The Renaissance
+ Reformation
Ch 17
1300-1600
Out of the dark, into the light…
Background: The Middle Ages
• Religion
• The Christian Church splits in 1054
• East: Orthodoxy
• West: Catholic
Europe in the 6th Century
• Christianity
• Church was a political power
• Unifying
• Canon Law (marriage, inheritance,
religious practices)
• Inquisition – trial of an accused
heretic (doesn’t have to include
torture)
• Excommunication – kicked out
of the church, typically a threat
against kings, but any heretic
could be excommunicated
• Interdict - People in a given
area may not receive certain
sacraments. A temporary
punishment
• Politics
• Feudalism
• Nobles use king’s land + in
return, give loyalty +
military service
• Born in a class (king, noble,
knight, peasants/serfs)
• Nobles provide
peasants w/ housing,
land, + protection, in
return, receive labor
+ goods
• Most peasants rarely
traveled more than
25mi from home
• Economics
• Manor System
• Lord’s estate
• All contribute, selfsufficient farming
communities
• Little trade b/w manors
• Life is hard
• Typically had 200-300 people
• Buildings on a manor included: (Do NOT copy)
– Manor house / castle
– Lord’s barn
– Stables
– Mills
– Bake house
– Cookhouse
– Church
– Priest’s house
– Freedmen + Serf’s huts
– Meadows, woodlands, pastures + farmland
• Crusades
• Christian “Holy War”
• 1093- Byzantine Emperor
appeals to the Western
Christians for help
• Page 382 quote in blue box
• Peasants + kings alike
• Goals: protect
Constantinople, reclaim
Holy Land (Palestine),
and reunite east + west
Christians
• Rewards: if died in
Crusade, guaranteed
place in Heaven, status,
land, wealth
• 1st Crusade - ill-prepared (don’t
know geography, climate,
culture) no strategy, not united
• Laid siege to
Jerusalem, won
narrow bit of land
• Lose it later
• 2nd Crusade - try to regain
territory
• Lose
• 3rd Crusade - more of the same
• 4th Crusade - still haven’t
learned
• And so on…
• Effects of Crusades
in Europe…
• Trade – imported
goods, new riches
• Church – power
questioned
• Weakened nobility,
but power of
kings
• Knowledge
• Poor Relations w/
Muslims – effects
still felt today
Now for the Renaissance,
• Renaissance
• “re-birth”
• War + Plague are
over!
• Celebrate life
• Question status quo
• Starts in Italy
Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of
Florence and patron of the arts
• Why?
• Large city-states
• Merchants + the Medici
(rulers of Florence +
patrons)
• Look back to Greece +
Rome
• Explosion of creativity in the
arts + thought
• Values
The Creation of Adam
Michelangelo
• Humanism - intellectual
movement focused on human
potential + achievements
• (popularized
“humanities” study in
classical times
including literature,
philosophy, +
HISTORY!)
• Individuals – most Catholic
Society – secular (non-religious)
• Can enjoy life w/o offending
God
• Valued art highly
• Art
• Patrons – promote artists + their
work
• Perspective - 3D appearance on
a flat surface
• Focus on individual (portraits)
• Vernacular – everyday language
End Section 1
•
• Renaissance
spreads when
French King claims •
Naples throne +
artists flee
•
Renaissance art is more detailed
+ lifelike
Christian Humanism – focused on
reforming society
• Educate boys + GIRLS
Erasmus – writer
• to improve society, all
people should study the
Bible
• Christianity of the heart
• Thomas More
• “Utopia” : no greed,
corruption, war
• Christine de Pizan
• Writer - promoted
education for girls
• Meanwhile, in
England…
• Renaissance arrives in mid1500s (2 centuries later)
• Known as the Elizabethan
age
• (reigned from 15581603)
• Educated, patron
• Shakespeare – humanist
• P. 483 quote in blue box
• Printing press
•
•
•
Johann Gutenberg
1st printed Bible
Effects:
1. Books were finally cheap
enough that many could
buy them
2. Spread of knowledge
3.
in literacy
4. Copyright laws (writing
became profitable)
End section 2
• Catholic Church
dominates life in
Western/Central
Europe
•
Why?
1. Religion helped explain
difficult events (ex. illnesses,
natural phenomenon)
2. Escape from drudgery of life
3. Center of social life
4. Priests could save your soul
through services, e.g. mass,
christening, + last rites
• Not everyone approved of the
church leaders
• Church leaders,
politicians, +
businessmen (many
corrupt)
• Some immoral
• Causes of the
Reformation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Renaissance views on individual
Printing press
Germany divided into states
Merchants paying taxes to
Rome
5. People call for reforms, few
take place
• Martin Luther
•
•
•
German monk
Wanted reform - especially regarding
the sale of indulgences (a pardon
releasing a person from punishments
due for a sin)
Wrote 95 Theses + nailed it to a church
door
• copied by new printing press
• 3 main points
1. Salvation by faith alone (not
good works)
2. Church teachings should be
clearly based on the Bible
3. All people of faith are equal,
therefore priests not
needed to interpret the
Bible
• Response to Luther’s
95 Theses
• Excommunicated as a heretic
by the Edict of Worms
• None were to
feed or shelter
him, should burn
his books
• Goes into hiding, translates
the Bible into German
• Comes out + discovers he has
gained followers “Lutherans”
• Peasants’ revolt
• German serfs raided
monasteries, pillaged,
burned
• Put down by armies at
Luther’s request
• Some German princes become
Protestants
• P.491 chart
“Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason,
I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils,
for they have contradicted each other,
my conscience is captive to the Word of God.
