RENAISSANCE
A
REBIRTH OF LEARNING
IN
EUROPE
The word
renaissance is a
French word
which means
rebirth
During the Dark
Ages, there was no
time for interest in
art and literature.
People were too busy
trying to stay alive
During the Middle
Ages, most art,
drama, and
serious writing
was about
religion.
The Renaissance
brought a rebirth of
interest in art,
learning, and
exploration of all
sorts.
The Renaissance
is considered to
have started in
Italy. The dates in
England are
1485-1660
One of the starting
points for the
Renaissance was the
rediscovery of
ancient Greek
literature that had
been lost for
centuries.
A way of thinking
called humanism
was also part of
the Renaissance.
Humanism
emphasized the to
make peoples lives
better on earth,
instead of just
telling them things
would be better in
Humanists also
tried to reconcile
classical literature
and the Bible
Two famous
humanists were
Sir Thomas More
and Erasmus.
Sir Thomas More
Erasmus
More was
eventually
beheaded for
opposing King
Henry VIII
The biggest change
for art and drama
was that the
subject no longer
had to be religion.
Artists now tried
to make humans
looked realistic.
One example is
Michelangelo
Many of his
sculptures are
amazingly
realistic
Michelangelo’s
Moses
He is probably best
known for painting
the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel in
Rome.
Another famous
Italian artist is
Leonardo da
Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci’s
Mona Lisa
The Renaissance
would not have
happened if not for
one invention in the
middle of the 1400’s.
What do you think it
was?
Yes, of course. I am
talking about the
printing press,
invented by
Johannes
Gutenberg.
Suddenly, people
could afford
books, and
literacy rates
increased.
The King James
translation of the
Bible into English was
authorized in 1611,
and of course printed
on the new printing
press.
Many important
discoveries were
also made in
science during
the Renaissance
For example, in 1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
published the theory
that the earth went
around the sun,
instead of the other
way around.
Copernicus
In 1609, Galileo
became the first
astronomer to
study the heavens
with a telescope.
Galileo
In England, politics
and religion were
mixed together in a
crazy kind of stew.
The biggest
player in this
story is King
Henry VIII
King Henry VIII
More than
anything else,
Henry wanted a
son, to be the
heir to the throne
His first wife was
named Catherine
of Aragon.
Her parents were
King Ferdinand
and Queen
Isabella of Spain.
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine only had
one child survive to
adulthood, a
daughter named
Mary Tudor.
Mary Tudor
Henry obviously
needed a new wife,
but the Catholic
Church did not
permit divorce.
Henry decided to
try to get an
annulment, but for
this he needed the
permission of the
Pope.
Do you know what
the difference is
between a divorce
and an annulment?
A divorce ends an
existing marriage
An annulment
states that no
legitimate
marriage ever
existed
Henry claimed his
marriage was not
legal because
Catherine had been
previously married
to his brother
Arthur.
The Pope denied
Henry’s request.
Henry finally
broke England
away from the
Catholic Church
He made himself
head of the Church
of England, and
granted himself a
divorce
What did he need
now?
That right! A new
wife! And he
already had one
picked out!
nd
2
His
wife was
named Anne
Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne’s happiness
did not last long,
because she had
a daughter and
miscarried a son.
The daughter’s
name was
Elizabeth
Henry decided to
get rid of Anne
by accusing her
of a terrible crime
He accused her of
having an affair
with her brother
George
He had George
tortured until he
confessed, the used
this evidence
against Anne
Anne was
beheaded in the
Tower of London
Once again,
Henry needed a
new wife
rd
3
Henry’s
wife
was named Jane
Seymour
Jane Seymour
She gave birth to a
son named Edward,
but died shortly of
complications from
childbirth
th
4
Henry’s
wife
was a German
woman named
Anne of Cleaves
Anne of Cleves
He divorced her
because he found
her unattractive
th
5
Henry’s
wife
was named
Catherine Howard
Katherine Howard
She was caught in
an affair with a
man named
Thomas Culpepper,
and was beheaded.
Henry sixth and
last wife was
named Catherine
Parr
Catherine Parr
She outlived him.
After Henry’s
death, his son
Edward became
king, but died
soon after.
Edward VI
After Edward’s
death, his sister
Mary became
Queen.
Her attempt to return
England to the
Catholic Church
earned her the
nickname Bloody
Mary.
After Mary’s
death, her
sister Elizabeth
became Queen.
She also had a
nickname, which
was The Virgin
Queen, because
she never married.
Elizabeth ruled
for forty-four
years.
She was an
extremely
intelligent and
strong-willed
person.
She even had her
own cousin, Mary
Stuart, beheaded
for trying to
overthrow her.
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
During Elizabeth’s
reign, England also
began to replace
Spain as the most
powerful nation in
the world
The key event in
this process was
the English navy’s
defeat of the
Spanish Armada in
1588.
When Elizabeth
died in 1603, she
was followed by her
cousin, who
became King James
I
James I
An important
religious movement
also began at this
time, called the
Protestant
Reformation
Christian
denominations
other than the
Catholic Church
began to develop.
One of the most
important people in
this movement was
a German monk
named Martin
Luther.
In 1517, Luther
nailed 95 theses, or
statements against
the Catholic Church,
to the door of a
church in Wittenberg,
Germany
Luther was soon
excommunicated
by the Pope
He wasn’t arrested
because he was
protected by
powerful local
rulers in Germany
His ideas led to
the development
of the Lutheran
Church
The Puritans
were also an
important group
of early
Protestants
The Puritans
wanted to “purify”
religion of anything
that resembled the
Catholic Church
Eventually, the
Puritans gained
control of
Parliament in
England
A Civil War began
between
Parliament and
King Charles I
Parliament and
the Puritans won,
and Charles I was
beheaded
A Puritan leader
named Oliver
Cromwell became
ruler of England
Bonus
The most important
Jewish character in
Renaissance
literature is named
Shylock
He appears in
TheMerchant of
Venice, by
Shakespeare