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Era of Awakening
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Renaissance- rebirth/ both a philosophical and
artistic movement and the era when the movement
flourished.
Greek and Roman literature and life
Wanted to bring the past in harmony with Christian
teachings
Emphasis on the power of human reason and
developed.
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Renaissance
Began in Italy, Ruins of Roman Empire reminded
Italians of the Roman Empire/ Roman glory days
 Crusades brought the Byzantine civilization to Italy
and the rest of Europe (Byzantine civilization
preserved Greek and Roman learning.) Florence,
Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice grew rich with
trade and industry.
 Citizens educated, wealthy merchants and bankers.
 Became rulers of city-states, Mantua- (city-state)
Isabella d ‘Este filled her palace with paintings and
sculptures by the finest Renaissance artist.
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Humanities:
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Italian scholars turned to classical Greek and Roman
literature to study grammar, history , poetry and
rhetoric.
Humanists- people who specialized in these.
Emphasized education
Many Humanists were Catholic and remained
Catholic and focused on Christian teachings
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Italian Renaissance Writers
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Francesco Petrarch- lived from 1304-1374 scholar and
teacher….Wrote sonnets to Laura, an imaginary
ideal woman, (greatest love poems in literature)
Niccolo Machiavelli- Florentine diplomat and
historian, lived from 1469-1527. ( wrote essay The
Prince)
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Spread of Ideas:
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Alps, had passages, ideas spread from Italy to the
rest of Europe, The Danube, Rhine, and Rhone
Rivers as well.
Renaissance ideas, carried by northern Europeans
who studied in Italy.
Increase in commerce established a new wealth
New Universities were formed in the Netherlands,
France, and England.
Renaissance also spread because of the printing
press.
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Spread of Ideas
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Johannes Gutenberg- from Germany, first European
to use movable type to print books. Used his
printing press to print copies of the Bible.
Printing Press also helped spread humanist ideas.
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Northern Renaissance Writers
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Desiderius Erasmus- most influential humanist of
Northern Europe, Dutch scholar, believed that ideas
of Christianity and of classical civilization could be
harmonized.
Famous book he wrote- the Praise of Folly
Northern Humanists were interested in the early
Christian period as well as early Greek and Roman
culture.
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Northern Renaissance Writers
Thomas More- an English humanist and buddy of
Erasmus. Published Utopia (ideal place or society)
male citizens were all equal.
 King Henry VIII executed Thomas More because
More didn’t recognize that the king was the supreme
head of state. Church was
 English literature during the Renaissance reached its
peak in the late 1500s
 William Shakespeare able to transform well-known
stories into dramatic masterpieces.
 Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.
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In Flanders a group of painters developed their
own distinct style.
Flemish school, these painters are credited with
perfecting certain techniques of painting in oil
on canvas.
Jan and Hubert van Eyck
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Protestant Reformation:
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Era of Reform:
 Erasmus criticism over the church and the practices
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spread to other humanists
Their claims led to the reform movement that split the
church in western Europe. (Reformation)
Northern humanists believed that the church seemed
more interested in its income than in saving souls.
Few priests engaged in vice and misconduct instead of
encouraging spiritual and moral behavior.
Northern humanists focused on personal faith and
spirituality.
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Protestant Reformation:
First split took place in Germany
 Germany was not unified nation
 Germany was made up with 300 independent states.
 Pope Leo X was continuing the rebuilding of St.
Peter’s Basilica.
 Johann Tetzel was sent by the Vatican to raise funds
in the northern German states.
 Asked people to buy indulgences- or pardons from
punishment for sin.
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Protestant Reformation:
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Upset northern humanists, who wanted church to
become more spiritual
Martin Luther
 Monk, he didn’t agree with the church
 Beliefs that later became Lutheranism
 Taught that ceremonies and good deeds made no
difference in saving a sinner. Only way you could
receive salvation is through the grace of God.
 Idea was called justification by grace through faith.
 1517 Luther challenged Tetzel posted the 95 Theses, or
statements about indulgences on a church door.
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Protestant Reformation:
1520 openly disagreed with the church doctrines
 Bible was the sole religious authority
 Popes and bishops couldn’t tell you what to believe.
