Italian Renaissance

Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance

  • Renaissance - rebirth of learning & culture

  • Reasons why it began in Italy

    • Italy had several important cities; most of Northern Europe was still rural

    • The cities had merchants and bankers who were becoming wealthy 

    • Italian artists and scholars were inspired by ruins and reminders of classical Rome

  • Interest in classics led to humanism

    • Didn’t try to connect the classics to Christian teachings but tried to understand them on their own

    • In art, the figures resemble ancient Greek or Roman statues. 

  • Powerful people showed interest in worldly things by hiring artists, writers, & musicians

  • Renaissance men - could master any field of study or work

    • Leonardo da Vinci - painter, scientist, inventor



Northern Renaissance

  • After the plague, the ideas of the Renaissance in Italy began to spread northward

  • Northern Ren was different

    • Educated ppl continued interest in classical learning but were more likely to combine that with interest in religious ideas and everyday life

  • Writers of the N Ren combined humanism with deep Christian faith

    • They urged reforms in the Church and society

    • Thomas More, Utopia - means “no place” has come to mean an ideal place

    • Erasmus, The Praise of Folly - poked fun at greedy merchants, heartsick lovers, quarrelsome scholars, and pompous priests

  • Elizabthean Era

    • Northern Ren is known as the Elizabethan era in England

    • It spread to England in the mid-1500’s

  • William Shakespeare

    • The most famous writer of the Elizabethan age was Shapespeare

  • Printing press was made in this time period










Protestant Reformation

  • Causes of reformation

    • Social

      • The Ren values of humanism and secularism led people to question the church

      • The printing press helped to spread the ideas of the Church

    • Political

      • Powerful monarchs challenged the Church as the supreme power in Europe

      • Many leaders viewed the pope as a foreign ruler and challenged his authority

    • Economic

      • European princes and kings were jealous of the Church’s wealth

      • Merchants and others resented having to pay taxes to the Church

    • Religious

      • Some Church leaders had become worldly and corrupt

      • Many people found Church practices such as the sale of indulgences unacceptable

  • Johan Tetzel tried to sell indulgences to build a church

    • In response to this, Luther wrote 95 Theses and posted them on the church in Wittenberg

    • Some took it and copied it, which spread it through Europe

    • This began the Reformation

  • Luther’s Teachings

    • People can win salvation only by faith in God’s gift of forgiveness

    • All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible

    • All people in fatih are equal– therefore they do not need priests to interpret the Bible for them

  • Response to Luther

    • The Pope excommunicated Luther

    • Edict of Worms

      • Issued by Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor)

      • Declared Luther an outlaw and a heretic

      • No on in the empire was to give Luther food or shelter







Protestantism Spreads

  • Henry VIII

    • Henry was once given the title “Defender of the Faith”

    • Henry wanted a son - he needed an heir

      • Wants to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, she gave him a daughter, Mary, but no son

      • The pope didn’t want to offend HRE Charles V

      • Henry asked Parliament to pass a set of laws to end the pope’s power in England

      • Henry secretly married Anne Boleyn, soon after, Parliament legalized his divorce to Catherine

    • By 1534 Henry completely broke from the pope when Parliament approved Act of Supremacy

    • After Henry’s death, Edward VI becomes king. Protestantism in England continues. 

    • After Edward, Mary I “Bloody Mary” reigned. Catholicism returns to England

    • When Mary died, Elizabeth I came to power. Protestantism returns

  • Elizabeth

    • Elizabeth completed the task of creating a separate English church

      • The Church of England, or the Anglican Church

    • Elizabeth was the head of this church

    • It was the only legal church in England



The Reformation Continues

  • John Calvin

    • Calvinism

      • Taught that people are sinful by nature and only those God chooses will be saved

      • Created Predestination

      • Created a government run by religious leaders in Switzerland. Anyone preaching different religious ideas was burned at the stake

