3º ESO

Topic Seven:

Renaissance and
Reformation
The Renaissance
During the middle ages much of the
great advancements made by the
Greeks and the Romans had been
forgotten due to the decline of living
conditions in Western Europe. People
went from living comfortable lives with
good jobs and educations, to living in
very poor conditions, where there was
constant disorder, war, poverty, and
hunger. This time period is known as
the Dark Ages
The Dark Ages lasted for hundreds of years, as many generations of individuals
lived and died in these terrible conditions. Then in the middle A.D. 1300s things
slowly began to improve. People began again to discover the arts, and
technologies of the Romans and Greeks, making life a little easier. With call this
period of time the Renaissance. The Renaissance began around A.D. 1350 in Italy,
and continued until about A.D. 1600.
The Renaissance In Italy

The Italian Peninsula had been home to the Roman Empire for centuries. It had
been the world center of culture, power, business, and technology. The ideas that
evolved and were developed in this region would have a lasting impact for
thousands of years.
Their location along important
trade routes brought the peoples
of the Italian Peninsula into close
contact with many cultures
throughout the world.
After the fall of the Roman
Empire, the Byzantine Empire
became the most powerful nation
in the region. Byzantine scholars
had preserved much of the
technology and culture of both
the Romans as well as the Greeks.
During the middle ages, many
people in Europe lived in terrible
conditions. They believed that
life was supposed to be difficult,
and that they should not expect
to have any comforts. As the
Italians learned about the old
Roman and Greek ways, they
began to believe, as the ancients
had, that life should be rich, and
as comfortable as possible.
They believed that a person should seek talents and skills, and that they should
work to increase their standard of living, and the standards of living around
them.
The practice of studying ancient works by the Romans and Greeks became
known as humanism. Those who studied these classical works became known as
humanists. These humanists became popular throughout Italy in the mid A.D.
1300s.
Florence

The city-state of Florence in Italy was the location where the Italian
Renaissance began. This city was ruled by a wealthy family known as the
Medici family. The Medici’s were effective leaders.

Florence became one of the

wealthiest cities in all of
Western Europe. The Medici
Family were avid supporters
of the humanities. They
donated money to help
support the development of
the arts in their city. They
were an important reason
why the humanist movement
grew in strength and
popularity.
Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo was born near Florence, Italy in

1475. He died at the age of 89 years old in 1564.
Although his first love was sculpture, he was also
a incredible painter, artist and architect of the
Renaissance period.
His most famous painting was
the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,
where he painted many scenes
from the Bible. It took him four
years to complete his painting.
His most famous sculpture was David. The
statue shows David ready to fight the giant
Goliath. This statue is made out of marble.
Michelangelo has depicted David before the
battle. Davis is tense, but not so much in a
physical as in a mental sense. The slingshot he
carries over his shoulder is almost invisible,
emphasizing that David's victory was one of
cleverness, not sheer force.
 He also sculpted Moses which
Michelangelo felt that was his most life-
like creation. Legend has it that upon its
completion he struck the right knee
commanding, “Now speak!" as he felt
that life was the only thing left inside the
marble. There is a scar on the knee
thought to be the mark of Michelangelo's
hammer.

In 1546, Michelangelo was appointed

architect of St’s Peter Basilica in the Vatican,
and designed its dome.
Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo (1452 – 1519) was a Florentine artist,

one of the great masters of the High
Renaissance, who was also celebrated as a
painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and
scientist. His profound love of knowledge and
research was the keynote of both his artistic
and scientific endeavors.

