Transcript Europe*s Transition from the Middle Ages to the

Europe’s Transition from the Middle
Ages to the Renaissance: 1300-1550
Woodcut of Dance of Death by
Michael Wolgemut (1493)
Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci (1505)
I. The Black Death
• Also known as the Bubonic
Plague or The Pestilence
• Started spreading across
Europe in 1347/1348
A. Arrival in Europe and Spread
1. Genoese ships brought the
plague to Italy in 1347.
--ships carried all sorts of
cargo and unwittingly fleas,
rats, and the plague
2. From there it spread to
southern Germany, France,
and then England in 1348.
--disease moves northward
Map of Black Death
B. Pathology (the study & diagnosis
of disease)
1. Fleas often living on
black rats bore what is
typically referred to as
the bubonic plague.
2. Poor sanitary
conditions and lack of
bathing facilitated the
spread of the disease.
--“Watch out down
below!”
--Overcrowding
common
--Fleas & lice common
3. The appearance of a
single boil was followed
by bleeding under the
skin, vomiting of blood,
and death.
--Could be transmitted by
coughing or sneezing as well as
flea bite
Septicemic Form (Victim’s have
blackened skin):
almost 100% mortality rate
Bubous
The Disease Cycle
Flea drinks rat blood
that carries the
bacteria.
Bacteria
multiply in
flea’s gut.
Human is infected!
Flea bites human and
regurgitates blood
into human wound.
Flea’s gut clogged
with bacteria.
4. Medieval doctors had
no way of coping with
the plague.
--They didn’t know what caused
it or how to cure it
--Some prescribed
bloodletting using leeches or
making small cuts
C.
Spread of the Disease
1.Black rats mostly stayed in cities, so the
disease was concentrated there.
2.In England perhaps one-third of the
population died—in some Italian cities more
than one-half.
3.The plague reached Eastern Europe, the
Balkans, and Russia.
a. The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio (13311375) witnessed and wrote about the plague in
his book, The Decameron. The following
statement sums up the speed at which the
plague spread.
The victims ate lunch with their friends
and dinner with their ancestors.
D. Care
1. Many believed the plague was caused by
poisoned or “corrupted” air.
--Strong-smelling substances were used in an effort
to stop the spread of the disease.
--Some thought perhaps loud sounds like church
bells or cannons might help
2. Many thousands of Jews were killed by people looking for a scapegoat.
Savoy
Burning alive of Jewish people
--The mass murder of Jews, called pogroms, occurred throughout Europe.
--Rumors spread that claimed the Jews were responsible for the plague and were using
it to kill Christians in an attempt to dominate the world
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a. What the response of the
Catholic Church to the
Pogroms?
Pope Clement VI reigned during the Plague.
During the Plague he stayed in Avignon supervising
sick care, burials, and the pastoral care of the dying.
He condemned the persecution of the Jews stating
those who blamed the plague on the Jews had been
"seduced by that liar, the Devil." He issued a religious
order to stop the violence.
He said the Jews did not cause the plague. He said it
was “the result of an angry God striking at the
Christian people for their sins.”
He accused some of those leading the pogroms of
hoping to escape debts that they owed to Jewish
moneylenders
He urged clergy to take action to protect Jews.
Pope Clement VI
15
3. Many people believed
the plague was a sign
of God’s anger.
• God must be punishing
them for terrible sins
so the best thing to do
was to ask for
forgiveness, pray, make
donations to the
church, and try to live
a better life
E.
Social, Economic, & Cultural
Consequences
1. Priests often took great risks to minister to
the sick and had a high mortality rate.
--many people fled the cities, but priests,
monks, and nuns stayed to care for the sick
--Up to two-thirds of the monks and priests of
England died. The church replaced the priests
with young, inexperienced men.
2. Church officials sanctioned unorthodox measures in
the emergency, such as laymen administering confession
and the blessing of the sick for those close to death
--The plague killed so many
people and priests that the
church could no longer perform
Last Rites (ceremony for sick &
dying).
