The Renaissance
1485–1660
Definition
French for “rebirth,” the Renaissance was a revival of art, literature,
and learning in Europe that began in Italy in the 14th century
Characteristics:
•People read ancient Greek and Roman classics
•A humanist philosophy spread, focusing on life on earth as
well as in eternity
• The arts and sciences flowered
• A sense of curiosity and creativity emerged
The Protestant Reformation
•Began with Martin Luther in Germany
•Luther believed that religion should be based on a personal
understanding of the Bible, not the authority of the Pope
•The English objected to the financial burden placed on
them by the Church in Rome
King Henry VIII (reign, 1509–47)
•Split from the Catholic Church and declared himself head of
the new COE (divorce and have a male heir).
•Wives: Catherine of Aragon (divorced), Anne Boelyn
(beheaded), Jane Seymour (died), Anne of Cleves (divorced),
Catherine Howard (beheaded), and Catherine Parr (survived)
•Executed humanist Thomas Moore, long-time friend and
advisor, who refused to recognize Henry as head of church
•Authorized the first English translation of the Bible
•Created the Royal Navy, which secured England’s safety
Henry VIII’s Heirs
Edward IV (r. 1547–1553)
Mary Tudor (r. 1553–1558)
•Jane Seymour
•Catherine of Aragon
•Crowned at nine
•Restored Catholicism
•Died of tuberculosis at
•Called “Bloody Mary”
because of 300+ Protestant
executions
fifteen
• Married King Philip II
of Spain
Elizabeth I (reign, 1558–1603)
•Anne Boleyn
•Brilliant and successful monarch
•Restored the Church of England
•Called “Virgin Queen” because she never married; turned
down numerous offers, including King Philip II of Spain
•Patron of the arts, especially theater
The Spanish Armada
In 1588 Catholic King Philip II of Spain attacked Protestant
England (Elizabeth’s execution of Catholic Mary Stuart,
Queen of Scots)
•England’s Royal Navy destroyed the Spanish Armada
(most feared fleet in the world)
•The victory ensured England’s independence from the
powerful Catholic countries of the Mediterranean
•The English started writing as they never had before, and
Elizabeth, now a symbol of peace and prosperity, provided
the inspiration for scores of writers
After Elizabeth, A Decline
in Leadership…
When Elizabeth I died, she was succeeded by her second
cousin, James I (r. 1603–1625), the king of Scotland:
•Loved literature and drama: patron of Shakespeare,
sponsored a new translation of the Bible
•His expensive dress and court life offended religious and
thrifty Englishmen
James I was followed by his son, Charles I (r. 1625–1649):
•Charles’s troubles with Parliament:
•he wanted to raise taxes
•they did not agree with his foreign policy
•this sparked the English Civil Wars (1642–1651)
that ended with:
 The dissolution of the monarchy
 The beheading of Charles I
 The flight of Charles II, his son and heir, to France
Puritans (1649–1660)
•The Puritans ruled under the strict control of Oliver Cromwell,
a shrewd leader who led England after King Charles’s
beheading.
•Puritans closed down most theaters from 1649 to 1660 and
censorship of the arts was heavily enforced
•When Cromwell died in 1658, exiled King Charles II returned
from France in 1660.
Vocabulary Words
Metaphor
Sonnet
Quatrain
Petrarchan Sonnet
Spenserian Sonnet
Paradox
Shakespearean Sonnet
Couplet
Turn
Conceit
Carpe diem
Timeline
1517:
Martin Luther
begins Protestant
Reformation
1558:
Elizabeth I
crowned
1588:
English navy
defeats Spanish
Armada
1649:
Charles I executed;
English monarchy
suspended
1485
1509:
Henry VIII
crowned
1660
c. 1533:
Henry VIII splits
Church of
England from
Rome
1564:
Shakespeare
born
1620:
Mayflower lands
at Plymouth
Rock