Renaissance history: key concepts

European Renaissance and Reformation, 1300-1600

• This era saw a cultural rebirth and reforms in the Catholic Church, which led to the rise of non-Catholic churches.
• The printing press enabled quicker and cheaper book production, thus spreading Renaissance and Reformation ideas widely.

Cultural Interaction

• Trade with the East, coupled with rediscovering ancient manuscripts, spurred new ideas regarding culture and art in Europe.
• This era is termed the "Renaissance," signifying rebirth.

Religious and Ethical Systems

• Martin Luther initiated a movement to address perceived issues within the Catholic Church, ultimately leading to the Reformation and the establishment of non-Catholic churches.

Revolution

• Printing technology facilitated faster and cheaper book production.
• The new technology helped spread the ideas of the Renaissance and Reformation.

Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

• The Italian Renaissance marked a revival of learning, resulting in significant art and literature.
• Renaissance art and literature still influence modern thought and art.

Setting the Stage

• Europe experienced war and plague in the late Middle Ages, creating a desire to celebrate life and the human spirit.
• People questioned the institutions of the Middle Ages, especially the Church.
• Writers and artists in northern Italy started experimenting with new styles.

Italy's Advantages

• The Renaissance, an explosion of creativity in art, writing, and thought, occurred from 1300 to 1600.
• "Renaissance" means rebirth, referring to a revival of art and learning. Italian scholars aimed to revive the culture of classical Greece and Rome, however, they created new styles and values, like individual importance.
• Key factors leading to Italy's Renaissance emergence included thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, and classical Greek/Roman heritage.
• Overseas trade and the Crusades resulted in northern Italy's city-state growth, making it more urban compared to the rest of Europe.
• Cities became centers for exchanging ideas, and the bubonic plague led to economic shifts.
• Labor shortages meant survivors could demand higher wages, and merchants started investing in art rather than expanding businesses.
• City-states such as Milan and Florence saw the development of a wealthy merchant class, with citizens actively involved in political life.
• Merchants held significant political power. They believed their business success indicated they deserved power and wealth for their individual merit. Florence had a republican government from the late 1200s, but the Medici family came to control it during the Renaissance.
• Cosimo de Medici, the wealthiest European, controlled Florence's government through loans and influence.
• Lorenzo de Medici, Cosimo's grandson, came to power in 1469 and ruled as a dictator, but maintained an elected government appearance.
• Renaissance scholars studied ancient Latin manuscripts preserved in monasteries and those brought by Christian scholars fleeing Constantinople in 1453.
• This led to classical idea influence and a new outlook on life and art.

Classical and Worldly Values

• Humanism, an intellectual movement focusing on human potential and achievements, emerged from studying classical texts.
• Humanists encouraged carrying on classical traditions and popularized humanities subjects like history, literature, and philosophy.
• Renaissance Italy saw the wealthy enjoying material luxuries, good music, and fine foods, suggesting life could be enjoyed.
• Renaissance society was secular instead of spiritual. Church leaders became more worldly, living in mansions, hosting banquets, and wearing expensive clothes.
• Church leaders and wealthy families became art patrons, displaying their importance by having portraits or donating art.

Renaissance Men & Women

• Writers suggested educated people should create art, resulting in the idea of the "universal man."
• Baldassare Castiglione's "The Courtier" (1528) characterized young men as charming, witty, educated in classics, skilled in dance, music, poetry, riding, wrestling, and swordsmanship.
• Upper-class women were also expected to know the classics and be charming, but not seek fame; instead inspire art, and had better educations than medieval women, but little political influence.
• Isabella d’Este, who was born into the ruling family of Ferrara, brought Renaissance artists to her court, built an art collection, was skilled in politics, and defended her city-state, Mantua, in war.

Renaissance Revolutionizes Art

• Supported by patrons like Isabella d'Este, artists in Northern Italy started using a realistic style copied from classical models, including Greek and Roman subjects.
• Renaissance painters utilized perspective to show 3 dimensions on a flat surface.
• Painters started painting prominent citizens, capturing individual distinctions, and sculptors like Michelangelo Buonarroti used realistic styles to depict human bodies.

Key Renaissance Artists

• Michelangelo: sculptor, poet, and architect who realistically showed natural postures and expressions that reveal personality
• Donatello: revived a classical form in his statue of David, which was the first European sculpture of a large, free-standing nude since ancient times.
• Leonardo da Vinci: a painter.

Renaissance Writers Change Literature

• Writers use techniques that are still seen today, such as writing in the vernacular, the author's native language.

• Renaissance writers wrote either for self-expression or to portray the individuality of their subjects.

• Francesco Petrarch: An influential humanist.

• Giovanni Boccaccio* Known for "The Decameron", which was a collection of realistic stories that uses humor to illustrate the human condition.

• Niccolò Machiavelli:* Author of "The Prince", a political guidebook that examines imperfect conduct of human beings. His writings suggested rulers might need to be deceptive to maintain power.

• Vittoria Colonna:* Female writer who wrote on personal subjects.

