1. English Renaissance
Marked by change in values, beliefs, and behavior
The Tudors
Catholics v. Protestants

2. Renaissance
Growth in learning: “Renaissance man” = someone with myriad interests and talents
Renewed interest in Greek and Roman learning
Time of territorial exploration
Growth in reading
Gutenberg Press invented
First book published is the Bible 1455 (Latin)
Tyndale published the first English Bible in 1520s
Humanism
Looked to classics to answer questions and strengthen Christianity
History, Literature, Philosophy etc
Focused on producing good citizens (as opposed to scholars)
Sir Thomas More
eventual chancellor to King Henry VIII, then beheaded by him
The Tudor Dynasty: King Henry VIII, Queen (Bloody) Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I

3. King Henry VIII: reign 1509-1547
Lancaster + York marriage = end of war of the Roses as feuding families unite= Tudors
King Henry VIII: reign
Known for being hot-headed, rash, and a womanizer.
He had 6 wives, most notably:
Catherine of Aragon, who gave him his daughter Mary (Queen, Bloody Mary)
Anne Boleyn, who gave him his daughter Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth I)
His desire to divorce his first wife (Catherine) for Anne lead to the separation of England from the Catholic Church; founding of the Church of England
Church of England (birth of Protestantism)
Rise of Lutheranism (from Martin Luther)--independent interpretation of Bible

4. Queen Bloody Mary: reign 1553-1558
Daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon (Spain)
Married Philip II of Spain
Angry by her father’s abandonment of her beloved mother, she undid most of what her father did by reinstalling Catholicism as the religion of England
Known as “Bloody Mary” for her attempt to rid the land of Protestants through murder
She tried to have her own half-sister, Elizabeth, murdered before her death

5. Queen Elizabeth I: reign 1558-1603
Daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn
Comes to power after her sister, Queen Mary dies
Reestablishes Church of England (founded by her father)
A learned woman, intelligent who inspires writers and is an accomplished rhetorician herself:
“Much suspected by me,
Nothing proved can be,
Quod Elizabeth the prisoner”
~1554-5; written while imprisoned by her sister in the Tower of London

6. Queen Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen
Ascent to the throne was fraught with doubters
Many still accused her of heresy based on her Protestant beliefs
She has Queen Mary of Scots (cousin) beheaded for treason
Attempts on her life
Many advisors urged her to marry to solidify her reign and ensure an heir, but she refused. She declared she was married to England.
She defeats the Spanish Armada in 1588
Her reign is marked by peace, prosperity, and security
Should you find yourself in need of a good movie on Netflix, watch Elizabeth (1998)

7. Christopher Marlowe : 1564-1593
Dr. Faustus (1592):
→ learned man wants more knowledge (like a Renaissance man), but at what cost?!
-->the tensions in the play are not merely tensions of his own, but of Catholic and Protestant theology.
Every basis for knowing was called into question during the Renaissance.
The Christian world was unified in the Catholic faith until the Renaissance
Then questions of what happens after death? Role of the individual conscience?
Faith was once so central to beliefs, that to not know what happens after death creates tension
Protestant Theology:
Debates over salvation
Protestant either heaven OR hell, but both are permanent as opposed to Catholic purgatory