1. Transformation of the West, 1450-1750

2. I. European Renaissance
Renaissance – means “rebirth”, refers to a revival in art and learning
Italian Renaissance:
Northern Renaissance:
Connection to ancient Greece and Rome
Renaissance artists/scholars looked to the works and ideas of ancient Greeks and Romans for inspiration
Religion declined as a central focus
Humanism – an intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements
Society became more secular – worldly, rather than spiritual, and concerned with the here and now
CHALLENGE QUESTION!

3. I. continued…
Wealthy merchants and monarchs (kings and queens) became patrons of the arts
Information/ideas spread quickly
1300s, moveable type reached Europe from China
1440s – Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press, can print whole books quickly and cheaply
Bible was first book to be printed using these new techniques (1455)
Changes to the family
Beginning of European-style family pattern – late marriage age, focus on the nuclear family, smaller families

4. II. Reformation Reformation – a movement for religious reform
CHALLENGE QUESTION!
Reformation – a movement for religious reform
Why were people upset?
Northern nobles/merchants disliked paying taxes to church in Rome
Church leaders were corrupt/uneducated
Printing press made it possible to quickly spread these new ideas/information about Church reform
Martin Luther ( )
Angry over the practice of selling indulgences:
A pardon that released a sinner from performing the penalty that a priest imposed for sins
Many thought that buying indulgences guaranteed them a spot in heaven

5. II. Continued…
Wrote the 95 Theses (formal statements) attacking the Church
People should be able to interpret Bible for themselves
Challenged authority of the Pope
Declared an outlaw and heretic
Rise of Protestant religions
term used to describe Christians who belonged to non-Catholic churches
Examples: Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicism
Catholic Reformation – response to Protestantism, rise of the Jesuits
Sponsored education reform, missionaries into Asia, Americas

6. Western Europe during Renaissance & Reformation

7. III. Impact of Renaissance & Reformation
Conflict among Christians became common
Edict of Nantes (1598) – ended fighting between Calvinists and Catholics in France
Thirty Years War ( ) – Protestants vs. Catholics in Germany; devastated population, economy
Treaty of Westphalia (1648) – ended fighting, gave German Protestant leaders independent control, Netherlands freedom from Catholic Spain
English Civil War ( ) – concerned religious issues and Parliamentary rights; King Charles I beheaded
Religious conflicts affected every aspect of life
More questioning of religion’s role in life
Political balance shifted (rise of France, Britain, Netherlands)
Decline of papal authority

8. III. Continued… Witchcraft persecution – women, poor often accused
Uneducated masses had no way of dealing with drastic changes in society
Commercial Revolution leads to inequalities and social unrest
World Economy brings greater access to wealth
Also brings inflation, commercialization
Prices rise, but continued production/trade brings opportunities
Ordinary peasants could enjoy aspects of life not previously available
Wine, spices, sugar, kitchenware, furniture
Emergence of the proletariat – people without access to wealth-producing property
Many became manufacturing workers, urbanized poor

9. EXIT TICKET, 2/15 Why was Martin Luther upset? 2 reasons.
How did the religious conflicts of the 16th and 17th centuries affect Western Europe?
What was the effect of the Commercial Revolution?

10. IV. Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment
Scientific Revolution – 17th century European intellectual movement
Resulted in rise of scientific research/experimentation and rational thinking
New technologies and tools extend scientific possibilities
Microscope, telescope, observations of natural world
Fathers of Scientific Revolution
Copernicus
Galileo
William Harvey
Isaac Newton

11. IV. Continued… Beginning of cultural transformation of West
Science, not religion, slowly becomes central to intellectual life
New beliefs concerning divinity, faith
Deism – role of God was to set natural laws in motion, not regulate
John Locke – everything you needed to know through senses and reason, not faith
Helped usher in the Enlightenment
Rise of rational thinking, applying of scientific method to study of society
Human beings are good, reason is key to truth, religions that rely on blind faith and/or do not tolerate diversity are wrong
Literacy rates rose, progressive thinking concerning women

12. V. Further Political & Economic Changes
17th century signaled the end of the feudal system
Rise of the absolute monarch – king/queen with complete power over military and population
No longer relied on nobles for control
Examples: France, Spain, Prussia
Conflicts with parliaments
Glorious Revolution – ( ) English parliament no longer relied on King to make decisions, had power to monitor major policies
Rise of the nation-state – political unit consisting of an autonomous state inhabited mostly by people sharing a common culture, history, and language

13. V. Continued… Changes in central Europe
Frederick the Great (Prussia) introduced a number of reforms, while continuing tradition of absolute monarchy
Greater freedom of religion, promoted equity
Encouraged agricultural improvements – introduced the potato
Manufacturing & agricultural improvements
Introduction of New World crops leads to increased food supply, health
Manufacturing increased as trade increased
Will usher in the Industrial Revolution

14. CHALLENGE QUESTION
What previous developments made it possible for the Renaissance in Western Europe to happen?
Complete sentences, paragraph.
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15. CHALLENGE QUESTION
Make a prediction! Why were people, such as Martin Luther, upset with the Catholic Church?
Complete sentences, paragraph.
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