--Pope Clement VI granted remission
of sins to all who died of the
plague.
--The pope also allowed people to
confess their sins to one another,
"even to a woman."
--This gave new power to women in
the church.
3. Guilds accepted many new
members, often unrelated to old guild
members.
• High death rate forced guilds to do this.
4. The plague caused profound
pessimism
a. Family members abandoned family members
b. The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio (1331-1375) witnessed
and wrote about the plague in his book, The Decameron. In his
introduction, he describes the sometimes shocking way people in
Florence behaved during the plague:
Tedious were it to recount, how citizen avoided citizen, how many
neighbors was scarce found any that showed fellow feeling for
another, how kinsfolk held aloof, and never met…nay, what is more,
and scarcely to be believed, fathers and mothers were found to
abandon their own children untended, unvisited, to their fate, as if
they had been strangers.
c. Stopped performing customary death rites
--fear of infection lead to the dead being buried in mass graves
d. Agnolo di Tura of an the Italian city state of Siena wrote
the following:
Trenches were dug, very broad and deep, and
into these the bodies were thrown, and covered with a little
earth; and thus layer after layer until the trench was full;
and then another trench begun. And I…with my own hands
buried five of my children in a single trench;… And no bells
rang, and nobody wept no matter what his loss, because
almost everyone expected death.
e. People become numb to death
“Bring out your dead” scene from Monty Python and
the Holy Grail
f. Flagellants
--some extremists joined
groups which whipped
themselves with iron spikes
as penance for their and
society’s sins in the belief
that the Black Death was
God’s punishment for
humanity’s wickedness
--They would go through the
streets beating themselves
with whips to “pay” for
these sins.
f. Flagellants
G. Medieval Art & the Plague
Obsessed
with death.
Ring Around the Rosey
“Ring Around the Rosey” is a nursery rhyme thought to be about the plague.
The UK version goes:
Ring a ring o'roses
A pocketful of posies
ah-tishoo,ah-tishoo
We all fall down.
--Rosey refers to the round, red rashes on
plague victims.
--Posies (flowers) were thought to clean
the air.
--Ashes refers to the burning of the
bodies.
--Falling down refers to dying.
The US version is sung:
Ring around the rosey
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes
They all fall down
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Mortality Rate
Mortality Rate
35% - 70%
25,000,000 dead !!!
5. New colleges were endowed to deal with the
shortage of priests and the decay of learning.
6. The plague did help solve the overpopulation
problem.
7. When Europe began to recover from the plague,
fewer workers were available which allowed
peasants and urban workers to demand
more freedom or higher wages for their labor.
8. Some peasants escaped to the cities
which lead to the growth and importance
of towns, the weakening of the manorial
system, and the reduction of the power of
the feudal lords
9. By traumatizing medieval society and the
church, the plague ultimately contributed
to the Reformation.
II.The Hundred Years’
War (1337-1453)
--116 years of fighting
between England and
France
--This war is going on at the
same time as the Black
Death which started in 1347
--Most of the fighting takes
place in France
A. Causes
1. In 1328 French barons
denied the claim of
English King Edward III
to the French throne
and chose Philip VI of
Valois as king.
--Edward had a claim to
the throne through his
mother
Philip VI
--Barons invented a law
which said that a woman
or her son could not rule
France
Edward III
2. French Land Belonging to British Kings
--A longer standing issue
was the status of lands
within France that
belonged to English
kings.
--Edward was actually a
vassal of Philip’s, holding
sizable French territories
as fiefs from the king of
France [it went back to
the Norman conquest].
3. Conflict Over Flanders
The ‘dagger’ pointing
at the ‘heart’ of
England!
• Wool industry.
• Flanders wants its
independence from
French control.
• Asks England for help.
4. A Struggle for National Identity
• France was NOT a
united country
before the war
began.
