Transcript Quarter 1 Essay Tuesday, 9/8/15 “Why does Barzun classify both the

“Why does Barzun classify both the Protestant Reformation
and the Renaissance as one revolution in Western religion?”
On a new piece of paper, consider these questions for
Humanists/Protestants (use your notes and Barzun’s first 3
chapters)
 What were their views towards authority? Where did
they see authority coming from?
 What was their view of the individual (human nature)?
 How/Why did they want to free themselves from past
customs, traditions, and schools of thought?
 How are their views different from the Middle Ages?
(critical for your argument!!)
 How are their concerns related?
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Use this to form your main arguments
Using the arguments you produced in class on Friday
to answer the Essay prompt (“Why does Barzun
classify both the Protestant Reformation and the
Renaissance as one revolution in Western religion?”),
write a “working thesis” statement.
A thesis statement consists of a few things: a road map
for your paper, the claim you will argue. Must answer
the prompt.
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Consider the following questions when reading and making
annotations of the selection from Niccolo Machiavelli’s The
Prince:
What is Machiavelli’s view of human nature?
How might Pico or Ficino respond to Machiavelli’s political
philosophy?
 Does Machiavelli follow the example of Aristotle’s Politics and
Plato’s The Republic in describing rulers?
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Why does Machiavelli encourage princes to be vicious
(opposite of virtuous)?
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Why does Machiavelli think it better to be feared than
loved?
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What sort of evil things should a prince do? What should he avoid?
Why?
What does Machiavelli think is most important to man?
Who are Machiavelli’s heroes? Why?
Do you agree with Machiavelli’s advice for rulers? Why or
why not?
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What is Machiavelli’s view of human nature?
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How might Pico and Ficino respond to The Prince?
Calvin and Luther?
Should rulers strive to be virtuous or be prepared
to fight evil with evil?
Should a government try to foster virtue or worry
about gathering political power?
Can rulers do whatever they want as long as it is
necessary to maintain the state?
Do you agree with Machiavelli’s advice for rulers?
Why or why not?
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Hand in your thesis paragraph and outline to
black tray
From our seminar on Machiavelli’s The Prince,
answer the following question in at least 3
sentences. Refer to specific parts of Machiavelli to
agree or disagree.
Should rulers strive to be virtuous or be prepared
to fight evil with evil?
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Venice: city built on a lagoon
 Shelter for refugees in 5C (barbarian invasions)
 Center of trade with Near East (Levant)
 By 1400, vast channel for luxury goods
Crusaders had brought back tales, samples from Near East to
“barbarous” Europe
 Cotton, silk
 Glassware, porcelain
 Rugs, gems, drugs, pepper, incense, perfume
Wealth inspired Portuguese (and Genoese) exploration
around Africa and to New World- get around the Venetian
monopoly
By 1650: on decline (but still powerful in navy!)
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Government: by trade, for trade, of trade
Doge
 Ceremony of ring- Marriage of Venice and sea
 In 17C, figurehead: constitutional monarch
 Review of tenure after death ensured faithful service, if not,
heirs fined
 Real government was in councils
The Great Council
 Patricians over 25 yrs old, by 17C it was over 2700 men
 Elected/appointed other officials
The Ten- executive branch for 1 year term
 Police and defense- morals, public decency, rebels, and
enemies
 Legendary for being arbitrary and merciless
 In reality, extremely popular with commoners for their
fairness, sending criminals to courts
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Courts
 Accused allowed counsel (lawyer)- centuries before common
practice in England and elsewhere
 Tried both commoners AND patricians, no special treatment
 People could petition the Ten to be protected from rich
oppressors
 Quick justice-trial within a month (in U.S. this can take years)
 Punishments NOT severe by standards of that time
The “Capo”: help ten
 Forbidden from going into city or talking with citizens
This quarantine, along with the Ten’s network of spies,
eliminated any conspiracy.
 Unlike all other Italian cities (plotting, treason, assassination,
massacres), no “times of trouble” in Venice
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Flexible Administration (bureaucracy)
 Young patricians with talent brought on as soon as possible
 Shuffled through a variety of
 Men at top understand work of every bureau (war, taxing,
trade, diplomacy)
 Like Roman Cursus Honorum
Like the Roman Republic, the Venetians took government very
seriously.
Because Venice center of trade, extremely tolerant
 Greek orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, all could worship freely
along with city’s Roman Catholics
 No interference from Rome on city laws
 Inquisition could only try Catholics
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In at least 4 sentences, answer the following
question:
Explain how Venice’s 17C government encouraged
trade.
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The Mint and Finances
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The Arsenal
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Safe seas=more trade!
University of Padua
Corps of Ambassadors
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Huge complex that built Venice’s fleet and cannon
Marine Law
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Gold ducat used everywhere at the same value (closest thing to today’s
Euro)
Public debt => lightest taxation in Europe
Peace=more trade!
Daily reports of ambassadors from 17C=excellent sources for historians
Venice vs. Turks (Constantinople, Crete)
Venice vs. Pirates
Venice as cradle of Opera
 Play + music (Greek tragedy
revival)
 Opera means “willing work,”
elaborate undertaking
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643):
founder
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Express character through music
Masterpieces: The Return of Ulysses and
The Crowning of Poppea
Elements of early opera
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Today: Counter-tenor (high male voice),
in 17C: Castrati
Orchestra: strings, few winds, no
percussion
Themes: Vanity and Violence,
“controlled screaming”
Plots so absurd, comic opera invented to
mock it.
Love as instrument to create jealousy,
intrigue
Claudio Monteverdi
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Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
 Sequel to Charles V vs. Lutherans: Catholics want church land
back
 Austrian Hapsburgs and Spain vs. Protestant Sweden AND
Catholic France!
 Religion as excuse: royal families fight for LAND!
 In end, French defeat “invincible” Spanish infantry
 Attempt to establish universal monarchy
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Germany DEVASTATED!
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Foreign armies marched up and down country for decades,
 Destroy crops, extort money from citizens, military atrocities.
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Can’t recover for 200 years! (German unification in late 19C)
Grotius and international law: Anarchy- how do nations treat
each other?
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English Civil War 1642-1651
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King Charles I seen as too Catholic, Puritans want him out
Parliament refuses to raise taxes for King, war breaks out
Charles eventually loses his head…
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Sack of Magdeburg May 20 1631 (30,000 => 5,000 people)
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Private life in 17C
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Venice VERY clean, contemporary cities basically open sewers…
 Everywhere else… Narrow streets= sewers
 Venice: board of health, cisterns for fresh water
17 C House
 Members of family AND servants, hangers-on (patron-client)
 Main room split by curtains
 Chamber: site of birth, death,
 the salon,
 business affairs
 Bed- everybody shared!
 Hospitals/inns: shared beds, Lincoln in 19C
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Kitchen
 No plates, only serving forks (eat with fingers)
 Bring your own knife (tranchoir => cutting board)
Diet
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Banquests=good harvest
Therefore, rare (1/3 bad, 1/5 disastrous)
Vegetables rare, vegetarians non-existent
Hygiene
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Washing hands before meal
Body washed before birth, marriage, after death
17C eliminated public baths (Roman)
 Worried about prostitution and plague
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Plague struck every 15-20 years
Fire
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Tight packed towns, straw houses…
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Clothing
 Thick and uncleanable
 Dull, dark colors: black, dun, dark green
 Knee-high breeches for men,
Hair: rank, sophistication, or rebel
 Men:
 Beard=> Mustache => Clean shaven
Social practices
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Patron-client/feudal obligations (humility and devotion to betters)
Crude- physical decencies not practiced
Dueling
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Point of honor
Honor over love!