Renaissance and Reformation

1350-1600

Black Death

• Renaissance began at end of Black Death

–Plague in which 1/3 of Europe’s population died

Section 1: Renaissance

• Renaissance means “rebirth”• It was an age of recovery from

the disasters of the Middle Ages such as the plague, political instability, and a decline of Church power.

• Also, there was a high regard for human worth and a realization of what individuals could achieve.

Italian City-states

• The Renaissance began in Italy.– The major cities of influence

were Milan, Venice, and Florence.

– Each of these cities played crucial role in politics.

– Niccolo Machiavelli’s book The Prince became one of the most influential works on political power.• He believed that a ruler should keep

his power by whatever means necessary.

• Renaissance Society– During the Middle Ages, society

was divided into 3 categories. These categories continued with the Renaissance• Nobility: 2 – 3% of the population;

held important political posts and were advisers to the king

• Clergy: church officials• Peasants and Townspeople: most of

the population were in this classification; urban poverty increased throughout Europe

• Family and Marriage– Parents carefully arranged

marriages to strengthen business or family ties

– A father’s authority over his children was absolute until he died or formally freed them. Therefore, the age of adulthood varied from early teens to the late twenties.

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Section 2: The Intellectual and Artistic Renaissance

• Italian Renaissance Humanism– Emphasis on the individual – Studied things like grammar,

poetry, philosophy, and history• Vernacular Literature

– Writers began to write in the language spoken in their own regions (vernacular)

– Dante and Geoffrey Chaucer helped make vernacular literature more popular

• Education– The humanist movement had a

huge effect on education.– Humanists wrote books on

education and opened schools.• They stressed in importance of

history, poetry, mathematics, astronomy, music, and physical education.

• Humanist education was a preparation for life as well as creating great scholars and complete citizens.

• The Arts– Perspective allowed painters to

create the illusion of three dimensions

– Masters of the High Renaissance• Leonardo da Vinci• Raphael• Michelangelo

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Section 3: The Protestant Reformation

• Religious reform movement that divided the western Church into Catholic and Protestant groups

• Desiderius Erasmus criticized the abuses in the Church in his work, The Praise of Folly.

• Prior to the Reformation, Popes were:– more concerned with politics and

worldly interests– concerned with money and

advanced their personal careers and wealth

– failing to meet the needs of their followers

– sold indulgences

Martin Luther• On October 31,

1517, Luther nailed a list of Ninety-five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

• Thousands of copies were printed and spread to all parts of Germany.

• In January of 1521, the Church excommunicated him.

• The Edict of Worms made him an outlaw within the empire.

Spread of Lutheranism

• While in hiding, Luther gained the support of German rulers who established state churches that followed Luther’s teachings.

• Lutheranism was the first Protestant faith.

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Section 4: The Spread of Protestantism and the Catholic Response

• Division among the Protestants appeared throughout Europe.

• In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli pushed for religious reform:– Removal of

relics and paintings

– New sermons that replaced Catholic mass

• After Zwingli died in battle, John Calvin took leadership of the reformation in Switzerland.

• The thought of predestination became one of the major differences among the protestant faiths.

• In England, King Henry VIII sought a divorce from his wife.

• At his request, Parliament broke from the Catholic Church and established the Anglican Church.

Catholic Reformation• The Catholic Church went through a

period of reform that gave it new strength and allowed it to regain what it lost.– The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) took a

vow of obedience to the Pope and helped spread the Catholic teachings.

– The Papacy rededicated itself to the people

– The Council of Trent reaffirmed the Catholic teachings• Faith and good works needed for salvation• Use of indulgences strengthened• Seven sacraments upheld• Clerical celibacy affirmed

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