1. The Intellectual Reformation
The Reform of Religion
The Intellectual Reformation

2. By the time the second decade of the 16th century drew to a close, a new and powerful force appeared- the Protestant Reformation.
In many ways the Reformation was a response to the Renaissance, a reaction against humanism, secularism and classicism, but also against ecclesiastical authoritarianism.

3. Ren vs. Ref
Many Reformers were uneasy about the humanists exaltation of worldly things, and saw this as degrading to God.
The reformers emphasized instead human corruption and sinfulness
They had in common the idea of reforming. The humanists wanted to reform education, reform translations of the classics and reform the relationship between humanity and God by reforming the church.

4. Erasmus of Rotterdam ( ) – was the leading voice in the Renaissance reform of the Christian humanists.
Believed the study of the classics would promote greater religious devotion and piety.
The Christian humanists took up their pens to attack clerical abuse and corruption, they focused on positive religious reform based on scripture.
Erasmus wanted to regenerate the church in order to strengthen and unite it.

5. Both the Renaissance and the Reformation were committed to reform; both dealt with people and their relationships to God and other humans, both emphasized writing and reading, both spread due to the printing press, both contributed to religious and political freedom and the Reformation also became an important factors in the consolidation of national states in Europe.

6. The Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg created the most efficient printing press and printed their famous bible in the 1450’s.
In the first 40 years of the press over 20 million books were produced and distributed.
Printing changed life everywhere.

7. Review of Christian Humanism
Christian humanists differed from Italian humanists, in their focus on religious texts vs. classical texts.
Christian humanists applied the techniques used by humanists to the study of the authorities and texts of the Church.
Christian humanism was a program of REFORM vs. PHILOSOPHY- aiming to make Christianity better through education.

8. Christian humanists were also interested in the education of women
Christian humanists were also interested in the education of women. Women scholars began to hold places at Italian Universities.
Schools had once been the monopoly of the Church to rain clergyman, but schools now trained a variety of people and literacy served the needs of the state and became more common.

9. 16th Century Society and Life
16th century life= stunk! – famine, pestilence and war plagued everyday life.
Society was undergoing a transformation from medieval feudalism to modern capitalism.

10. Peasants and Rural Life
Peasant status changed considerably since the Middle Ages, but their lives were very similar.
Peasants are now free to move about (serfdom is all but dead) and choose their job
BUT freedom is not much without money, most peasants became rural workers, doing what they had always done, except now they got paid with money.

11. Urban Life
Cities in Northern Europe weren’t that different from Medieval cities, except they were larger.
Dark streets, every form of human and animal life within the walls, splendid palaces to mud hovels- shops everywhere.
Living in a city did promote civic consciousness and identification with the community.
Merchants were also becoming the richest and began vying with princes and nobles for status and wealth.

12. Women in the 16th Century
By the 16th century- the family was in trouble.
Marriage had fallen into disrepute, and may people avoided it.
The church taught that the highest form of Godliness could only be attained through celibacy, the church exalted virginity over marriage.
Marriage laws were passed by the church and it was frowned upon to marry across certain groups and social lines.

13. Erasmus and other humanists ridiculed the church’s views on marriage and the clergy.
Women were an important part of the economy as they converted their domestic skills into money making enterprises.
Wives of craftsmen were business partners and some women belonged to craft guilds.
Young girls could be apprentices, but local governments made laws prohibiting women from entering skilled occupations and guilds started restricting women from joining.