His innovations in the field of painting

influenced the course of art for more than a
century after his death, and his scientific
studies—particularly in the fields of
anatomy, optics, and hydraulics—
anticipated many of the developments of
modern science.
Although Leonardo produced a
relatively small number of paintings,
he was nevertheless an
extraordinarily innovative and
influential artist.
The Giaconda Leonardo's most
famous work, is as well known for its
mastery of technical innovations as
for the mysteriousness of its
legendary smiling subject. This work
is a consummate example of two
techniques—sfumato and
chiaroscuro. Sfumato is characterized
by subtle transitions between color
areas, creating a delicately
atmospheric haze or smoky effect; it
is especially evident in the enigmatic
smile. Chiaroscuro is the technique of
modeling and defining forms through
contrasts of light and shadow.
Leonardo's many extant drawings, which
reveal his brilliant draftsmanship and his
mastery of the anatomy of humans, animals
and plant life may be found in the principal
European collections.
As a scientist Leonardo towered
above all his contemporaries. His
scientific theories, like his artistic
innovations, were based on careful
observation and precise
documentation. Leonardo actually
anticipated many discoveries of
modern times.

In anatomy he studied the circulation of

blood and the action of the eye. He
made discoveries in meteorology and
geology, learned the effect of the moon
on the tides, and surmised the nature of
fossil shells. He invented a large number
of ingenious machines. His flying
devices, although not practicable,
embodied sound principles of
aerodynamics.
Raphael Sanzi

Raphael was an Italian painter and

architect of the Italian Renaissance.
Raphael is best known for his
Madonnas and for his large figure
compositions in the Vatican in Rome.
The decoration of the Stanza della
Segnatura was perhaps Raphael's
greatest work. The four main fresco
walls in the Stanza are occupied by
the Disputa, Parnassus, Cardinal
Virtues and School of Athens.

The School of Athens (above) is a complex allegory of philosophy, showing Plato

and Aristotle surrounded by philosophers, past and present, in a splendid
architectural setting; it illustrates the historical continuity of Platonic thought. The
School of Athens is perhaps the most famous of all Raphael's frescoes, and one of
the culminating artworks of the High Renaissance. The general effect of the fresco
is one of majestic calm, clarity, and equilibrium.
Venice

By the late A.D. 1500s the

center of the Renaissance in
Italy began to shift from Rome
to the more wealthy city-state
of Venice. Venice was located
in the Mediterranean Sea
among hundreds of tiny islands
on the northeast edge of the
Many in Venice grew wealthy, which allowed
Italian Peninsula. Its location
them to afford the finer pleasures of art, and
made it ideal for trade.
the humanities. Their money attracted the
attention of many of the artists, writers, and
scholars in Rome. There was more money in
Venice than in Rome, and as a result, it was
easier for a humanist to make a living in
Venice.
Venice quickly became world famous for the
high quality of art and literature that they
were producing.
The Northern Renaissance

By the late A.D. 1400s the Renaissance was

in full swing in the Italian Peninsula. As a
result of the Renaissance, the Italian
economy had grown stronger, and the living
standards of those in the region had been
greatly improved. As other people in
Western Europe visited Italy they became
fascinated with their ways of life, their
Erasmus of Rotterdam
culture, art, literary works, and customs.
In A.D. 1494 the French invaded Italy. They brought a number of Italian
artists and scholars back to France. Among them was an artist by the name
of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Soon many other monarchies including the English, Spanish, Germany, and
even as far away as the Netherlands were actively employing humanists in
their courts to help improve life. They adopted many of the beliefs of the
humanists in Italy, but also modified them to suit their own needs and
circumstances.
The English Renaissance

One of the last places to be reached by the Renaissance was the English
countryside.
England was locked in a bloody civil war
known as the War of The Roses. In the late
A.D. 1400s this civil war was ended, and
the Tudor family began to rule the nation.
The newly enthroned king Henry VII
invited Italian humanists to join his court,
and teach his people. The Renaissance in
England focused much more on literary
works than in other areas. One of the
most famous playwrights during this time
period was a man named William
Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote
immensely popular plays that were
attended by thousands of people.
The Spanish Renaissance

The Renaissance in Spain

emerged from the Italian
Renaissance and spread out to
Spain during the 15th and 16th
centuries. The year 1492, during
the reign of the Catholic Kings, is
commonly accepted as the
beginning of the influence of the
Renaissance in Spain.

