The Northern Renaissance Section 1-2

The Northern Renaissance Begins After the population of Northern Europe began to recover from the plague and the Hundred Years War ended many cities grew rapidly New ideas began to make their way to Northern Europe from Italy Italian ideas were mixed with N. Euro values to create new ways of thinking

Art in Northern Europe War in Italy caused some artists to flee to other parts of Europe French, English, German monarchs began to commission these artists to create works Art in N. Euro focused on a more realistic portrayal of life

Reform in Society Christian Humanists believed that it was up to individuals to be better Christians and people Their main focus was education

Desiderius Erasmus Write the Praise Folly – a book making fun of materialistic people He said that people should be Christians of faith not ceremony

Thomas More Wrote Utopia- a book that shows a better model of society where there is no greed, war, or violence

Women’s Reforms Christine de Pizan and other women called for equal educational opportunities for women

William Shakespeare He was the most famous writer of the Elizabethan age and regarded by most as the greatest playwright of all time Many of his works focused on individuals and their problems Romeo & Juliet, Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and many others

Printing Spreads New Ideas Johann Gutenberg perfected the printing press (the Chinese invented the 1st version) This led to an increase in books and in turn an increase in knowledge (more books more people read)

Changes in Art A new focus on individuals as subject matter, artists created secular works, writers began to use vernacular, the arts portrayed individual achievements

Changes in Society Printing changed society by making books cheaper which allowed more people to read Reformers changed people’s view on how life should be lived Published legal proceedings made laws clear Published discoveries led to further discoveries in those fields