R ENAISSANCE

What is the Renaissance? – An era of awakening. People began to again look at ancient Greek & Roman texts. – Renaissance means ‘rebirth”. “Europe is waking out of a long, deep sleep…time was when learning was only found in the religious orders…learning has passed to secular princes and peers.”

Italian Renaissance – Began to look at the ancient texts in search of human achievement Power of reason Advances in the arts & sciences – The Renaissance flourished in Northern Italy is because of a wealthy class that invested in the arts.

– Humanities Grammar, history, poetry, & rhetoric (using language to persuade) People who specialize in these are called Humanists. Emphasis was placed on the importance of the individual – This is the main difference between the Renaissance thinkers & the medieval thinkers. » Medieval Europeans placed an emphasis spiritual matters

Art – Renaissance artists painted realistic scenes and images – They used a technique called perspective (made distant objects smaller), which created the illusion of depth.

Leonardo da Vinci – Architect – Engineer – Painter Used mathematics to organize the space of his paintings – Sculptor – Scientist

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, – Sculptor – Painter – Designer Sistine Chapel Censored

The Pietà

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Writers – Francesco Petrarch Had a desire to continue the works of the classical writers of Ancient Greece & Rome – this came to be called Classical Education

– Niccolo Machiavelli 1469 – 1513 Wrote The Prince in effort to show how governments actually work. – “A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.”

The Spread of Ideas – Invention of the Printing Press by Johannes Gutenberg (about 1450) Some people were not happy – Scribes made a living hand copying manuscripts. History Channel

Northern Renaissance – Writers (differed from the Italian Humanists in that they were interested in early Christian culture as well as ancient Greece & Rome) Desiderius Erasmus (Dutch) ( ) – Learned about the humanists by reading printed books. – Used critical thinking to examine the Bible.

Thomas More (English) (1478 – 1535) – Wrote the book Utopia which spoke out against governments & private ownership of property. – He contrasted life in Europe with `an Utopia – an ideal place to live. » His writing will inspire Karl Marx and the creation of Communism

William Shakespeare (English) – Stands out as the leading literary figure of his time – Transformed well known stories into dramatic masterpieces – Was able to portray human emotions with great skill

T HE R EFORMATION Humanists argued that the Roman Catholic Church lost its way – This leads to a reform movement that would split the Church – The Reformation

Causes – Humanists argued the church cared more about income – Argued against bad behavior of priests – The Church ignored the complaints. – Humanists urged people to withdraw from the Church

Martin Luther – Criticized the Church over the sale of indulgences Paying a fee to get forgiveness for sin Posted his 95 Thesis on indulgences on a church door Luther used the printing press to spread his ideas Founder of the Lutheran Church

Other Protestant Movements Anglican Church (The Church of England) – King Henry VIII of England, broke from the Church because it would not grant him a divorce (1529)

Calvinism – Founded in Switzerland 1536 by Frenchman John Calvin – Emphasized predestination From the beginning of time, God has decided who will be saved

The Counter Reformation 1530 – An attempt to fight back against the Protestant Reformation They began an inquisition Banned books

Council of Trent 1545 & 1563 – Pope Paul II summoned church leaders to clearly define church doctrine. Ended the abuses that surrounded the sale of indulgences

What was the Renaissance? What are the Humanities? What was the Protestant Reformation? – Who instigated this movement? What does the Renaissance have in common with the Protestant Reformation.