the English renaissance
Overview
- The Renaissance period in Europe and in England was 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 writings of ancient Greece and Rome.
● The Catholic Church was challenged on a number of fronts.
● By the end of the 1500s, the Church had lost its position as the supreme moral and political power in Europe.
The Renaissance Period
● The term Renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth.
● Initially, it began in Florence, Italy, in the 1300s.
● In England, as in much of northern Europe, Renaissance forces flowered later than in Italy.
A Flourish of Genius
● Extraordinary people flourished in this period: ○ Artists such as:
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Hans Holbein ○ Explorers such as Ferdinand Magellan ○ Scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei
The 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.
The Protestant Reformation
● The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s.
● It was a reaction to the corruption and abuses of the medieval Catholic Church.
● It had a huge impact on European society, culture, and politics.
Martin Luther & The Protestant Reformation
● 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.
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.
● Reigned from 1509, until his death in 1547.
● He mostly battled with the Church for authority and worried about producing an heir for England.
● Henry was a true Renaissance man—a poet, musician, athlete, hunter, and supporter of humanistic learning.
● 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 “The Nine Days’ Queen”
● 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 I
● 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: Characteristics and Writers
● 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.
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