Unit 1
RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Renaissance= “Rebirth”
 1350-1550
 Changes in Politics, Economics, Society,
Religion
 Renaissance will eventually spread throughout
Europe

THE ITALIAN STATES

Milan
 Lead
by the Sforza Family
 Citizens taxed heavily

Venice
 Trading

hub in Europe
Florence
 Ruled
by the Medici Family
 Hub of the Renaissance
THE MEDICIS
Powerful banking family from Florence
 Took control during a economic crisis in
Florence
 Would rule Florence through the end of the
Renaissance

THE MEDICIS (CONT.)
Cosimo de’ Medici
Lorenzo de’ Medici
DISCUSSION QUESTION #1

Why do you think that the Medicis had such as
easy time taking power in Florence during the
Renaissance?
THE PRINCE
Book written by Niccolo Machiavelli
 Written to show how to obtain and keep
political power
 Also showed rulers how to act
 “One can make this generalization about men:
they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers,
they shun danger and are greedy for profit.”

MACHIAVELLI
HUMANISM
Based on the study of the classics (Greece &
Rome)
 Studied grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral
philosophy, and history
 People should develop their own talents
through many activities: politics, sports, & arts
 Petrarch called the father of humanism

 Began
the search for forgotten manuscripts to
study. Others followed.
ARCHITECTURE
Most famous architect was Brunelleschi
 Best known for the dome
 Completed the Cathedral of Florence
 Considered to be one of the greatest
engineering feats of all time

CATHEDRAL OF FLORENCE
RENAISSANCE ARTISTS

Leonardo da Vinci
 Mona
Lisa
 The Last Supper

Michelangelo
 David

Donatello
 St.

Mark
Raphael
 School
of Athens
LEONARDO DA VINCI
Known as the “Renaissance Man”
 Painter, sculptor, scientist, inventor
 Inventions included flying machines and
parachutes
 Sketches included anatomically correct human
diagrams

DISCUSSION QUESTION #2

Why do you think that Leonardo da Vinci played
such an important role in the Renaissance?
Why do we still study him today?
MICHELANGELO
Best known for his statue of David
 Commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the
Sistine Chapel

THOMAS MOORE
Criticized the society of Europe during the
Renaissance
 He compared it to an idealistic society where
people were prosperous and equal called a
Utopia

DISCUSSION QUESTION #3

Why is the idea of a “utopia” an impossible
idea?
THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
1500-1600?
 Martin Luther

 b.
1483 German Monk
 Nearly struck by lightning, thought this was
God’s way of punishing him. This begins his
extreme devotion to his religion.
 Believed in “justification by faith”= person could
be made good simply by faith in God’s mercy
and love
MARTIN LUTHER
(1483-1546)
INDULGENCES

Indulgences= pardon sold by Catholic
Church to reduce one’s punishment of sins
 Basically
a “get out of jail free card”
 Sold by Pope Leo X to get money to rebuild St.
Peter’s Basilica
 “Once you hear the money’s ring, the soul from
purgatory is free to spring.” *
 Purgatory=
place in the afterlife where people are
made fit for heaven
DISCUSSION QUESTION #4

Why was the selling of indulgences such a
problem to the people of Europe?
POPE LEO X




Medici Pope
Son of Lorenzo d’
Medici
Appointed Cardinal at
age 13
Pictured with Guilio d’
Medici and Luigi d’
Rossi *
95 THESES
October 31st, 1517
 Martin Luther nails the 95 theses (statements
criticizing the sale of indulgences)
 Copies spread throughout Germany
 Sales of indulgences fell

95 THESES
EXCOMMUNICATION
Luther was excommunicated in 1521 by Pope
Leo X
 Definition= the process of depriving a person to
the rights of church membership

 Simply=
“removal from the church”
LUTHERAN BIBLE

After excommunication, Luther translated the
Bible into German. This provided a low cost,
easily accessible version of the Bible to the
people of Germany.
JOHN CALVIN
CALVIN’S RULES
No Dancing!
 Austerity=the act of being simple or unadorned
(i.e. lack of jewelry, etc)
 Study the Bible!
 Public Confessions

ANABAPTISTS
Initiated the practice of Baptizing
 Began burning books, seized private property,
practiced polygamy (literally=many loves)
 Catholics and Lutherans joined forces and
crushed the Anabaptists

EXECUTION OF THE ANABAPTISTS
Bed of Spikes->
KING HENRY VIII





King of England during the 1500’s
Married to Catherine of Aragon (Present day France)
Asked pope for divorce, due to the lack of male heir.
Believed that new wife would produce son
Pope refused due to the fact that Catherine’s nephew
was Holy Roman Emperor
Removes the Catholic Church as official Church of
England and joins Protestant church
DISCUSSION QUESTION #5

How did Henry VIII promote the spread of
Protestantism in England?
KING HENRY VIII
ANNE BOLEYN
Woman that Henry wanted to marry after the
divorce of Catherine
 This was unsuccessful, Anne had a girl
 Henry had her head cut off so he could marry
his next wives (4 more in total)

CATHERINE & ANNE
THE COUNTER REFORMATION
Because of the growing strength of the
Protestant Church, the Catholic Church agreed
that some change was necessary
 1530-1563
 Pope Paul III set up the Council of Trent to
rework the principles of the church

POPE PAUL III
COUNCIL OF TRENT
Forbid the sale of indulgences
 Established the “seminary”- schools set up by
the Catholic church to educate the clergy
 Catholic Latin version of the Bible the only true
version

COUNCIL OF TRENT
AFTER THE COUNCIL
Catholic Church revitalized
 Church began to commission art
 Better educated clergy strengthened church

CATHOLIC REFORMATION ART

Baroque= ornate, dramatic artistic style
developed in Europe in the 1550’s
 Expressed
effects
emotion, complexity, and dramatic
BAROQUE ART
PEACE OF AUGSBURG

1555- Holy Roman Emperor Charles V realized
that he could not stop the spread of
Protestantism and signed the Peace of
Augsburg
 Stated
that each prince could legally choose the
religion of his subjects.
This divided Europe between the Protestant North
and the Catholic South
CHARLES V
THE END