• The French king only
controlled about
half of the country.
5. At first Edward accepted the decision,
but in 1337 Edward decides to make a
play for the French throne.
--First, there was the Flanders issue.
--Second, Phillip VI invaded the lands that
Edward controlled in France and tried to take
them from him.
B. The Course of the War
1. At Crécy (1346), Poitiers(1356),
and Agincourt (1415), the English
longbowmen were instrumental
in defeating the French.
• English almost always outnumbered, but
they had the longbow!
• Its arrows had more penetrating power
than a bolt from a crossbow.
• Could pierce the armor of a knight at 200
yards!
• A longbow could be fired more rapidly. 6
arrows per minute.
Height of English Dominance
C. Joan of Arc and France’s Victory
C. Joan of Arc and France’s Victory
1. In 1429, the French
peasant girl Joan of
Arc claimed divine
inspiration and helped
turn the tide in favor
of the French.
--raised the English siege
at Orleans and ten days
later Charles VII, the
dauphin, was crowned king
at Reims.
2. She was captured by the English, tried,
and executed on charges of witchcraft in
1432.
• She instantly became a
symbol of French
resistance.
• Despite Joan’s capture,
the French advance
continued.
3. The war ended in 1453 with the English
holding only the port of Calais in France.
D. Costs and Consequences
1. The war was costly for both sides.
--For the French they suffered a huge loss of
life, much of their farmland was ruined, trade
was disrupted, and high taxes made citizens
very unhappy.
--The war was very expensive for the English.
Having to maintain an overseas army
bankrupted the government. And knights
who normally did the governing at home were
off at war and this lead to the breakdown of
order at home
• 2. To pay for the war, Edward III had to
negotiate almost constantly with the
barons in Parliament, thus
strengthening the institution.
--representative assemblies became a habit
--House of Lords—barons and bishops
--Commons—knights
--Commons got the king to agree to a parliamentary
statue in 1341 which said that all nonfeudal levies
had to have parliamentary consent, essentially the
king could not tax without Parliament’s consent
3. The war promoted the growth of
nationalism in both countries which will
eventually lead to fall of feudalism in
both countries.
--nationalism—feeling of unity and identity that
binds together a people; pride in one’s country
--before the war more allegiance to lord of the
manor, but now that loyalty is shifting to the king and
country
III. Challenges to the Church
A. The Babylonian Captivity (1309-1376) and
the Great Schism (1377-1417)
1. From 1309–1376 the popes resided in Avignon,
France, under control of the French monarchy.
--This hurt the pope’s authority and independence
--Also, popes here generally lived in luxury and didn’t
focus on spiritual matters. The masses begin to
question his authority.
--In the absence of the papacy, the Papal states in Italy
lacked stability and good government.
--Pope Gregory XI brought the Papal Court back to Rome,
but he died shortly after. Roman citizens demanded an
Italian Pope be chosen who would remain in Rome.
2. Pope Gregory XI returned Papal Court to Rome but
died shortly after. The next pope, Urban VI angered
a number of cardinals with his tactless manner and
they returned to France and chose a different Pope,
Clement VII, who would reside in Avignon.
vs
Urban VI in Rome
Clement VII in Avignon
Will the real pope please stand up?
The Great Schism: 1378-1417
B. The Conciliar Movement
1. Conciliarists believed reform could
be achieved through periodic
councils representing all Catholic
people.
--Believed he should share his power with
a council
2. The English scholar John Wyclif (We-Cliff) (13301384) argued that there was no scriptural foundation
for the pope’s temporal power. He also argued that all
Christians should read the Bible for themselves.
--English translation of the
bible came about from his
ideas
--His followers were called
Lollards
--Precursor of Reformation
3. The cardinals of Avignon and Rome summoned a
council at Pisa in 1409 that deposed both popes and
elected a third, but the old popes refused to step
down.
So What?
So now there
are 3 popes!
