Transcript THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WEST, 1450

The Renaissance 1450-1600
■ Essential Question:
– What was the Renaissance?
– What factors led to the rise of the Renaissance?
Western Europe
emerged
from the Middle Ages
The
Renaissance
during an era known as the Renaissance
From 1300 to 1600,
Western Europe
experienced a “rebirth”
in trade, learning, &
Greco-Roman ideas
During the Renaissance,
Europeans developed
new ideas in art, gov’t,
& human potential
The Renaissance
marked the
beginning of the
“modern era”
Individuals became the center of attention
during the Renaissance
Social status was
based on wealth &
ability, not birthright
A new way of
thinking began during
the Renaissance
called Humanism
Humanists studied the
“classical” ideas of Greece
& Rome & believed that
education could make the
world a better place
SOUTHERN RENAISSANCE
Italian Renaissance
 Renaissance, or rebirth of art and learning, 1350-1600, based on
Greece and Rome
 Aristocrats, popes, nobles became wealthy patrons and tried to
outdo one another
 City-states sponsored innovations in art and architecture
 Sculptors created natural poses
Renaissance architecture
 Simple, elegant style, inherited from classical Greek and Roman
 Magnificent domed cathedrals
Humanists or Man is the Measure of All Things
 Drew inspiration from classical models especially Greece, Rome
 Leading scholars included Dante, Petrarch
 Scholars interested in humane letters
 Literature, history, and moral philosophy
 Called humanists
 Recovered and translated many classical works
 Attention to political and social issues and graces, too
Beginnings
 14th Century
Europe—medieval
Italy—changing
 Centers/Patrons
1st Florence—
de Medicis
2nd Rome— Roman
Catholic Church
Humanism
and Individualism
 Began in 1300s Tuscany
 Tuscan Triumvirate
Dante Alighieri
Petrarch
Boccaccio
Tuscany
The Crusades increased
European demand for
luxury goods from Asia
Italian merchants began
meeting the demand for
trade in Europe
As a result, Italian cities
& a wealthy middle class
began to form in Italy
A new middle class of
bankers, merchants, &
skilled craftsmen
gained lots of power
The most important
Italian city was Florence,
where wealth from trade
sparked the Renaissance
The Medici family were
wealthy bankers who used
heir wealth to turn Florence
into Italy’s most artistic city
Significance
 Transition from Middle Ages to Early
Modern Period
 Change in how man looked at himself
Member of group
Individual
Niccolo Machiavelli
 Wrote The Prince
 Analyzed politics
 Observations or
recommendations?
Northern Renaissance
Northern Renaissance
 Especially strong in
France, England,
Netherlands
 Focus was more on
science, math, and
Christianity (language
favored was Hebrew)
 Strongly supported by
the middle classes
and minor nobles
 Leading figures
include Shakespeare,
Durer, Erasmus,
Protestant reformers
The Northern Renaissance
 Scholars and merchants in 15th century carried ideas
 Centered in courts and universities
 Humanized Christianity
Printing Press
 Johannes Gutenberg
 Spread quickly
 Cheaper, quicker and more
accurate
 Encouraged literacy and
knowledge
Northern Humanism
 Sir Thomas More
 England
 Utopia
 Erasmus
–Netherlands
–In Praise of Folly
Literature
 England
 William
Shakespeare
 Spain
 Miguel de
Cervantes
The Protestant Reformation
By the early 1500s,
the Catholic Church
was in turmoil over
the controversy
of corruption &
its unwillingness to
adopt reforms
In Germany, a
Catholic monk named
Martin Luther
became involved in a
serious dispute with
the Catholic Church
Martin Luther’s stand against the Catholic Church
led to the formation of a new Christian
denomination known as Lutheranism
Lutheranism was the first
of a series of “Protestant”
Christian faiths that broke
from the Catholic Church
Main Branches of
Protestant Christianity
 Lutheranism: From Germany, Martin
Luther’s idea that only faith could save
one’s soul.
 Calvinism: From Switzerland, John
Calvin’s idea that God has already
decided who will be saved…
“Predestination”.
 Anglicanism: From England, Henry VIII
broke away from Catholic Church after
the pope refused to allow him to divorce
his wife.