I cannot and I will not recant anything
for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.
God help me. Amen.”
Martin Luther’s defense at the Diet of Worms, April 1521
• Protestantism
comes to England
• Henry VIII
• Attacked Luther’s ideas,
Pope gives him title
“Defender of the Faith”
• 42 yr old wife has only given him
a daughter, Mary
• Wants an annulment, Pope says no
• Goes to Parliament, asks them to
pass laws to end Pope’s power in
England
• Passes, he divorces wife,
takes 2nd wife
• Act of Supremacy required
people to take an oath
recognizing divorce + Henry as
head of England’s church
• Henry’s Family
• 6 wives
• Divorce, treason, died,
divorce, treason, survived
• 3 Children
• Edward- child king, sickly (he inherits
b/c he was a boy, even though he’s
the youngest)
• Mary- Catholic, executes Protestants
• Elizabeth- restores Protestantism
• Parliament sets up Church of
England –AKA the Anglican Church
• Only legal Church in England
• Moderate, too Catholic for
many Protestants, too
Protestant for many Catholics
End section 3
Reformation Continues throughout Europe:
• Calvinism
• Started in Switzerland by John Calvin (a
follower of Martin Luther)
• Writes the Institutes of the Christian
Religion
• Believes humans are sinful by nature
• Humans cannot earn salvation
• God already knows who the
“elect” are - they will be saved Predestination
• Believed the ideal gov.’t was a theocracy – a
gov.’t led by religious leaders
• Invited to lead the Protestants of
Geneva, Switzerland
• Tolerated no dissent, harsh
punishments – but seen as a
model city.
• Presbyterianism • John Knox admired Calvin
• Visited Geneva + returned
to Scotland in 1559 + put Calvin’s
ideas into practice
• Each community church
governed by a group of elders
called presbyters
• Overthrew Catholic Mary Queen
of Scots (cousin to Elizabeth I –
NOT her sister Mary) + made
her infant son James king
• Switzerland, France, + The
Netherlands would adopt Calvin’s
ideas but soften his strict
teachings
• Anabaptists
• “Baptize again”
• Only adults should be baptized,
those baptized as children must
be baptized again
• Church + state should be separate
• Refused to fight in wars (pacifist)
• Shared possessions
• Viewed as radicals by Catholics +
other protestants
• Influenced Amish, Quakers, +
Baptists
William Penn
• Women during
the Reformation
• Some played prominent roles
in the Reformation (mostly
early on)
• Women protected Calvin +
other reformers
• Wives of reformers spoke out
• Performed charitable works
• As protestant religions
became more defined,
organization became more
formal + male leaders limit
women’s activities
Catholic Reformation
• Movement to reform the
(or Counter Reformation) Catholic Church itself
• Helped many Catholics to
remain true to their faith
• 3 Main reformers
1. Ignatius Loyola
• Founded new religious
order “Society of
Jesus”, followers called
Jesuits in 1540
• Focused on 3 activities
1. fund schools
2. missionary work
3. stop the spread of
Protestantism
2. Pope Paul III
• Had Council of Cardinals to investigate
indulgence selling + other abuses
• Approved the Jesuit order
• Used inquisition to seek out heresy in
Papal territory
• Called a council of church leaders to
meet in Trent, Italy. They decided:
A. Catholic Church’s interpretation
of the Bible was absolute, all others
heretics
B. Christians needed faith + good
works to be saved
C. The Bible + Church tradition
equally important
D. Indulgences were valid, but false
selling was banned
3. Pope Paul IV
• Carried out Council of Cardinals’
decrees
• Had officials draw up a list of
books considered dangerous to
the Catholic faith (Index of
Forbidden Books)
• included Protestant Bible
• Books burned by Catholics
• Effects of Protestant • Ended Christian unity in
Western Europe
Reformation
• Culturally divided
• Church influence ,
power of monarchs
• Religious conflicts led
to wars in Europe for
over 100 yrs
• Led to Catholic unity after
the Catholic Reformation
• Emphasis in education in
promoting beliefs
- Religious schools
• Women’s roles the same under
Protestantism + Catholicism
• Anti-Semitism + religious
persecution
• Led to the Enlightenment
End of Section 4