4. The German emperor Sigismund organized a
council at Constance, Switzerland that met
from 1414–1418 and resolved the schism,
electing a new pope
--Martin V becomes pope
dissolves the council and
does nothing about
reforming the Church
--However the foundation for
the Reformation of the 16th
Century had been laid by the
schism and conciliar
movement.
Emperor Sigismund
IV. Renaissance Defined
-The Renaissance
was a time of
renewed interest in
learning and culture.
-It was a “rebirth”
of the ideals of the
Roman and Greek
cultures.
The influence of the Greeks can be
seen in this Renaissance painting,
School Of Athens, by Raphael. It
shows famous Renaissance men such
as Leonardo da Vinci with famous
Greek scholars such as Aristotle and
Plato.
-The Renaissance
took place in
Europe between
1350 and 1550.
Renaissance Defined
The word was first used by
the artist & art historian
Giorgio Vasari in the 16th
century to describe the art
of “rare men of genius” such
as his contemporary
Michelangelo
Giorgio Vasari
Renaissance Defined
The Renaissance
began when
merchants in Italy
became wealthy from
international trade.
They financed the
arts, literature,
architecture, and
culture.
The Milan Cathedral
City-states began
competing to make
each of their cities
the most famous.
Michelangelo
Renaissance
Painting
Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo was
a sculptor, painter,
poet, and engineer.
David and Pieta
are two of his most
famous sculptures.
He also painted
the Sistine Chapel.
Leonardo da Vinci was
a true “Renaissance
Man.” He excelled in
many areas; he was a
painter, engineer,
botanist, musician,
anatomist, inventor,
architect, and writer.
Raphael is considered
one of the three
great masters of the
Renaissance, along
with Michelangelo
and Leonardo da
Vinci. His paintings
are found at the
Vatican in Rome.
A. Many Crises of 14th Century
1. Loss of confidence
lead to a search for
answers
- some intellectuals in Northern
Italy started talking about
building a new world, a better
world
- they decide to improve their
society by remaking the world
using the ideas of the ancient
Greeks and Romans
B. Commercial Developments in Italy
1. Venice, Genoa, and
Milan grew rich
through trade with
Northern Europe and
the Middle East.
Venice
--Geographically they were
in a position to serve as a
crossroads for the exchange
of goods between East and
West
Genoa
Milan
2. Florence, where the Renaissance originated,
was an important banking center by the
fourteenth century.
--This came about when Florentine merchants
and bankers acquired control of papal banking.
From their position as tax collectors for the
pope, Florentine mercantile families began to
dominate European banking and banking
families like the Medici in Florence controlled
the politics and culture of their cities.
Duomo in Florence
C. Communes and Republics
1. In northern Italy the larger cities won
independence from local nobles and
became self-governing communes of free
men in the twelfth century
--Cities controlled life in Northern Italy, not
the countryside and the nobles
2. Local nobles moved into the cities and
married into wealthy merchant
families.
--The merger of the feudal nobility and wealthy
merchants created an oligarchy or small group that
ruled a city and its surrounding countryside.
--However originally the commune was supposed to be a
republican form of government in which all citizens
participated and the lower classes never gave up on
that idea.
3. This new class set up property
requirements, years of residence, and
social connections for citizenship.
4. The excluded, the popolo, rebelled and in
some cities set up republics.
--The popolo were the
common people who
were bitter because they
were disenfranchised
and heavily taxed
--They never gave up on
the idea of gaining more
influence and
participation
5. By 1300 the republics had collapsed, and a
signori or merchant oligarchies governed most
Italian cities.
--These governments maintained a
façade of republican government
because of the Renaissance
nostalgia for the Roman form of
government
--In the 1400s the signori and the
most powerful merchant
oligarchs began building
magnificent palaces in the centers
of cities and requiring all business
to be done there. They hired
architects, artists, musicians, and
writers to display and assert their
wealth and power
--The Medici family ruled Florence
Cosimo de’ Medici
Medici Rule in Florence
1360-1429
Cosimo
the Elder
1389-1464
Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici made the Medici the
wealthiest family in Italy through banking.
