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The Renaissance
1485–1660
Renaissance Timeline
1517:
Martin Luther
begins Protestant
Reformation
1558:
Elizabeth I
crowned
1588:
English navy
defeats Spanish
Armada
1649:
Charles I executed;
English monarchy
suspended
1480
1509:
Henry VIII
crowned
1660
c. 1533:
Henry VIII splits
Church of
England from
Rome
1564:
Shakespeare
born
1620:
Mayflower lands
at Plymouth
Rock
What Was the Renaissance?
The Renaissance (French for “rebirth”) was a great
revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe.
•It began in Italy in the fourteenth century and spread
across Europe to England over the next 100 years.
•Interest in the classical learning of ancient Greece and
Rome was renewed.
•The arts and sciences flowered.
•The human spirit of curiosity and creativity seemed
reenergized.
Characteristics of the Renaissance
•People read ancient Greek and Roman texts to
expand their understanding of the world.
•A humanist philosophy spread, focusing on human life
in the present as well as on eternity.
•Printing made books more widely available.
•The wealthy, growing merchant class began to
challenge the power of the church and the nobility.
•Scholarly Latin spread across Europe, aiding the
sharing of ideas across cultures.
The Renaissance and the Arts
Art flourished during the Renaissance. Church officials,
royalty, and wealthy families served as patrons to artists
such as
•Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
•Michelangelo (1475–1564)
© Alinari Archives/CORBIS
•Edmund Spenser
(1552?–1599)
•William Shakespeare
(1564–1616)
A study for Leda and the Swan by
Leonardo da Vinci.
Humanism in the Renaissance
•Humanists combined ideas from Latin and Greek
classics with traditional Christian thought to teach
people how to live and rule. They sought
•to answer questions about life—“What is a good life?”
and “How do I lead a good life?”
•to use the classics to strengthen, not discredit,
Christianity
•Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More were two wellknown humanists who helped shape European
thought and history.
The Invention of the Printing Press
In the early 1450s Johannes Gutenberg, a German,
invented the printing press. His invention transformed
the way information and ideas were exchanged.
•Books no longer had
to be copied by hand.
© CORBIS
•Books became more
numerous, available,
and affordable.
The Protestant Reformation
•began with Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany,
1517 and spread across Europe to England
•Martin Luther believed that religion should be based on a
personal understanding of the Bible, not on the authority
of the Pope and his bishops.
•gained momentum as the Catholic Church was
criticized for corruption
•had a financial component in England, where the
English objected to the financial burdens placed on
them by the Vatican in Italy
Henry VIII (r. 1509–1547)
•split the Church of England from the Roman Catholic
Church and declared himself head of the new church
•had six wives
•executed the humanist Thomas More
•authorized creation of the Great Bible—the first official
English translation of the Bible to be used in the
Church of England
•created the Royal Navy
The Reigns of Edward and Mary
Henry VIII was survived by three heirs; each ruled
England in turn.
Edward IV (r. 1547–1553)
•son of Jane Seymour
•crowned at age nine
•smart but sickly
•ruled only in name
•died of tuberculosis at
age fifteen
Mary Tudor (r. 1553–1558)
•daughter of Catherine of
Aragon
•restored power of Pope
and Catholic Church
•called “Bloody Mary”
because she executed
hundreds of Protestants
Elizabeth I (r. 1558–1603)
•daughter of Anne Boleyn
•regarded as a brilliant and
successful monarch
•reestablished Church of
England
•patron of the arts
© Bettmann/CORBIS
•never married; known as the
“Virgin Queen”
Defeat of the Spanish Armada
In 1588 King Philip of Spain assembled the powerful
Spanish Armada and attacked England.
•The victory at sea was a
turning point in history. It
ensured England’s
independence from the
powerful Catholic countries
of the Mediterranean.
© 2003-2004 clipart.com
•England’s Royal Navy destroyed the Spanish Armada.
Decline of the Renaissance
When Elizabeth died, she was succeeded by her
second cousin, James, the king of Scotland.
•James I (r. 1603–1625) loved literature and drama. He
was a patron to Shakespeare and sponsored a new
translation of the Bible.
•However, he was unable to resolve religious and
economic concerns, and his lavish dress and court life
offended pious and thrifty merchants.
Decline of the Renaissance
Charles I (r. 1625–1649) succeeded James I, his father.
•Charles’s troubles with the English Parliament
sparked the English Civil Wars (1642–1651), which
ended in
•dissolution of the monarchy
•Charles’ beheading
•flight of Charles II, his son and heir, to France
Puritans in Power (1649–1660)
•Puritans ruled England under the guidance of Oliver
Cromwell.
•Cromwell was a shrewd ruler who led England to
international prominence.
•Puritans closed down theaters from 1642 to 1660.
What Have You Learned?
Match the achievement to the Renaissance ruler.
Elizabeth I
James I
Henry VIII
Henry VIII
_____________—
established the Church of England,
separate from the Roman church
James I
_____________—
supported the arts but offended the
English with a lavish and costly lifestyle
Elizabeth I
_____________—
united England so that it could achieve
military victory over Spain
The End