Religion, Warfare, and
Sovereignty
1540–1660
Jessica Hammerman
Today we will
• Brief history of the Renaissance
• The Reformation (Luther & Calvin)
• Thirty Years’ War
• Document: Edict of Nantes
The Renaissance, 1350–
1500
• Rebirth, but from what?
Features of the
Renaissance
• Deep interest in Classics
• Culture of display and consumption
• Weakness of the Church led to rise of
secular power and ideas
Renaissance Humanism
• Replaced the scholastic emphasis on logic
and metaphysics with the study of language,
literature, history, and ethics
• Revived Classical Latin as the only way to
read and study (therefore contributed to its
demise)
Renaissance Europe, 1500
Renaissance Art
• Botticelli
The Age of Dissent and Division,
1500-1600
Martin Luther
Some of Luther’s Achievements
• Translated and rapidly disseminated the
Bible in his native language, German
• Defied the church, printing several pamphlets
and book called To the Christian Nobility
(1520)
Saint Peter’s Basilica
From http://saintpetersbasilica.org
• Pope Leo X condemned Luther at Worms
(1520)
Calvinism
• John Calvin (1509–1564)
• Urged Christians to conceive of themselves
as chosen instruments of God
• Luther: Christians should suffer; Calvin:
Christians should labor for God
Calvinist Ordinances
•
Drunkenness:
• That no one shall invite another to drink under penalty of 3 sous.
• That taverns shall be closed during the sermon, under penalty that the tavern-keeper
shall pay 3 sous, and whoever may be found therein shall pay the same amount
• If anyone be found intoxicated he shall pay for the first offence 3 sous and shall be
remanded to the consistory [church governing body]; for the second offence he shall
be held to pay the sum of 6 sous, and for the third 10 sous and be put in prison
•
Songs and Dances.
• If anyone sings immoral, dissolute or outrageous songs, or dance the virollet or other
dance, he shall be put in prison for three days and then sent to the consistory.
•
(source: Hunt 433)
• Peace of Augsburg made Lutheranism a
legal religion (1555)
• Calvinism spread to France, and followers
were known as Huguenots
• 10,000 H’s died within six weeks
Holy Roman Empire in 1600
The Thirty Years War
(1618-1648)
Defenestration of Prague, 1618
Grimmelshausen
Edict of Nantes
• Who wrote this?
• What is its message?
• When was it conceived?
• What is an edict?
• What stood out to you?
Europe at the end of
the Thirty Year’s War,
after the Peace of
Westphalia (1648)