1. Slightly Different, but still very Renaissancey
Northern Renaissance
Slightly Different, but still very Renaissancey

2. The Printing Press
This was a game changer.
In 1455 Johann Getenberg invented the Printing Press.
This was a machine that had moveable type, and could mass produce books.
Prior to this, people wrote books by hand, and there were only a few thousand books in all of Europe.

3. Effects….the “So Whats…..”
By 1500 there were 15 to 20 million books in Europe.
Books become cheaper.
More people learn to read.
More knowledge is consumed.
People are exposed to new ideas and new places.

4. Where Did the Northern Renaissance Begin?
It began in Flanders, which is a region in present-day Northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands
This region was a thriving center of trade for Northern Europe.
Discuss: Trade and Culture are Mutually Dependent!

5. Northern Renaissance Painters
They were interested in painting pictures of people in realistic detail.
Some important Northern Renaissance Painters….
Jan van Eyck
Pieter Bruegal
Peter Paul Rubens
Albrecht Durer

6. Durer He was considered the “Leonardo of the North.” (from Germany)
He traveled to Italy in 1494 to study the great Italian painters.
When he returned he spread the Italian Renaissance ideas throughout his own community.

7. Northern Humanists and Writers
People in the North start writing in “Vernacular,” which was the every day language of ordinary people.
Desiderius Erasmus was a Priest and humanist who wanted to translate the Bible into Vernacular.
As a Priest, he was upset with the corruption he saw in the Catholic Church.

8. Sir Thomas Moore He was friend of Erasmus and a fellow humanist.
He pushed for social reform, and wrote the book “Utopia.”
This was about an ideal society in which men and women live in harmony, everyone is educated, and there is no crime.

9. Rabelais
Francois Rabelais was a French humanist, monk, physician, Greek scholar, and author.
He writes “Gargantua and Pantagruel,” which was a funny tale about two giants, but it had a subtext of opinions on religion.
He was also troubled by the corruption of the Church.

10. Shakespeare
Everyone has heard of him, this was his time period. He is best known for incorporating universal themes into everyday realistic settings. He wove in the themes of “the individual,” and the importance of the classics. His plays were written in Vernacular.