Chapter 17

 Renaissance – “rebirth”, in context… the revival of art and learning from classical Greek and Roman culture.  Medici Family – banking family that ruled Florence, Italy during much of the Renaissance.  They allowed for art and education to flourish during their reign and helped to spread the Renaissance across Europe.

 Humanism – intellectual movement that focuses on human potential and achievements.  Secular – worldly rather than spiritual.  Patrons – financial supporters of a business or cause.  Perspective – three dimensions on a flat surface (height, width, and depth), uses a vanishing point to show depth.  Vernacular – using ones native language, rather than Latin or a common language.

 Influenced artists and architects to carry on classical Greek and Roman values.  Popularized classical education subjects like, history, literature, and philosophy.  These are referred to as the “Humanities”.

 The Renaissance was not a church event, it was a social event in the spirit of worldly ideas and what people could get out of life right now, rather than planning for salvation.

 Renaissance Man – a man who is highly educated, creates art, excels in many areas of study, dances, sings, plays music, and writes poetry. As well as a skilled rider, wrestler, and swordsman.  Renaissance Woman – expected to know the classics (educated) and be charming as well as inspire art from men (were not expected to make their own art).

 Michelangelo Buonarroti – sculptor, painter, poet, and architect. Most famous for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the sculpture “David” (the nude one).  Donatello – made sculpture more realistic by carving natural postures and expressions that revealed personality. Most famous for sculpture of “David” (not the nude).  Leonardo da Vinci – painter, sculptor, inventor, and scientist. Is the best example of a “renaissance man”. Painted the Mona Lisa and sketched a very early helicopter called an ornithopter.  Raphael Sanzio – created large murals on Pope Julius II’s library; also used perspective in many of his other works.

 Machiavelli tried to understand the imperfect conduct of human beings.  Wrote “The Prince”, which explained how rulers can get power and keep it in spite of their enemies.  Believed that all people are selfish, fickle, and corrupt.

 Renaissance ideas spread from Italy northward into Northern Europe.  Flanders, Belgium becomes the artistic center for Northern Europe.  Absolute Monarchs in Northern Europe also decide to embrace the arts.

 A Christian humanist by the name of Thomas More wrote a book called “Utopia”, which meant “no place” in Greek.  Utopia in English became known as the place in which More wrote about in this book, or an ideal place.

 As the Renaissance spread to England in the mid 1500’s, it was dubbed; “The Elizabethan Age” after Queen Elizabeth I.  William Shakespeare –greatest playwright of all time.  Had a masterful command of the English language and a deep understanding of human beings.

 Johann Gutenburg - improves Chinese printing methods of the time with the Printing Press.  The printing press was 500 times quicker than having a copyist hand copy a book.  The mass printing of The Bible helped the people of Europe educate themselves in the way of theology.

 Renaissance values of Humanism and secularism led people to question the Church.  Printing Press helped to spread ideas that were critical of the Church.  Many monarchs viewed the Pope as a foreign ruler that challenged their power.

 Some Church leaders had become worldly and corrupt.  Many people found practices like the sale of indulgences unacceptable.

 John Wycliffe and Jan Has both argued that the Bible had more religious authority than Church leaders in the late 1300’s.  Humanist authors like Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More added dissenting opinions about the Church.

 Martin Luther was a monk and a teacher in the Catholic Church.  Luther’s intentions was to correct problems within the church, not to start a religious revolution.  Posting of the 95 Theses

 95 Theses - 95 formal statements attacking the practice of selling indulgences and other church practices.  He called priests that sold indulgences, “pardon- merchants”  He posted these statements on the door of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany  Someone quickly took Luther’s words and took them to a printer

 Luther’s name becomes synonymous with the Reformation, which was a movement for religious reform.  Reformation leads to the founding of Christian Church’s that did not recognize the Pope’s authority, also known as Protestant Churches.

 After a while Luther embraced the idea of a revolution of the Church.  His reform ideas rested on 3 main principles:  People could only win salvation through faith and God’s gift of forgiveness.  All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible.  All people of faith were equal, and did not need someone to interpret the Bible for them.

 Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Luther unless he recants (takes back) his statements.  Luther responds by burning Leo X’s likeness, and is excommunicated as a result.  Holy Roman Emperor Charles V calls Luther to the town of Worm (vawrmz) and tells Luther to recant his statements, Luther refuses.  The Edict of Worms (varms) - proclaims Martin Luther as a heretic and makes it illegal to house Luther or give him food.

 A new church organization is formed named the Lutheran Church for Martin Luther and his religious followers.  Protestant Churches or Churches that were loyal to Luther and were protesting an agreement between European Monarchs to remain loyal to the Pope.

 Henry VIII – Catholic King of England during the early to mid 1500’s.  Need for a male heir  Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon only gave him a daughter and Catherine being 42 Henry gave up on her being able to produce a male child, so he decided to annul their marriage and marry a younger woman.

 Henry’s request for a marriage annulment was denied by the Pope.  The Pope did not want to offend Catherine’s powerful nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.  Henry asks Parliament to pass a set of laws that ended the Pope’s power in England.

 Parliament officially ends its relationship with the Pope under the Act of Supremacy, this allowed Henry to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.  In 1533 Henry secretly marries a younger woman, Anne Boleyn who was in her 20’s.  Anne Boleyn also cannot produce Henry a male heir and is eventually charged with treason and beheaded.

 Henry’s third marriage is to a woman named Jane Seymour.  Seymour gives Henry a male heir by the name of Edward VI and she dies two weeks later.  Henry marries 3 more times, none of which produce any more children.

 Edward VI – Protestant Church remains strong as Edward rules for 6 years before resigning. He was still a boy when he resigned, he was 16.  Mary I – daughter of Catherine of Aragon, restores Catholic Church to England, then dies in  Elizabeth I – daughter of Anne Boylen, restores Protestant Church, and establishes the Church of England (an Anglican Church).

 John Calvin believed that men and women were sinful by nature.  Believed that God chose a few “elect” people to save and that God knew who these people were since the beginning of time.  This was called Predestination.  The religion based on John Calvin’s teachings became known as Calvinism.

 Calvin believed the ideal government was a theocracy  Theocracy – government controlled by religious leaders.  Geneva, Switzerland asks Calvin to rule their self governing city.

 A Scottish preacher by the name of John Knox visits Geneva and witnesses the strict rules under John Calvin.  Knox’s followers become known as Presbyterians from the word “presbyters” or the group of laymen that governed community churches in Scotland.

 Anabaptists is a group that decided that only adults that decided to be Christian should be Baptized.  Children that were Baptized at birth could chose to be “baptized again” in Greek Anabaptists.

 In response to all of the members the Catholic church lost to these new denominations, they decided to have a Counter Reformation.  This Catholic Counter Reformation was led by Ignatius of Loyola.  Ignatius’ followers were known as Jesuits short for the Society of Jesus.  The Counter Reformation was an attempt to correct the practices of the old Catholic Church and win back followers.

 Paul III and Paul IV  Paul III called a council of church leaders in Trent, Italy  Council of Trent – Catholic bishops and agreed on several doctrines.  Paul IV – burned offensive books on a list called “The Index of Forbidden Books”.

 Church’s interpretation of the Bible was final  Christians needed faith AND good works for salvation.  The Bible and Church tradition were equally important.  Indulgences were valid expressions of faith, but false selling of indulgences was banned.