 Ceremonies could not make up for sins and that
priests had no special role in helping people to
salvation.
 God viewed all people of faith equally
 Luther used the printing press to spread his ideas.
 1521 Luther was excommunicated from the church
by Pope Leo X
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Protestant Reformation:
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Luther appeared before the Imperial Diet in the Holy
Roman Empire
The meeting took place at the city of Worms
(vohrmz)
Ordered him to stop printing his ideas and declared
him an outlaw.
Frederick the Wise the Elector of Saxon took Luther
and hide him.
Translated the bible into German (Luther)
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Spread of Protestant :
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German rulers established the Lutheran church in
their states.
Rise of Sects
 1520-1530s new religious groups appeared in Germany
and Switzerland.
 Groups known as sects. (didn’t form organized
churches)
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Anglican Church
King Henry VII caused the break between England
and the Roman Catholic Church
 Break was a political move that didn’t have to do
with religious beliefs.
 Pope granted Henry the title Defender of the Faith
 Break took place when Henry wanted a divorce from
his wife, Catherine of Aragon
 She didn’t have a male son/ had a daughter named
Mary
 He wanted to marry Anne Boley
 Pope Clement VII didn’t allow the divorce
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Anglican Church
Henry withdrew England from the Church
 Parliament passed a series of laws that created the
Church of England, King as its head.
 Henry marries 6 times before he has Edward VI
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Calvinism
Huldrych Zwingli (tsving-lee) from Switzerland
shared many ideas like Martin Luther.
 Died during the Catholic and Protestants battle.
 His worked was carried on by French Protestant
John Calvin.
 1536 published a complete and clear set of religious
beliefs. “ The Institutes of Christian Religion.”
 This was no a code that would unite Calvinists and
strengthened them.
 Bible most important.
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Calvinism
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Believed in Predestination- Idea that at the beginning of time
God had decided who would be saved.
1536 Calvin moved to the city of Geneva.
Geneva became a theocracy- a government ruled by religious
leaders who claimed God’s authority.
Calvinism began to spread in France.
People were called Huguenots- people who converted to
Calvinism in France.
1562 many Calvinist fought in a series of bloody civil wars with
the Catholics.
Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes-proclamation gave the
Huguenots freedom of worship and some political rights.
Many moved to Poland, Netherlands, Scotland
Later they would form into Puritanism. Played a vital role in
England and in North American colonies.
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Catholic Reformation
Catholic Church took time to recognize that Protestants
posed a serious threat.
 1530s Catholic Church started a major reform effort
known as the Counter-Reformation.
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 Began as an attempt to return the church to an emphasis on
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spiritual matters. Allowed the church to make its doctrines
more clear. Was a campaign to stop the spread of
Protestantism.
Pope Paul III (1534-1549) worked to revive a spiritual outlook
in the Catholic Church.
Spanish authority had been putting accused heretics on trial.
Catholic church didn’t want to punish Protestants.
Focused on keeping Catholics within the Church.
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Council of Tent:
1545 Pope Paul summoned church leaders to the city
of Trent.
 The Council of Trent met during three different
periods. Between 1545-1563
 Acted to end the abuses that surrounded the sale of
indulgences and to tighten discipline within the
clergy.
 Supported Catholic beliefs that the Protestants
rejected. Need for ceremonies, deepened on priest,
because God granted forgiveness only through the
church. Every person had free will.
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Council of Tent:
Catholic religious orders reformed their rules, and
new religious orders formed. Society of Jesus, Jesuits
 Ignatius de Loyola- founded the Jesuits in 1534.
 Pope Paul III recognized the Jesuits as the official
order of the Catholic Church.
 Doing goods needs would get you salvation.
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 Followers took vows of chastity, poverty, and
obedience to the pope.
 Became like a military body.
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Why did Catholic leaders feel the need to
launch the Counter-Reformation?
Were the results of the Counter-Reformation
era largely positive or negative?
What reforms did the Catholic Church institute
during the Counter-Reformation?
How did the views of John Calvin differ from
those of the Catholic Church?