Cosimo il Vecchio
Giovanni’s son, Cosimo il Vecchio, founded the
political power of the Medici family.
1434
After being banished from Florence by the powerful Albizzi
family, Cosimo returned because of the support of the people.
1434
Cosimo became the uncrowned king of Florence by placing
the chief magistrate offices in the hands of his followers
and banishing his enemies.
14341464
Cosimo ruled Florence until his death.
Cosimo spent a large part of his wealth on supporting
the arts. He supported works by Ghiberti, Brunelleschi,
Donatello, and Alberti.
Due to Cosimo’s financial backing and support Florence became
the cultural center of Europe and the home of humanism.
1464
Cosimo’s son, Piero, ruled after his father’s death and
continued his father’s policies.
64
Medici Rule in Florence
Lorenzo de’ Medici
1480
14801492
At Piero’s death in 1469 his sons Lorenzo and Giuliano
came to power. Giuliano was murdered in 1478.
Lorenzo went to Naples to negotiate a peace with King
Ferrante after which Florence prospered and Lorenzo
became the undisputed leader of Florence.
The Florentine Renaissance reached it peak under Lorenzo’s
rule. Lorenzo, like his grandfather, supported the arts.
Artists such as Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and
Michelangelo were part of Lorenzo’s court. Lorenzo secured
assignments for these artists from other patrons. Michelangelo
lived with Lorenzo for several years.
April 8
1492
Lorenzo de’ Medici died.
1494
Medici family overthrown.
1494
1434
Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar, became the new
leader of Florence.
Savonarola preached about the coming of the Last Days and
condemned the immoral life of the people of Florence. He
preached a return to a Christian life.
65
Medici Rule in Florence
1497
Savonarola and his followers conducted the
Bonfire of the Vanities.
Girolamo Savonarola
Savonarola had all items of luxury, such as mirrors and cosmetics
collected. He also collected anything that was immoral or lewd,
such as pagan books, gaming tables and chess pieces.
These luxury items were burned at the Piazza della Signoria.
Works of art by Botticelli and Michelangelo were thrown into
the fire.
May 23
1498
Florence’s economic and political problems continued.
Savonarola and two of his assistants were arrested and
tortured on the rack. All three signed confessions.
Savonarola and his two assistants were hung from crosses and
burned at the piazza della Signoria, the same location where
The Bonfire of the Vanities took place.
1512
Medici family return to rule Florence.
1537
Cosimo I, changed Tuscany into a nation state. He became
Grand Duke of Tuscany and ruled until his death in 1574.
1434
Under Medici rule Florence became the center of the Renaissance. Cultural
achievements financed and supported by the Medici family contributed to
historical achievements not seen since the Golden Age of Athens.
66
D. The Balance of Power Among the
Italian City-States
1. In the fifteenth
century, five powers
dominated the Italian
peninsula: Venice,
Milan, Florence, the
Papal States, and the
kingdom of Naples.
2. City patriotism and constant
competition for power among cities
prevented political centralization on the
Italian peninsula.
--loyalty was to city, no concept of country for Italians
--the major Italian city states controlled the smaller
ones and competed furiously amongst each other for
territory
--while the states of Northern Europe moved toward
centralization the world of Italian politics resembled
a jungle where the powerful dominated the weak
3. As cities strove to maintain the balance of
power among themselves, they invented the
apparatus of modern diplomacy.
-Italians invented the machinery of modern
diplomacy by establishing permanent embassies with
ambassadors
4. Italy became a battleground as France,
Spain, and the Holy Roman Emperor
vied for dominance.
--The major Italian city states possessed great wealth,
but this wealth and their inability to form a common
alliance against potential foreign enemies made Italy
an inviting target for invasion and for centuries they
had to deal with invasions by outsiders.
