The European Renaissance

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The European Renaissance Reformation
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I. Beginnings

• Late Middle Ages people began to question
  popular traditions and institutions, including
  the Catholic Church
• New ideas about art, religion, and philosophy
  began to take hold
• Renaissance means rebirth, refers to a
  revival in art and learning
• Connection to ancient Greece and Rome
• Renaissance scholars looked to the works and
  ideas of ancient Greeks and Romans for
  inspiration

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I. continued

• Began in Italy, eventually moved north, lasted
  from 1300-1600
• Why did it begin in Italy?
• More urban (more cities) than rest of Europe
  more people more/better exchange of ideas
• Wealthy merchant class merchants and
  businessmen became as, or more, powerful than
  nobles
• Patrons of the arts supported artists
  financially, became a way to display wealth and
  power

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II. New Outlooks

• Scholars started thinking in new ways
• Humanism an intellectual movement that focused
  on human potential and achievements
• Based on the study of classical Greek texts
• Society was becoming more secular worldly,
  rather than spiritual and concerned with the here
  and now
• Writers began writing in the vernacular their
  native language, instead of Latin
• The Renaissance Man/Woman
• Men should be well educated and excel in many
  different areas of learning, should be a skilled
  soldier
• Women were expected to be educated and charming.
• Inspire art, but not encouraged to create it

CHALLENGE QUESTION!
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IV. The Renaissance Spreads North

• Northern Renaissance began in 1400s
• Centered in northern France, England,
  Netherlands
• Many Italian artists/scholars left Italy because
  of war/conflict, headed north bringing their
  ideas with them
• Wealthy northern merchants and monarchs (kings
  and queens) became patrons of the arts
• Many artists and writers worked to reform society
  based on these new ideas
• Focus on education of the individual, criticism
  long-time traditions

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IV. Continued

• New innovation of moveable type used to spread
  Renaissance ideas quickly
• 1300s, moveable type reached Europe from China
• 1440s Johann Gutenberg creates the first
  European printing press, can print whole books
  quickly and cheaply
• Bible was first book to be printed using these
  new techniques (1455)
• Books became cheap enough that almost anyone
  could buy them
• Not limited to just nobility and church
  officials

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V. Impact of the Renaissance on Society

• This period of time marked many changes from the
  ideas of the early Middle Ages in both art and
  everyday life
• Some changes in society
• Printing press made information more widely
  available
• Learning and education became more commonplace,
  available to more people
• People began to question, and eventually, change
  traditional political and religious institutions
• Will lead to other big developments Reformation,
  Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment

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VI. Reforming the Church

• The power of the Church had been increasingly
  criticized throughout the Middle Ages
• The ideas planted during the Renaissance began a
  movement to actually change the Church
• Leads to the Reformation a movement for
  religious reform, focused on the Catholic Church
  (1500s)
• Why were people upset?
• Northern European merchants/nobles disliked
  paying taxes to church in Rome
• Some argued that Church leaders were corrupt,
  dishonest
• Priests and bishops were uneducated
• Printing press made it possible to quickly spread
  these new ideas/information about Church reform

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VII. Martin Luther
I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE A CHALLENGE QUESTION.

• German monk, lived 1483-1546
• Wrote the 95 Theses (formal statements)
  attacking the Church
• Some main ideas
• Salvation was through faith, not through good
  works
• Church teachings should be based only on words of
  the Bible
• People should be able to interpret the Bible for
  themselves
• Angry over the practice of selling indulgences
  pardon that released a sinner from performing the
  penalty that a priest imposed for sins
• It was also thought that buying indulgences
  guaranteed them a spot in heaven

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VII. Continued

• Luther was excommunicated in 1520 by the
  Catholic Church
• Holy Roman Emperor Charles V later declared
  Luther an outlaw and heretic
• Luther went into hiding, but continued to work
• Over time, Luthers influence led to new
  religious movement, Protestantism
• Protestant term used to describe Western
  European Christians who belonged to non-Catholic
  churches
• Examples Lutheran, Calvinism, Anabaptists
• Anglicism founded after the Pope refused to
  annul King Henry VIII of Englands marriage

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VIII. Impact of Reformation

• Catholic Reformation
• Catholic Church was forced to implement reforms
  in an attempt to keep people from leaving the
  Church
• Banned the false selling of indulgences (could
  not tell people they were guaranteed to go to
  Heaven)
• Cleaned up corruption in high Church positions
• Jesuits helped spread ideas and convert
  non-Christians to Catholicism
• Impact of Reformation on European society
• Education became more important in spreading
  beliefs of both Catholics and Protestants
• More schools/opportunities for peasants
• Individual kings/countries become more powerful
  as the Catholic Church struggled for control
• Conflict arises out of religious disagreements

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EXIT TICKET

1. What is Johannes Gutenberg known for? Why is
   this important?
2. What were indulgences?
3. What is a Protestant religion? Give two examples.
4. What was the Catholic Reformation?

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CHALLENGE QUESTION

• Read the two primary source accounts, on pg. 473
  in your text, about being a Renaissance Man and
  Woman.
• Compare these ideas to modern ideas about the
  roles of men and women in society.
• Discuss how they are similar and different.
• Discuss what a modern Renaissance man and women
  is today.

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CHALLENGE QUESTION

• Read the selection from Martin Luthers 95
  Theses.
• Describe, using complete sentences, four
  grievances (complaints) that Martin Luther had
  regarding the Catholic Church.

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