Brit Lit, Unit 3

Why are historical periods inexact and generally unknown to all the people who live during them?

They are named later by historians to describe general trends rather than precise beginnings and endings.

What does renaissance mean? (Writing)

French word meaning “rebirth.”

What kinds of creative people lived and worked in Italy during the Renaissance?

Artists (Da Vinci), explorers (Magellan), and scientists (Galileo).

Name two major effects of the invention of the printing press with movable type.

Books became easier and cheaper to make, and more books became available for people to read. Literacy increased and ideas spread quickly.

Why were Martin Luther’s teachings considered radical?

Martin Luther developed a personal form of Christianity not based on papal decrees.

In the mid-1500s, why were many people in England dissatisfied with the Church of England?

They felt that the church was not reformed enough, only a copy of Catholicism.

King Henry VIII of England be considered a “Renaissance man” because he…?

He was literary, musical, athletic, and scholarly.

Why was Edward (Henry’s youngest child) crowned King of England when Henry VIII died in 1547? (Writing)

According to laws of succession, a son had to be crowned first.

Why was Mary, Queen of Scots, a threat to Queen Elizabeth I and to Protestant England?

Elizabeth was a Protestant, and Mary was a Catholic. Mary was next in line for the throne and wanted to restore Catholicism.

What important event in England’s history occurred in 1588?

The defeat of the Spanish Armada.

The end of the England Renaissance was characterized by…?

Increasing interest in secular, rather than religious values.

Renaissance

\-Marked by a change in the way people thought about themselves and the world.

\-People became more interested in expanding their knowledge of history, art, science, and especially classical learning.

\-The Catholic Church was challenged on a number of fronts and eventually lost its power.

\-Started in Florence, Italy, and took a while to move to England.

Printing Press

\-The printing press significantly expanded the number and classes of readers.

\-Printing using woodblocks developed in China, Japan, and Korea by the 700s.

\-Moveable type was developed in China in the 1000s.

\-In the 1450s, Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, Germany developed a method of printing moveable type.

Martin Luther

\-Martin Luther was a German monk and Professor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg.

\-He is often considered the Father of the Reformation.

\-Luther’s religious teachings were based on his own interpretation of the Bible, not on the pope’s interpretations.

Oliver Cromwell was a…

Puritan

Henry VII

\-Usurped Richard III's throne, and became King of England from 1485, until his death in 1509.

\-He was a diplomatic king who avoided wars at all cost.

\-He restored the power and stability of the monarchy and replenished the fortunes of an effectively bankrupt exchequer.

Henry VIII

\-Reigned from 1509, until his death in 1547.

\-He mostly battled with the Church for authority and worried about producing an heir for England.

\-Despite the controversies of his reign, Henry left an important legacy.

Edward VI

\-Edward became king at the age of nine when his father died in 1547.

\-His short reign was dominated by nobles using his minority to strengthen their own positions.

\-During Edward's reign, the Church of England became more explicitly Protestant.

\-He died at the age of fifteen in 1553.

Lady Jane Grey

\-Lady Jane was an English noblewoman and de facto Queen of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.

\-She was first an unknowing and then an unwilling pawn in a political coup orchestrated by Edward VI's regent.

\-Lady Jane was beheaded in 1554.

Mary I

\-Mary I was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death in 1558.

\-She is best known for her strong Catholicism and vigorous attempt to reverse the English Protestant Reformation.

\-Her religious persecution of Protestants earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary” among subsequent generations.

Elizabeth I

\-She was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in 1603.

\-She was the last monarch of the Royal House of Tudor.

\-She restored law and order to a kingdom torn by fierce religious feuds.

\-She restored England to Protestantism.

\-She was intelligent, witty, very well well-educated, politically shrewd, and skilled in the art of self-preservation.

\-Elizabeth foiled several plots against her life (e.g., the Babington Plot of 1586).

\-In 1588, aided by bad weather, the English navy scored a great victory over the Spanish Armada.

\-The image of Elizabeth's reign is one of triumph and success.

\-She was succeeded by King James VI of Scotland.

James I

\-He was King of Scotland as James VI from 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns in 1603 until his death in 1625.

\-His most important act of cultural patronage was the King James Bible (1611).

\-When he died in 1625, he left behind a weakened crown for his despotic son, Charles I.

Charles I

\-He was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until his death in 1649.

\-His authoritarian rule and quarrels with Parliament provoked a civil war that led to his execution in 1649.

\-The monarchy was subsequently abolished and the Commonwealth of England was established as a republic.

\-This period in which England was a republic, not a monarchy, is known as the Interregnum.

Oliver Cromwell

\-During the Interregnum period, England was governed by Parliament, and the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell (“Lord Protector”) from 1653 until 1658.

\-Cromwell allowed greater religious freedom for Protestants.

\-After his death in 1658, his son Richard succeeded him to become Lord Protector.

Charles II

\-He was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.

\-When Charles II emerged from exile to assume power, the Renaissance was ending, and England was a different country.

\-Two notable historical events occurred during his reign: Great Plague of London in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666

Literature in the Renaissance

\-Social mobility, the printing press, higher literacy, and eclectic sources encouraged the development of Renaissance literature.

\-Many words came into the English language from ancient Greek and Latin texts, with many more coming from contemporary Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

\-Poetry and drama were the most popular types of writing in English literature during the Renaissance.

\-William Shakespeare was the master of the dramatic genre during the Renaissance.