--Italy did not achieve unification until 1870
V. Intellectual Change
A. Humanism
1. The revival of antiquity
took the form of interest in
archaeology, recovery of
ancient manuscripts, and
study of the Latin and
Greek classics.
--Humanism was based on the
teachings of the Greek
philosopher Plato and the Roman
statesman Cicero.
2. The study of the classics became known
as the “new learning,” or humanism.
--Humanists studied the
humanities (subjects like
grammar, history, rhetoric,
poetry, and moral
philosophy.)
--Humanists wanted to
study the historical works
themselves, believing this
would make them more
well rounded individuals
better able to participate in
government.
3. Interest in human achievements led
humanists to emphasize the importance of the
individual and individualism.
--They stressed personality,
uniqueness, genius, and
full development of man’s
capabilities and talents.
--They believed each
person could achieve
great things.
--Each person had dignity
and value.
--Focus was on the world
they lived in, rather than
the medieval focus on the
afterlife
4. Humanists placed heavy emphasis on
education and moral behavior.
--The goal of education was not
simple learning or specialization,
but the creation of a well
rounded, moral citizen who
would use their education to
make society a just and better
Place.
--During the Middle Ages, man
was considered to have a sinful
nature. The humanists stressed
that life on earth was meaningful,
and that man was not sinful.
5.Humanists opened schools and
academies throughout Italy.
6. They were ambivalent about
education for women.
--Most thought women should not
participate in public activities
because their place was in the home
7. Petrarch (1304-1374)
--First great humanist.
Considered the “Father of
Humanism.”
--Believed he was
witnessing a golden age of
intellectual achievement
after a “Dark Age.”
--He was responsible for
he recovery of
manuscripts and works of
Greek & Roman writers.
Francesco Petrarch
Impact of Humanism
Medieval Thought
Church and king
most important
Man is sinful
Humanism
Individual is
important
Man is good with
dignity and value
Hierarchy of
people’s worth
Dignity and worth
of all people
Life’s pleasures
must be avoided
to please God
People can enjoy
life and still be
good Christians
Accept the
human condition
Encouraged human
achievement
Accept church
doctrine without
question
Each individual finds
the truth for himself
Petrarch
B. Political Thought
1. Niccolo Machiavelli’s
The Prince (1513)
addressed the subject
of political power.
--How should a ruler
go about gaining,
maintaining, and
increasing his power?
Niccolo Machiavelli
Trade Expands
Trade brings goods and ideas to
an increasing number of people.
Trade also brings wealth.
City-States
Merchants in city-states become
wealthy and compete with one another
to make their city the most beautiful.
Nobles commission artists, architects.
Artists like
Raphael
(above,
St. George)
and
Jan van
Eyck
(The
Arnolfini
Portrait,
right)
painted
people
realistically.
Renaissance Starts in Italy
Florence under Medici rule leads the way.
Humanism emerges: Belief in the individual,
return to classics, public service.
Renaissance Moves North
Ideas spread due to trade, travel,
and the printing press.
Achievements: Art, literature,
science, architecture.
Renaissance
Humanism
Petrarch
Dante
Alighieri
Recovered
classical texts,
translated them
into Italian
The
Divine
Comedy
Literature
Shakespeare Cervantes
Romeo
and
Juliet
Don
Quixote
Painting
Architecture
Return to elements of
Greek and Roman
architecture
Columns, pillars,
arches, domes, niches
Michelangelo
Leonardo
da Vinci
Sistine
Chapel
Mona
Lisa,
Last
Supper
Raphael
Linear
perspective
Mona Lisa,
by Leonardo da Vinci
Dante and The Divine
Comedy, by Michelangelo
The Last
Judgment, by
Michelangelo
The Last Supper,
by Leonardo da Vinci
The Duomo
designed by
Brunelleschi
This lecture feels like it
is missing something…
like it needs more of
something…
MORE COWBELL!