The Renaissance

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The Renaissance

• 14851660

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Renaissance Timeline
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What Was the Renaissance?

• The Renaissance (French for rebirth) was a
  great revival of art, literature, and learning in
  Europe.
• It began in Italy in the fourteenth century and
  spread across Europe to England over the next 100
  years.
• Interest in the classical learning of ancient
  Greece and Rome was renewed.
• The arts and sciences flowered.
• The human spirit of curiosity and creativity
  seemed reenergized.

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Characteristics of the Renaissance

• People read ancient Greek and Roman texts to
  expand their understanding of the world.
• A humanist philosophy spread, focusing on human
  life in the present as well as on eternity.
• Printing made books more widely available.
• The wealthy, growing merchant class began to
  challenge the power of the church and the
  nobility.
• Scholarly Latin spread across Europe, aiding the
  sharing of ideas across cultures.

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The Renaissance and the Arts

• Art flourished during the Renaissance. Church
  officials, royalty, and wealthy families served
  as patrons to artists such as
• Leonardo da Vinci (14521519)
• Michelangelo (14751564)
• Edmund Spenser (1552?1599)
• William Shakespeare (15641616)

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Humanism in the Renaissance

• Humanists combined ideas from Latin and Greek
  classics with traditional Christian thought to
  teach people how to live and rule. They sought
• to answer questions about lifeWhat is a good
  life? and How do I lead a good life?
• to use the classics to strengthen, not discredit,
  Christianity
• Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More were two
  well-known humanists who helped shape European
  thought and history.

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The Invention of the Printing Press

• In the early 1450s Johannes Gutenberg, a German,
  invented the printing press. His invention
  transformed the way information and ideas were
  exchanged.
• Books no longer had to be copied by hand.
• Books became more numerous, available, and
  affordable.

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The Protestant Reformation

• began with Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany,
  1517 and spread across Europe to England
• Martin Luther believed that religion should be
  based on a personal understanding of the Bible,
  not on the authority of the Pope and his bishops.
  
• gained momentum as the Catholic Church was
  criticized for corruption
• had a financial component in England, where the
  English objected to the financial burdens placed
  on them by the Vatican in Italy

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Henry VIII (r. 15091547)

• split the Church of England from the Roman
  Catholic Church and declared himself head of the
  new church
• had six wives
• executed the humanist Thomas More
• authorized creation of the Great Biblethe first
  official English translation of the Bible to be
  used in the Church of England
• created the Royal Navy

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The Reigns of Edward and Mary
Henry VIII was survived by three heirs each
ruled England in turn.

• Edward IV (r. 15471553)
• son of Jane Seymour
• crowned at age nine
• smart but sickly
• ruled only in name
• died of tuberculosis at age fifteen

• Mary Tudor (r. 15531558)
• daughter of Catherine of Aragon
• restored power of Pope and Catholic Church
• called Bloody Mary because she executed
  hundreds of Protestants

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Elizabeth I (r. 15581603)

• daughter of Anne Boleyn
• regarded as a brilliant and successful monarch
• reestablished Church of England
• never married known as the Virgin Queen
• patron of the arts

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Defeat of the Spanish Armada

• In 1588 King Philip of Spain assembled the
  powerful Spanish Armada and attacked England.
• Englands Royal Navy destroyed the Spanish
  Armada.
• The victory at sea was a turning point in
  history. It ensured Englands independence from
  the powerful Catholic countries of the
  Mediterranean.

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Decline of the Renaissance

• When Elizabeth died, she was succeeded by her
  second cousin, James, the king of Scotland.
• James I (r. 16031625) loved literature and
  drama. He was a patron to Shakespeare and
  sponsored a new translation of the Bible.
• However, he was unable to resolve religious and
  economic concerns, and his lavish dress and court
  life offended pious and thrifty merchants.

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Decline of the Renaissance
Charles I (r. 16251649) succeeded James I, his
father.

• Charless troubles with the English Parliament
  sparked the English Civil Wars (16421651), which
  ended in
• dissolution of the monarchy
• Charles beheading
• flight of Charles II, his son and heir, to France

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Puritans in Power (16491660)

• Puritans ruled England under the guidance of
  Oliver Cromwell.
• Cromwell was a shrewd ruler who led England to
  international prominence.
• Puritans closed down theaters from 1642 to 1660.

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What Have You Learned?
Match the achievement to the Renaissance ruler.
Elizabeth I James I Henry VIII
_____________ established the Church of England,
separate from the Roman church _____________
supported the arts but offended the English with
a lavish and costly lifestyle _____________
united England so that it could achieve military
victory over Spain
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The End