This new focus in art, literature and science, inspired by Classical antiquity
and especially the Greco-Roman tradition, receives the transcendental
impulse in this year by various successive historical events, as the
unification of the longed-for Christian kingdom (with the definitive taking
of Granada and the successive expulsions of thousands of Muslim and
Jewish believers) or the official discovery of the America.
Spanish Humanists
Bartolomé de las Casas (1474-
1566) defended that force does
not have to be used against the
native people. Francisco de
Vitoria (1483-1546), professor of
Salamanca, was among the first
in establishing the basic concepts
of the modern human rights.
Among the most important
artists in the Spanish
Renaissance, there are important
writers, as Jorge Manrique,
Garcilaso de la Vega, Fray Luis de
Leon and the Spanish mystics
San Juan de la Cruz and Santa
Teresa de Jesús.
The Spanish humanist Miguel Servet
(1511 –1553) was the first European to
describe the function of blood
circulation. His interests included many
sciences: mathematics, astronomy and
meteorology, geography, human
anatomy, medicine and pharmacology.
He is renowned in the history of
several of these fields, particularly
medicine and theology. He participated
in the Protestant Reformation.
Condemned by Catholics and
Protestants alike, he was arrested and
burnt at the stake as a heretic by order
of the Protestant Geneva governing
council.
Spanish Renaissance Art
The most important painter in Spanish Renaissance was El Greco (1541 – 1614)
who was born in Crete. His style reflects elements of Mannerism and of the
Venetian Renaissance. In 1577, he moved to Toledo, where he lived and
worked until his death.
El Greco's style, which was not appreciated until the 20th century, is regarded
as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism. He is best known for
tortuously elongated figures and often fantastic or phantasmagorical
pigmentation.

Caballero con la mano en el pecho Entierro del Conde Orgaz

Entierro del Conde Orgaz
Spanish renaissance architecture

In Spain there was a specifically Spanish

Renaissance, that brought the influence of
South Italian architecture, mixed with Gothic
tradition and local idiosyncrasy. The new
style is called Plateresque, because of the
extremely decorated facades, that brought
to the mind the decorative motifs of the
intricately detailed work of silversmiths, the
“Plateros”.
The Palacio del Infantado, in Guadalajara, is a good example of this mix of
gothic, mudejar and mendocino style influences.
As decades passed, the Gothic influence disappeared and the research of an
orthodox classicism reached high levels. From the mid 16th century, under such
architects as Pedro Machuca, Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera there
was a much closer adherence to the art of ancient Greece and Rome. A new
style emerged with the work of Juan Bautista de Toledo, and Juan de Herrera in
the Escorial: the Herrerian style, extremely sober and naked.
 University of Alcalá de Henares,
by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón

El Escorial (by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera)

University of Salamanca

Hostal de los Reyes Católicos en Santiago (by Enrique Egas)

The Reformation
As the Renaissance spread throughout Europe the standard of living among
Europeans greatly improved. As this happened, more people could afford to
have their children receive a formal education. With more people being able to
read and write, the number of individuals who read the bible increased.
Many began to criticize the Catholic Church
for its abuses. There were many people who
felt that the practices and teachings of the
Church were not consistent with the
teachings found in the scriptures. The result
was what historians call the Protestant
Reformation.
The protestant reformation gathered
support, beginning with the efforts of a
German monk born in A.D. 1483. This
monk’s name was Martin Luther.
Martin Luther

