Transcript Renaissance and Reformation

Renaissance and
Reformation
1300-1650
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Renaissance
 Began in 1300 in the Italian city-states
 “Rebirth” of Europe – spirit of curiosity and
adventure that developed after the Middle Ages
 Began in Italy and moved into Northern Europe
Why in Italy??
1) Roman Empire began on Italian peninsula – ancient
Roman culture influenced the time period
2) Trade in Italian cities made them RICH – wealthy
patrons could support cultural developments
3) Italy is by the ocean - traders bring new ideas!
Three Characteristics
1) Interest in the ideas of the ancient Greeks
and Romans
Education suffered after the fall of Rome – in the early
1300s, the Greek and Roman works were
rediscovered causing the idea of????
HUMANISM
Poetry, philosophy, and history instead of religion!
Uh oh…. The church is not going to like this…
Three Characteristics
2) Philosophers and writers began to stress the
importance of life on Earth instead of a
future life in heaven.
Roman Catholic Church promised a better life in
heaven…
But why can’t we have a better life now??
Humanist thinking called on the educated and wealthy
to take on active roles in their communities for the
good of the city and state.
Important Humanists
 Petrarch - one of the first humanists, famous
scholar/teacher/poet, believed that classical writings
should be studied and imitated
 Erasmus - Dutch humanist and theologian who was
the leading Renaissance scholar of northern Europe
Three Characteristics
3) Belief in individual achievement
Renaissance was a time of PROGRESS
As more things improved, the belief in the ability of
humans to make more changes grew!
Important People: Artists
 Michelangelo - Italian Renaissance artist that
painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling and sculpted the
statue of David.
 Leonardo Da Vinci - Italian Renaissance artist
that painted The Last Supper and Mona Lisa, he
was also an engineer, architect, sculptor, and
scientist.
 Raphael - Italian Renaissance painter; he painted
frescos, his most famous being The School of Athens.
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
David
Mona Lisa
The Last Supper
Important People: Writers
Dante – The Divine Comedy
Geoffrey Chaucer – Canterbury Tales
Shakespeare –Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet
The Printing Press
 One of the most important inventions of the time
period
 Johann Gutenberg – printed the first book in
Europe – Copy of the Bible
 Books became more affordable and available
 Spread IDEAS – Protestant teachings and the
vernacular language of the ordinary people
Society
 Lots of changes:
 Towns and cities were growing
 Serfdom of the Middle Ages was ending -- farmers were
moving to urban centers
 Middle class emerging – merchants and craft workers
 Family organization – households with father, mother,
and children (instead of manors with extended family)
 Girls were taught to read because the Bible was
important to Protestantism… but they still had to bear
and raise children while obeying their husbands
Nicolaus Copernicus
 Came up with a radical
way of looking at the
Universe:
 heliocentric system - put
the Sun (helio) at the
center of our system
 not the first to have this
theory, but brought it to
the world of the
Renaissance
 Also believed that the
Earth rotates on its axis
Galileo Galilei
 Born in Pisa, Italy approximately 100 years after
Copernicus
 devised a telescope that could enlarge objects up to
20 times.
 used this telescope to prove the truth of the
Copernican system of heliocentrism.
 He published his observations which went against
the established teaching of the Church. He was
brought to trial and, although he made a confession
of wrong-doing, he was still imprisoned for life.
Reformation
 Began as a way to protest against and reform
practices of the Roman Catholic Church
Key figure: Martin Luther – Roman Catholic monk and
professor who was disturbed by certain teachings of
the church
Luther’s Problems with the Church
 Indulgences – payment to the church to free people
of all punishment for sins
 Teachings: to get into heaven you need to believe in
God and do good works
 Unnecessary positions in the church such as the pope
and bishops (the Bible is the only source of God’s
word)
So what did he do about it?
 95 Theses – 1517
 Luther put together a list of arguments against the
church and nailed it to the front door of a church in
Wittenburg, Germany
 This signaled the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFqWnEpZvjs
Luther’s Teachings
By 1520 Luther was calling for princes in Germany
to break with the Roman church.
 He urged them to begin NEW churches based on 2
teachings:
1) Faith in God alone is needed for salvation
2) The Bible is the only source of God’s word

Effects
 1521 – pope excommunicated Martin Luther (he was
no longer a Roman Catholic)
 Luther continued to spread his ideas and attract
followers… his ideas were known as Lutheranism
Effects (Political)
 Rulers=less concerned with Religion and more concerned with
personal power… really wanted to overthrow the Holy Roman
Emperor, Charles V
 German princes saw Reformation as an opportunity to break
away from pope’s power over them… led to a series of wars
between Lutheran princes and Catholic princes fighting
 Charles V and his allies were not strong enough to defeat the
Lutherans – led to the Peace of Augsberg
 Peace of Augsberg – allowed princes to choose the religion
they and their subjects would follow… what’s wrong with this
picture??
Effects (Religious)
 John Calvin – founder of Calvanism
 Calvinism – basically same as Luther’s idea with a
twist
 Twist = predestination: God determines who will be
saved and who will be destined for hell… YIKES!
 John Calvin organized a theocracy – a government
run by religious leaders
 Big ideas: morality, hard work, honesty, thrift (not
living in excess)
** Calvinism had greater influence on Europe than
Lutheranism