmark, Norway & Sweden by the end of the 1500's
(Hanseatic League nations wanted usury )
D. John Calvin
1. Born in France, broke with the Church and fled to Switzerland
2. Wrote “Institutes of the Christian Religion” - a summary of Protestant theology
3. Calvin’s philosophy
a. PREDESTINATION - Belief that God had already decided who was to be saved
and who was to be damned - opposed man’s free will
b. Theocratic government - All phases of life (govt., education, etc.) should be
controlled by the church
c. Christian virtues were: hard work, moral living & thrift; forbade music, cards,
gambling and dancing
4. Calvin’s ideas spread to other countries
a. France - called Huguenots
b. Holland - “ Dutch Reformed Church
c. Scotland - “ Presbyterian Church founded by John Knox
d. England - “ Puritans/Congregationalists
IV. Reformation Ideas Spread
A. The English Reformation
1. Begun by Henry VIII - over Papal supremacy; Henry wrote books condemning
Luther’s ideas ....called “Defender of the Faith”
2. Henry VIII (1491 - 1547)
a. Wanted a divorce from Catherine of Aragon (No son after 18 yrs - had six
girls but only one lived)
b. Married Anne Boleyn – OK’d by Cranmer - newly made Archbishop of
Canterbury - example of lay investiture
c. Pope excommunicated Henry VIII for marrying again
d. Act of Supremacy (1534) made Henry VIII Head of the Church in England
e. Persecutions followed for both Protestants (refused Catholic doctrine) and
Catholics (refused to recognize King as Head of Church - Thomas More)
Henry dissolved monasteries (needed money ) as monks were loyal to Pope
g. Was married six times - divorced Catherine; beheaded Anne; Jane Seymore diedhad total of three children
3. Protestant England - during the reign of Edward VI
a. English Church modeled on Catholic Church in organization and govt. - Bishops,
etc..
b. King is Head of both Church and State
4.
c. Cranmer’s book – “Book of Common Prayers”- replaced Latin service of
Catholic Church
4. Henry VIII’s Children
a. Edward VI - sickly King at 9 - died at 15 (TB)
b. Mary Tudor - daughter of Henry and Catherine ... Catholic ( 1555 - 1558 )
1) Persecuted Protestants – “Bloody Mary” - including Cramner
2) Married Philip II of Spain - English feared a Spanish take-over
c. Elizabeth I - daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn ... Protestant (1558 -1603)
1) Began the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal in USA) as a compromise
religion
2) Persecuted both Catholics and dissenters (Puritans, Pilgrims, & Mary, Queen
of Scots)
5. Other Religions dissatisfied with Anglican Religion
a. Methodists - begun by John Wesley; helped the poor
b. Puritans - followers of Calvin in England
c. Pilgrims - wanted to remove all Catholic influence from Anglican Church
B. Catholic or Counter Reformation
1. Purpose - to stop the spread of Protestantism and to begin reforms within Church
2. New Religious Orders were founded:
a. Jesuits - founded by Ignatius of Loyola (1534); acted as royal advisors, teachers
and missionaries
b. Ursulines and Sisters of Charity
3. Council of Trent (1545-1563)
a. Called by Pope Paul III - met on and off for eighteen years
b. Reaffirmed some Catholic beliefs
1) Pope is the head of the Church
2) Bible and Church doctrines could be interpreted ONLY by Church or Pope
3) Traditional LATIN translation of the Bible was only accepted one
4) The seven sacraments and teachings on original sin are unchanged
c. Adapted certain reforms:
1) Sale of indulgences and Church offices (simony) was condemned
2) Better discipline (celibacy) and higher educational standards were set for
clergy
3) Sermons to sometimes be preached in the vernacular
4) Papal INDEX of forbidden books was started
4. Holy Inquisition - system of courts to detect heretics (Spain & Italy) by secret
trials; used before and after Reformation
C. Effects of the Reformation
1. Weakened the Political Power of the Catholic Church - lost land, money,
members and nations
2. Encouraged national independence and strengthened civil authority
3. Strengthened the middle class; gained money from usury and sanctioned work
4. Encouraged education so Protestants could read the Bible
5. Strengthened and improved religious practices (made ALL religions stop and
think) and encouraged religious toleration and freedom
6. Increased persecution of non-Christians in Western Europe, esp. Jews who were
often forced to live in ghettos, the Pope also restricted Jewish activity
5.