The Northern Renaissance

Religious Influences

Renaissance ideas such as the importance of the individual are a strong part of modern thought.

• Italian humanist ideas reached the north to help people examine traditional teachings of the Church.
• New movement, Christian humanism, focuses on the reform of society.
• They think that all people should study the Bible in order to improve society.
• Desiderius Erasmus is a Christian humanist who wrote "The Praise of Folly." The book poked fun at merchants, lovers, scholars, and priests.
• Thomas More wrote the book, "Utopia", in 1516, to show a better model of society.
• Christine de Pizan wrote about how women should be educated.

Artistic Spreader

• Italian Renaissance Styles and Techniques were brought with Italian Artists and Writers to Northern Europe by 1494.
• Albrecht Dürer spread Renaissance styles through his woodcuts and engravings, particularly focusing on religious subjects, classical myths, and landscapes.
• Hans Holbein the younger painted detailed, photographic-like portraits.

Realistic Detail

• The focus of wealthy merchant families helped Flanders flourish.
• Jan van Eyck used oil-based paints and vivid details in his paintings.
• Pieter Bruegel painted scenes from everyday peasant life.

Northern Writers Try to Reform Society

• Italians mainly revived classical ideas in language and style, Northern humanists sought applying humanist ideas with traditional Christian teachings.
• Christian Humanists, critical of the Church's failings, aimed at societal reform. Erasmus thought everyone should read the Bible.
• Christine de Pizan questioned gendered education systems, advocating it for all children.

Thriving Literature

• Printing in the Vernacular was made famous by medieval writer, Dante. Renaissance writers portray individuality with their writing style.
• Some of the greatest writers include Francesco Petrarch, Giovanno Boccaccio, and Niccolo Machiavelli.

The Elizabethan Age

The Renaissance spreads to England in the mid 1500's.

• Queen Elizabeth reigned, and supported the development of English Art and Literature.
• Shakespeare was born in 1564, and soon wrote poems, plays, and performed at the Globe Theater.

Shakespeare revere the classics, but has a command of the English language with his own works, while also having his character's deliver speeches.

The Growth of Reading and Knowledge

• Block printing with wooden prints was invested by the Chinese.
• Bi Sheng invented movable type with separate pieces of each character.
• Johann Gutenberg improved the printing press that allowed books to be made more quickly and faster.

Spreading of Ideas

• Art techniques drew on classical Greece and Rome.
• Secular works and literature spread, praising individual achievement.
• Printing allows information to be spread quickly and inexpensively.

Luther Leads the Reformation

Background Information

• As the Roman Catholic church dominated Northern and Western Europe, resentment grew from those under its rule.
• Additional forces arose to weaken the church.
• The need for an individual relationship with God was a recurring idea.
• Critics claimed that the pope was corrupt.

Reform

• John Wycliffe and Jan Hus claimed the pope had no right to worldly power.
• Martin Luther became a monk and teacher to challenge the church after friar Johann Tetzel began selling indulgences for the intent to forgive sins.
• Luther, responding wrote the 95 thesis and had them posted which caused his rise to fame.
• His teaching rested off of three main ides: People were saved through their faith, all church teachings should be based off of the Bible, and all people with faith were equal.

Response

• Luther's ideas spread fast drawing in astonishing support.
• Pope Leo X threatened Luther with Excommunication forcing Luther to respond by publicly burning copies of the pope's decree.
• Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor opposed Luther.
• While in hiding, Luther translated the bible.
• Ideas were being put into separate practices forming a new religious group called, Lutherans.
• Luther was asked to end serfdom.

War

• German Princes began to support Luther allowing for the seizing of land and independence of Charles V.
• The princes who were loyal to the pope agreed to help Charles V.
• Princes who supported Luther were called the Protestants.

Protestantism

• The Peace of Augsburg was signed where each ruler could decide the religion of their state.
• The authority of Henry VIII led to the new church in England.

Henry VII

• Henry VII became king in 1509.
• Henry VIII marries six times causing many turmoils to the church.

Reformation Continues

• New churches were emerging through Europe and the queen was in leadership of England's new Church.
• John Calvin shaped the Protestant Reformation, with some of the most influential events coming to fruition.
• A Summary of Protestant Beliefs were made famous by John Calvin himself.
• Calvin Leads reformation

Geneva

• Geneva, located in Switzerland had some of the most influential changes to date in 1540 as more leaders followed Calvin.
• John Knox from Calvin and his followers formed the presbyters.

New Waves

• New waves are forming as various beliefs arise.

Legacy

• The society began a journey of various influences.

Women's Role

• God-fearing women became the highlight as Protestant religions formed to become more structured and formal.

Catholic Reformation

Ignatius Loyola and the society of Jesus made key differences

Reforming

• The influence of Paul IV called for a list being established knowns as the index called forbidden books.

Explore the transformation from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, focusing on classical texts, worldly pleasures, and art patronage. Understand the 'Renaissance Man' ideal and humanism's influence on education. Examine secularism and shifts in wealth display, plus factors fragmenting Christianity.