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THE RENAISSANCE:Cultural, Historical and

Literary Aspects1485-1660

Lecture no. 1

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The Renaissance - Definition

The Renaissance (French origin word)The Renaissance (French origin word) It means rebirth

It refers to a renewed interest in classical learning

(both Greek and Roman)

Period of creativity and change in many areas:

political, social, economic, cultural, and literary

Emphasis on the achievements of individualhuman beings.

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Defining the term

Renaissance = the great flowering of art,

architecture, politics, and the study of literature,usually seen as the end of the Middle Ages and thebeginning of the modern world, which came aboutunder the influence of Greek and Roman models.

It began in Italy in the late 14th century andspread to the rest of Europe in the 15thcentury

(The Oxford Companion to English Literature, Margaret Drabble(ed.))

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Key-facts during the Renaissance

the setting up of universities

Guttenbergs invention of the moveableprint

the use of the vernacular instead of Latin

an Age of Exploration

the Reformation of the Church

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The Renaissance in Europe:

Italian Art Geniuses

Leonardo da Vinci (1452) artist (Mona Lisa, The Last

Supper), inventor (helicopter,

weapons, music box etc.),

architect, botanist, musician.

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The Renaissance in Europe:

Italian Art Geniuses

Michelangelo

Italian painter and sculptor He painted gigantic Bible scenes on the ceiling ofVaticans Sistine Chapel

The painted images reflected an optimistic view of human nature

Through his work he transmitted the belief that man was noble and capable of

perfection.

La Pieta The Creation of Adam

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The English Renaissance

Begun by English scholars who had

traveled to Italy. Saw classical learning as a means to

understanding the Bible and leading a moral

life.

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The English Renaissance - Contexts

and Conditions

At the end of the 1400s, the world changed.

Two key dates mark the beginning of modern times.

1. the Wars of the Roses came to an end

(1485);

2.Christopher Columbuss voyage to the

Americas (the New World) - 1492

At the end of the 1400s, the world changed.

Two ke

y dates mark the beginning of modern times.

1. the Wars of the Roses came to an end

(1485);

2.

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The English Renaissance - Contexts

and Conditions

New worlds, both geographical andspiritual, are the key to the Renaissance

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The English Renaissance - Contexts

and Conditions

During this period the rebirth of learningand culture reached its peak

- in ITALY in the early sixteenth century

- in BRITAIN during the reign of Queen

Elizabeth I.

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The English Renaissance - Contexts

and Conditions

The Wars of the Roses (1453-1485 ) in England between

The Yorks

The Lancasters neither the Yorks, nor the Lancasters won

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The New Dynasty

The new dynasty in power: the Tudors.

As with all powerful leaders, the question ofsuccession became crucial to the continuation ofpower (like Beowulf with Wiglaf).

So it was with the greatest of the Tudor monarchs,Henry VIII

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The Tudor Monarchs

- King Henry VII

- King Henry VIII

- King Edward VI

- Queen Mary Stuart I

- Queen Elizabeth I

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The Tudors Genealogy Tree

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KING HENRY VII (1485-1509)

a Welshman

He seized the throne after the

War of the Roses he defeated Richard III at the

Battle of Bosworth Field

He built a powerfulmerchant fleet

During his reign Englandbegan to have a dominantrole in international trade

He established internationalrelationships through themarriages of his children

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KING HENRY VIII(1509-1547)

Second son ofHenry VII

After his elder brother Arthur died, Henrybecame heir to the throne and married hissister-in-law, Catherine of Aragon.

He had six wives - two divorced, twobeheaded, one died, survived only one

His haunting problem was a male heir

He made himself the head of the EnglishChurch through The Act of Supremacy from1534. Thus, he ended Roman Catholicsovereignty

He dissolved the monasteries and convents.

He created the Royal Navy and establishedEngland as a world power

He is known as a Renaissance Man - poet,

musician, writer, athlete, and hunter.