Martin Luther dedicated his life to learning and

teaching theology. The more he studied, the more
he felt that the Catholic Church had gone astray.
He collected a list of 95 different points of doctrine
where he felt that the Church was incorrect.
On October 31st, 1517 Martin wrote these 95
points of doctrine on a placard, which he nailed to
the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg,
Germany. These 95 points of doctrine were copied
and sent throughout Germany, resulting in the
Catholic Church loosing out on the collection of
money that they collected in exchange for
indulgences. The sale of indulgences was one of
the 95 practices that Martin Luther disagreed with.
This practice allowed people to buy forgiveness for
their sins.
As the money from the sale of indulgences greatly declined, Pope Leo X grew
upset, and sent convoys to Martin Luther in an attempt to get him to recant
his disagreement. Martin Luther refused to do so stating that he had an
obligation to God to do what he felt was right.
By A.D. 1520 the
Catholic Church had had
enough. They declared
Martin Luther a heretic.
A crime punishable by
death. Luther escaped
and went into hiding,
where he translated the
Bible into German.
Martin Luther founded a
new religion known as
Lutheranism.
As Lutheranism gained influence in Germany religious leaders in the
neighboring country of Switzerland began a reformation of their own.
Unlike Martin Luther, however, these leaders wanted to establish a religious
theocracy, or a government, based on their new religion. The first of these
leaders was a man named Zwingli. Zwingli established his theocracy in the city
of Zurich. His government successfully ruled the city for six years. Then in A.D.
1531 a Catholic army of 8,000 soldiers conquered and overthrew them.
In the mid A.D. 1500s another religious leader by the
name of John Calvin began working to bring about
reform in the Catholic Church. By A.D. 1541 John
Calvin had managed to setup his theocracy in Geneva.
The city government forced all citizens to attend
church several times a week, and had very strict rules
about what people could and could not do.
According to this doctrine, certain people were
predestined to heaven, while others were
predestined to hell. They believed that an individual
could do nothing to change their predestination:
calvinism.
The Church of England

The protestant movement arrived in England after the Pope would not grant
King Henry VIII Tudor the right to divorce his wife Catherine.
After being denied the right to
divorce, King Henry VIII convinced
Parliament to declare the Church in
England separate from that of the
Catholic Church, and to place himself
at the head of the Church. It would
be name the Anglican Church.
After becoming the head of the newly
formed church, King Henry VIII
granted his divorce. He married Anne
Boleyn. After she failed to produce a
male heir, King Henry VIII had her
executed on charges of treason. He
would marry four more times, and
would have only one son, who would
rule as King Edward VI.
Edward would only rule for a short time, and would die in A.D. 1553. Following
his death Henry’s Catholic daughter came to the throne. Her name was Mary.
Queen Mary attempted to use
fear and death to bring the
Catholic Church back into
England. After putting many
people to death, she became
known as Bloody Mary.
Queen Mary was overthrown by
her half-sister Elizabeth I. Queen
Elizabeth was protestant, and
helped to strengthen the Church
of England. She brought all the
people together by making the
Church of England more like the
Catholic Church, while still
maintaining it as a separate
church.
The Counter Reformation

In Spain and Italy, where Spanish

power posed a significant block to
Protestantism, the internal reform of
the Catholic Church was pushed
forward by the foundation of many
new religious Orders devoted to
charitable and evangelical work in the
lay world, as well as by the Society of
Jesus (Jesuits) founded by Ignatius
Loyola in 1534, during the reign of
Charles V.
Within the Catholic Church, the resistance to Protestantism was a priority.
The Council of Trent, held between 1545 and 1563, prohibited reunion with
protestants, and a series decrees aimed at reforming the clergy and church
organization was issued.
Although the pronouncements of
the Council of Trent were not
immediately translated into
actions, the Council signaled that
the Catholic Church was to become
an evangelical movement, seeking
to win converts both among
heretics in Europe and the
“pagans” of the overseas world.
Crucial in this process was the
growing identification between the
Catholic Church and absolute
monarchs.
In France a resurgence of
Catholic piety and
fundamentalism eventually put
a limit to any further expansion
of Protestantism. In 1685
around 200,000 Protestants
(Huguenots) were forced to
convert to Catholicism.
In the Netherlands a Calvinist
minority seized power in 1572
but had to fight a prolonged
war with Spain which was to
last until 1648.
In Germany the Peace of Augsburg (1555) began to break down. Some princes
converted to Calvinism in defiance of the Peace, and the spread of Catholic
evangelism created enormous tension in Europe, culminating in the start of the
Thirty Years War (1618-1648).
By the end of the war in 1648, when the Treaty of Wesphalia recognized a new
order in Europe, Catholicism had been re-established in France, Poland,
Hungary and Bohemia.