The Renaissance and Reformation (1300-1650)

NOVEMBER 5, 2012 BY DARKOEMS

The Renaissance Begins

The Renaissance was a widespread change in culture that took place in Europe
beginning with the 1300s.
The movement began in Italy.
Because of its location, Italy became a center of European trade with rich lands
of the East during the late Middle Ages. Italy`s merchants were building great
fortunes.
Cities became centers of power and wealth. They became independent city
states, out of control of king or a noble, even the Roman Catholic Church held little
power in these cities.
Renaissance Art and Literature
The Ideas and writings of ancient Greek and Romans became popular.
The classical works focused on worldly issues, not religious matters.
Writers of Renaissance explored nature, beauty, and other concepts long
ignored in medieval life.
The new interest in the classics (Greco-Roman world) is known
as humanism.
Francesco Petrarch first great humanist poet sonnets about
love and nature
Visual arts (painters, sculptors, architects)
Artist are focusing on nature and human form but painters
and sculptors still created religious scenes showing the great accuracy and
detail of human body.
The most important artists:
Leonardo de Vinci, painted Mona Lisa;
Michelangelo, painted the famous ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel
Donatello, sculptor, made figure of David
Cosmo de Medici was one of the best-known supporters of art during the
Renaissance. He was a head of powerful family in the city of Florence. He paid for
many art works done by famous artists.
The Renaissance Moves North

In the mid 1400s, a German printer named Johannes Gutenbergbegan work

on a project that would create a new way of printing books. He developed a printing
press and a system of movable type individual letters that could be arranged and
rearranged quickly.
The availability of books would change the way information and ideas
traveled in Europe and the world.
Renaissance ideas along with developments such as Gutenberg`s printed
methods, helped bring great change to the entire Europe.
 Industry and trade in Northern Europe extended. The feudal and religious
base of medieval society weakened and Renaissance moves northward from Italy
into western and northern Europe.
Many scholars in Northern and Western Europe became interested
in humanism. They started applying ideas of humanism on religious thinking, a
movement called Christian humanism.
Desiderius Erasmus was the leading figure of Christian
humanism
Sir Tomas More, English lawyer wrote Utopia where he
describe ideal world based on Greek philosophy.
Art and Literature
Influenced by Italian writers and artists.
William Shakespeare, best known English
poet, wrote at least 37 verse plays, many of them based on plots
borrowed from ancient world. He wrote Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra
and Anthony
Albrecht Durer, German`s painter and master
of woodcuts and engravings.
Renaissance architects drew ideas and forms from ancient Greece and Rome.
Medieval churches had been built in the shape of cross, but in Renaissance
architects design buildings in a circular shape
Martin Luther and the Reformation

An indulgence allowed the buyer to escape punishment for sins.

During the middle ages church was the most powerful political institution in
Europe. The Pope was a major public figure.
Many of humanist scholars called attention to the changes in the church.
In the early 1500s one of those who was dissatisfied with the church was a monk
named Martin Luther.
When Luther heard that church is selling indulgences, he decided to issue an
official criticism to the Church.
In October 1517, Luther wrote a document in which he challenged the Church on
the issue of indulgences. The document featured 95 thesisor arguments, Luther
posted his 95 thesis on the Church door at Wittenberg, Germany.
Church officials tried to silent Luther but he responded by widening his
criticism of the Church.
Salvation, in religious terms, means to go to heaven.
He argued that people could achieve salvation through faith alone.
Luther also challenged authority of the Pope to rule on religious
matters. He said that Bible is the only authority.
1521. Luther was outlaw in Germany, but his popularity was
growing and his ideas were spread quickly.
The Reformation Succeeds

The Reformation is the term used to describe Luther`s break with the Church and
the movement it inspired.
 There are many reasons for Reformation`s success. Many Germans were
attracted to Luther teaching, nobles resented the pope and the power of Rome. They
welcomed brake with the Church.
Lutheranism as movement was called, took hold in many parts of Germany and it
spread around the Europe
In 1555 the Church finally gave in. With the Peace of Augsburg Lutherans won
the right to practice their religion.
The peace of Augsburg did not end the Reformation.
Reformation Ideas Spread

Because The Pope refused his request to divorce his wife, King of England,
Henry VIII attacked the Church, although he was against Luther`s ideas.
1534 Henry VII finally broke from the Catholic Church and became the head
of a new church The Church of England that was independent. People of England
were the part of the Reformation because of that.
Protestant are Christians who separated from the Catholic Church. In the mid
1500s several protestant groups appeared.
John Calvin in Switzerland, believed in predestination, that God had
determinate long ago who will be saved.
Ulrich Zwingli, also from Switzerland believed that Bible contains
religious truth.
The Anabaptists didn`t believe in baptism of infants.
The Catholic Church Reforms

As a result of Reformation the Church of Rome carried out its own reformation in
the mid 1500s
This helped church to survive and regain strength in much of Europe
The reforms of Luther was called Protestant reformation
The reforms of Church were called Catholic reformation
Religious order, or group led by Ignatius Loyola worked to educate people and
spread the Catholic faith. It helped to build strength of the Church in southern
Europe.
In 1542 the Pope Paul III called for a meeting now known as Council of Trent that
helped return Church`s focus to matters of religion and spirituality