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KATHERINE OF ARAGON

The daughter ofIsabella and Ferdinand

of Spain. King Arthurs widow

She was Henry VIII first wife whocould not give the state a male heir tothe throne

She had a daughter called Mary (Queento be - Mary Tudor)

She was an ardent Catholic and broughtprincess Mary up in the same spirit

Henry VIII divorced from her to marryAnne Boleyn

Henry claimed that God punished himby denying him a legitimate male heir

inLeviticus, God does threatenchildlessness if a man marries hisbrothers widowso Henry came tosee this marriage as cursed

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ANNE BOLEYN

She was Henry VIII

second wife

She gave birth to a

daughter called Elizabeth

(Queen to be)

She was beheaded in the

Tower of London because

Henry VIII suspected her

of adultery and conspiracy

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I need a son. I have

been married for 20

years and my wife,

Catherine of Aragon

is too old to have any

more children. Who

will inherit my throne

when I die?

I spy an attractive lady-

in-waiting called Anne

Boleyn. If only I could

marry her instead. Will

the Pope give me a

divorce?

The Church is very rich.

I need money for my

luxurious court. If only I

could get my hands on it.

The new Protestant

ideas are spreading

in Germany.

Princes there are

reforming their

churches and

throwing out the

Catholic Church.

Some people in England like the new

Protestant ideas. They believe that the

Bible should be in English not in Latin.

The Church takes

money out my

country in taxes to

help build St

Peters in Rome.

What do I get in

return?

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Henry VIII and the Reformation

The need for the annulment of his first marriage,

to Catherine of Aragon, brought Henry into directconflict with the Catholic church.

Henry took a decisive step which was to influence

every aspect of English, then British, life and

culture from that time onwards.

What did he do?

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Henry VIII and the Reformation

He ended the rule of the Catholic church inEngland

He closed (and largely destroyed) the monasteries

Monasteries had been for centuries the storing

place of learning, history, and culture

He established himself as both the head of the

church and head of state.This move, known as the Reformation, is huge.

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Changes brought by the Reformation

Centuries of religious faith, attitudes and beliefswere replaced by a new way of thinking.

The King was the closest human being to God - a

role previously given to the Pope in Rome.

The Church of England not longer Roman

Catholic

It became Protestant

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Protestant Reforms

- the abolition of clerical celibacy and the

mass- the imposition of compulsory religious

services in English.

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King Edward VI

the son of Henry VIII and

Jane Seymour

was crowned at the age of

nine. (died at 16)

Englands first ruler who

was raised as a Protestant

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QUEEN MARY TUDOR

the daughter of Henry VIII and

Katharine of Aragon Her father wanted to find a

husband for Mary

WHY? Thus, she would beunchallenged as his heiress

NOTE!!! women were notbanned from the throne, but itwas untraditional

She was a true Catholic

She chased Protestants and

executed them she had 300English burnt at stake

For this reason she was alsoknown as Bloody Mary

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QUEEEN ELIZABETH I the daughter of Henry VIII

and Anne Boleyn As a queen she made

peace with France andSpain

She built a large fleet

She encouraged thecreation of coloniesabroad (on the American

continent) - Virginia During her reign Ireland

became an English colony

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QUEEEN ELIZABETH I Reestablished the Church of

England (Anglican)

She was excommunicated by

the Pope. Never married because her

strength lay in herindependence

Known as Virgin Queen, stateof Virginia named after her.

Main opponents weresupporters of Mary Stuart,Queen of Scots

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THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE:

Political Aspects Politically, during Queen Elizabeths reign, it was an

unsettled time.

Protestant extremists (Puritans) left the country for

religious reasons, in order to set up the first colonies inVirginia and Pennsylvania, the beginnings of another NewWorld.

In 1588, the Spanish Armada, the fleet of the CatholicKing Philip of Spain, was defeated by the British.

England had sovereignty over the seas, and her seamen(pirates or heroes) plundered the gold of the SpanishEmpire to make their own Queen the richest and mostpowerful monarch in the world.

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THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE:

Cultural Aspects

London developed in size and importance as thenations capital.

The increasing population could not normally reador write, but did go to the theatre. Hence, from thefoundation of the first public theatre in 1576, thestage became the forum for debate, spectacle, andentertainment.

Hand in hand with the growth in theatricalexpression goes the growth of modern English as anational language.

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THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE:

Literary Aspects

The English Renaissance was a cultural and artisticmovement in England dating from the early 16th

century to the early 17th century.

This era in English cultural history is sometimes

referred to as the age of Shakespeare or the

Elizabethan era, taking the name of the English

Renaissances most famous author and most

important monarch, respectively.