  • John Knox

    • Put Calvin’s ideas into practice in Scotland

    • Beginning of the Presbyterian Church

  • Huguenots

    • Calvinists in France

    • Were often persecuted

  • Anabaptists

    • Believed that people should be baptized into the faith as adults

    • Were persecuted by CAtholics and Protestants

    • Forerunners to Mennoites and Amish

    • Influenced Quakers and Baptists

  • The Council of Trent

    • Called to help bring about changes in the Church

  • The Council passed these doctrines:

    • The Church’s interpretation of the Bible was final

    • Christians needed good works as well as faith to win salvation

    • The Bible and the Church had equal authority in setting out Christian beliefs

    • Indulgences could be sold, selling false indulgences was banned






Europeans Seek New Trade Routes

  • For many years Europeans were isolated from contact from other lands

  • In 1400, they hoped to gain new courses of wealth

  • Wanted to find new routes to Asian to bypass Muslims and Italians in trading for spices and other items

  • The desire to spread Christianity was also a driving factor

    • Europeans believed it was their duty to convert non Christians around the world

  • New Technology made these voyages possible: new types of ships, magnetic compass


Portugal

  • The 1st nation to develop these technologies

  • Prince Henry was committed to the idea of exploration

    • He began a school of navigation

    • Was called “The Navigator”

  • Portuguese captains continued down the west coast of Africa

    • Barolomeu Dias

      • Led 1st voyage to reach the southern tip of Africa

    • Vasco da Gama

      • Led a journey along the African Coast

      • Eventually made it to Calicut, India

        • His sailors filled their ships with spices

      • He had discovered a new sea route to Asia

        • This allowed them to bypass the land routes



Spain

  • The Spanish had plans of their own

    • Christopher Columbus was convinced he could reach Asia by sailing west

      • 1492 he touched land in the islands of the Americas

        • 1st thought he had landed in the East Indies

      • Opened door to Europeans colonization in the Americas

  • Spain and Pogal argued over land claims in Asia

    • Treaty of Tordesillas

      • Divided the Atlantic Ocean

      • Line of Demarcation

        • Everything to the west of the line was for Spain; everything to the east for Portugal


Trading Empires in the Indian Ocean

  • Portugal’s Trading Empire

    • Portuguese trader moved in and took control of the spice trade from Muslim merchants

    • They strengthened their presence in the Indian Ocean and Middle Eastern coasts

    • They attacked and gained control of the Strait of Malacca/Malay PPeninsula

      • As a result, they gained control of the Spice Islands

      • This helped them to break the Muslim-Italian domination of trade from the East

        • Spices and other items became more accessible to Europeans (they were cheaper now)

  • Magellan

    • Port success attracted other European nations

    • Magellan (Spain) arrived in the Philippines

    • Spain claimed them and began settling then in 1565


Challenges to Portuguese Dominance

  • Around 1600, the British and Dutch began to challenge Portuguese dominance

    • The Dutch had declared independence from Spain in 1581

    • Shortly after, they became a leading sea power

    • Began to compete with the British for control of the Asian region

  • Both England and the Netherlands founded East India Companies

    • The Dutch East India Company was richer and more powerful than England’s company

    • Eventually, the DEIC drove out the British

  • European trades did take control of many port cities, but their impact rare;y spread beyond the ports

    • Although Europeans controlled the trade b/t Europe and Asia, they had very little impact on the people of Asia








China Limits European Contacts


China under the Ming Dynasty

  • Hongwu

    • 1st emperor of the Ming Dynasty

    • Increased the amount of food produced and improved irrigation

    • Made changes that improved the gov’t

  • Yonglo (Hongwu’s son)

    • Continued father’s policies

    • Made contact with other Asian peoples by sending Admiral Zheng He to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, Africa

      • Zheng He wanted to impress them with China’s power and wealth

        • Arrived with many large shops and distributed gifts to show superiority

        • More than 16 countries sent tribute to the Ming court

  • China allowed for Europeans to trade officially at only 3 ports

    • However, illegal trade took place along the coast b/c Europeans wanted Chinese silks and ceramics

    • Manufacturing and commerce increased, but China did not become highly industrialized

      • Commerce offended Confucian beliefs

        • Merchants were said to make $ by supporting “foreigners and robbery”

