Renaissance and

Reformation

Thesis
As much of Europe is recovering from a devastating plague,
southern Italy becomes the birth place of a cultural rebirth which
will spread through the rest of Europe in the following years. This
Renaissance will also give way to the reforming of religion.

The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a time of creativity and change in
politics, society, economics, and culture. This movement
gets its start in the 1300s in southern Italy focuses on the
works of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Economics
-The Medici family was one of the
wealthiest
merchant families in Europe.

The Renaissance continued

Looking to Greece and Rome
Artists and scholars study ruins of Rome, and study Latin and
Greek manuscripts
Scholars move to Rome after the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Classics Lead to Humanism

Humanismintellectual movement focused on human
achievements
Humanists studied classical texts, history, literature, and
philosophy

Worldly Pleasures
Renaissance society was secularworldly
Wealthy enjoyed fine food, homes, and clothes

The Renaissance continued

Patrons of the Arts
Patrona financial supporter of artists
Church leaders spend money on artworks to beautify cities
Wealthy merchants also patrons of the arts

The Renaissance Man

Excels in many fields: the classics, art, politics, and combat

Leonardo, Renaissance Man

Leonardo da Vincipainter, sculptor, inventor, scientist
Paints one of the best-known portraits in the world: the Mona
Lisa
Famous religious painting: The Last Supper

The Renaissance continued

Artistic Styles Change
Artists use realistic style copied from classical art, often to
portray religious subjects
Painters use perspectivea way to show three dimensions
on canvas

Realistic Painting and Sculpture

Realistic portraits of prominent citizens
Sculpture shows natural postures and expressions
The biblical David is a favorite subject among sculptors
(although he looks more like a classical Greek)

The Renaissance continued

Raphael Advances Realism
Raphael Sanzio, famous for his use of perspective
Favorite subject: the Madonna and child
Famous painting: School of Athens

School of Athens by Raphael

The Creation of Adam by

Michelangelo, found of the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangel
os The
Last
Judgment
in the
Sistine
Chapel

The Renaissance continued

New Trends in Writing
Writers use the vernaculartheir native language
Self-expression to portray individuality of the subject

Machiavelli Advises Rulers

Niccolo Machiavelli, author of a political guidebook, The
Prince
The Prince examines how rulers can gain and keep power

Johann Gutenberg helps to create a printing revolution

The use of the movable type made book production easier

The Reformation
During the Renaissance, the Church increasingly comes
under criticism by the people it served. Many Christians
accused the clergy of corruption they felt they were
abusing their power this led to a movement know as the
Protestant Reformation.
Abuses in the Church
-The church became caught up in worldly
affairs.
-Popes competed with Italian Princes for political
power

The Reformation continued

-Popes maintained a lavish lifestyle and were patrons
of the arts.
-To pay for such things the clergy promoted
the
sale of indulgences, which was payment
for less
time, spent in purgatory.
Luthers Protest
-In 1517, protests against church abuses erupted into
a
full scale revolt led by a German monk named
Martin Luther

The Reformation continued

-Martin Luther criticized the Roman catholic church

sale of indulgences.

for the

Luther created the 95 Thesis, or arguments against indulgences.

Luthers Teachings
Salvation was achieved through faith alone
The bible is the sole source of religious truth
Priests and the Church hierarchy do not have special powers.

Spread of Lutheran Ideas

Many church officials saw the reforms as the answer to church

corruption
The German princes saw Lutheranism as way to break from the Holy Roman
Empire

The Reformation continued

Church officials asked Luther to recant or give up his views in order to regain
control, Luther refused. (He is excommunicated)

John Calvin
Like Luther, John Calvin rejected elaborate church rituals and stressed the
importance of the Bible.
He preached predestination the idea that long ago God had determined who would
gain salvation.
He also set up a theocracy or government run by church leaders.
The spread of Calvinism set off bloody wars throughout Europe with opposition
from not only Catholics but Lutherans as well.

The Reformation continued

The English Reformation
Henry VIII wanted to annul, or cancel his marriage to Catharine
of Aragon because she could not have a son.
The Pope denied it because her nephew Charles V was the Holy
Roman Emperor.

Break with Rome

-Henry took the English Church from the Popes control.
-With the Act of Supremacy Henry VIII made himself head
of the Church of England or Anglican Church.
Church of England
-Henry gained the support of the nobles by giving them
church land.

 The Elizabethan settlement

-The Queens policies were a compromise between
Protestant and Catholic beliefs.
-Because she was willing to compromise she was a strong
and effective ruler who firmly established a protestant
nation.

The Catholic Reformation

During the 1530s and 1540s Pope Paul III set out to restore the
moral authority of the church.

The Reformation continued

Council of Trent

Reaffirmed traditional catholic views that salvation was achieved through faith
and good works
The Bible was the only source of religious truth.
The Inquisition
-Used torture, secrecy and execution to root out heretics
-It also banned books by Luther, Calvin, and Humanists.
-Many people were used as scapegoats on whom people
could blame their problems
-The Catholic Reformation led to witch hunts and the
persecution of the Jews.