      • Chinese policies favored agriculture

        • Taxes were low on agriculture and skyrocketed on manufacturing and trade

  • This is also when European missionaries entered China, bringing Christianity and new technology




Qing Dynasty

  • Rulers from the Qing Dynasty helped to bring China to its largest size, increased its wealth, and sponsored an increase in artistic production

  • The Qing Dynasty had problems too

    • Chinese had certain rules Europeans had to follow to continue trading there

    • Dutch followed the rules

    • English did not

      • This led to future problems for the empire


Life in Ming and Qing China

  • There was general peace and prosperity

  • At this time food products and nutrition improved in China, therefore the population of China almost doubled

  • Women however suffered during this period

    • Sons were valued over daughters

    • Many infant girls were killed, and adult women were given few rights

    • Some were able to find work outside of the home

      • Midwives or textile workers

Japan returns to isolation

  • From 1467-1568 Japan was in a civil war

    • “Warring States” period

  • Powerful samurai seized old feudal states

    • They offered protection to chieftains, and daimyo, in return for loyalty

    • Daimyo became lords in a new kind of feudal system 

    • The emperor in Kyoto became a figurehead

  • The new feudal system resembles European feudalism in many ways

    • Daimyo has castles

    • Small armies of samurais served the daimyo

    • Rival daimyo fought each other for land 

    • Disorder and chaos ensued 

  • After time the daimyo tried to reunite Japan

  • Oda Nobunaga

    • Daimyo defeated his rivals in 1568

    • Moto: “Rule the empire by force”

    • He sought to kill his remaining enemies

    • In 1575, his 3000 soldiers defeated an enemy force of samurai cavalry

      • First-time firearms were used 

    • Did not unify Japan

    • Died in 1582

  • Toyotiimi Hideyoshi

    • Nobunaga’s best general

    • Continued his leader's mission

    • By 1590, he controlled most of the country

    • He had plans to conquer China but started with Korea

      • He fought to his death in 1598

      • Failed to reunite Japan

  • Tokugawa Ieyasu

    • One of Hideyoshi's strongest allies

    • Complete the unification of Japan

    • Defeated his rivals in the battle of Sekigahara

      • Earned him the loyalty of daimyo throughout Japan

      • Three years later he became the leader of Japan

    • Moved to a small fishing village called Edo

      • Eventually became Tokyo

    • Although Japan was unified, daimyo ruled Tokyo

      • To prevent rebellion Ieyasu required that they spend every other year in the capital

      • When they returned to their lands, they had to leave their families behind as hostages

      • Step toward restoring centralized gov’t in Japan

    • Leyasu founded the Tokugawa Shogunate which hold power until 1867

Life in Tokugawa Japan

  • Through Confucian ideals influenced society, agriculture was not treated as they were in China

    • Peasant farmers bore the main tax burdens

    • Many left their farms and headed to cities

  • Japan soon shifts from rural to urban

  • Opportunities for women grew but most still live at home

Contact between Europe and Japan

  • Europeans began arriving in Japan during the “warning state period”

    • Despite the wars, they welcomed them from Portuguese and other countries

  • Portuguese sailors washed ashore in 1543

    • Portuguese merchants soon followed

    • They brought many items 

      • Clocks, glasses, tobacco, firearms

  • Christian missionaries

    • Began arriving in 1549

      • Welcomed them because they thought that they were bringing firearms

        • They came to convert them instead

    • By 1600 300,000 Japanese converted

    • The success of the missionaries upset Tokugawa Leyasu

      • At first, he took no action

      • By 1612 he banned Christianity

      • He then focused on getting rid of Christians 

The closed country policy

  • At the beginning of European contact, there was no central gov’t

    • Eventually, the central gov’t did not like the European ideas

    • They did however value European traders

  • By 1639 they instituted a closed-country policy

    • Most commercial European contacts Ended 

    • Nagasaki remained open to foreign traders 

      • Only Chinese and Dutch

    • For more than 200 years, Japan was virtually closed to Europeans

      • Japanese people were not allowed to leave 

      • Japan became self-sufficient