Chapter 17

Transformation of the WEST 1400 - 1750

Social, Culture, Commerce, and Political changes

As the economy and society changed, new ideas began to appear. This period of interest and developments in art, literature, science and learning is known as the Renaissance, French for “rebirth.”

• Venetian ships carried goods for trade and Greek scholars seeking refuge

• Scholars brought ancient works thought to be lost

Inspiration from the Ancients • Italians who could read

looked for more information

• Read Arabic translations of original texts

• Searched libraries, found lost texts

New World of Ideas

• As they read, began to think about philosophy, art, science in different ways

• Began to believe in human capacity to create, achieve

Different Viewpoints

Renaissance Ideas

Renaissance Values

Humanism – study of human beings and human potential

•Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures•The Renaissance Man

-An ideal individual who tried to master every area of study

How to Act• Italian diplomat Baldassare Castiglione wrote book, The Courtier• Described how perfect Renaissance gentleman, gentlewoman should act• Book includes fictional conversation between duke, guests

How to Rule• Philosopher, statesman Niccolò Machiavelli also wrote influential book• Experiences with violent politics influenced opinions on how governments should

rule in The Prince

Castiglione’s Advice• Castiglione gave nobles new rules for refined behavior in humanist society• Speak of serious, as well of amusing subjects; know Latin, Greek• Be well-acquainted with poetry, history; be able to write prose, poetry

Examples of Renaissance Men

Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519

• He was a writer, painter, sculptor, engineer, and an architect

• “The Renaissance Man”

Self-Portrait (c. 1512)

Renaissance Art

• Highly talented in all fields • His paintings are still studied and admired• Wrote out ideas, filling 20,000 pages of notes• His interests, enthusiasm boundless

• Studied anatomy • Age 24, won fame with Pietà, sculpture

of Jesus’ mother Mary holding son’s dead body

• Sculpture communicates grief, love, acceptance, immortality

Michelangelo• Marble statue of David• Most famous painting, artwork on

ceiling of Sistine Chapel• Scenes from Old Testament considered

one of greatest achievements in art history

Sculpture, Painting

Leonardo da Vinci

Michelangelo Buonarotti 1475-1564

• He was a painter, sculptor, and an architect

• Most successful painter of Renaissance

Self-Portrait

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512)

Raphael (1483-1520)

• Influenced by Leonardo Da Vinci

• Famous work is School of Athens

School of Athens, 1510-1511

Civic Humanism

• Niccolo Machiavelli– The Prince, 1513– Questions the motives

of rulers– “Ends justify the

means”

Machiavelli

Machiavellian advice seemed to encourage harsh treatment of citizens, rival states

• Describes men as “ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers” • Advises rulers to separate morals from politics

– Power, ruthlessness more useful than idealism– Ruler must do whatever necessary to maintain political power, even if

cruel

• Machiavelli’s theory that “the end justifies the means” deviated from accepted views of correct behavior

• Idea that state an entity in itself, separate from its ruler, became foundation for later political philosophy

• Roots traced to work of Dante; work contained glimpses of what would become focus on human nature

• Historians believe Renaissance began with two humanists who lived after Dante—Giovanni Boccaccio, Francesco Petrarch

• Both wrote literature in everyday language not Latin

• Advances were made in medicine, as well as astronomy

Roots• Interest in ancient Greek, Roman

culture• Characteristics of good education• Scholastic education gave way to

classics: rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, Latin, Greek

• Subjects came to be known as humanities, movement they inspired known as humanism

• Humanists emphasized individual accomplishment

Humanities

Humanism

• Early 1500s life in Italy seemed insecure, precarious• Church no longer served as source of stability, peace• Form of humanism developed from Petrarch’s ideas; focus was secular, was worldly

rather than spiritual

• Humanists argued that individual achievement, education could be fully expressed only if people used talents, abilities in service of cities.

Service • Ideal Renaissance man came to be

“universal man,” accomplished in classics, but also man of action, who could respond to all situations.

Renaissance Man

Secular Writers

Literary Humanism

• Petrarch– Father of Humanism

• William Shakespeare– English writer 1564-1616– Focuses on human

character

• The Commercial Revolution Inflation, 16th century

• Gold, silver from New World

• Demand outstrips supply

Commercialization

Calls for Church Reform

• Reformation – many wanted to “reform” the Catholic church

• Many believed the church taxed people too heavily and spent lavishly

• Indulgences – sold by the church to reduce a punishment for sin

Martin Luther

• 1517 – challenged the Catholic Church and led a movement known as Protestantism (to Protest)

• Believed that only faith = salvation

• Ninety Five Theses – arguments against indulgences (Wittenberg)

• Excommunicated by Pope

• Created his own denomination (branch)

Lutheranism 1.Faith in Jesus, not good works brings

salvation2.The Bible is the final source of truth about

god, not priests.3.Church is all believers, not just the clergy

John CalvinCalvinism – agreed w/ Luther but added some new

ideas• God decides everything in advance, including who

will go to heaven and hell: Predestination• To prove they were “chosen” people lived good lives

and worked hard• Kings couldn’t run the church• Became the Puritans• Believed in theocracy-church led government

Counter Reformation1500s & 1600s Catholic Church set out to defeat

Protestantism = Counter – Reformation• Bloody wars were fought until 1648• Pope Paul III formed the Council of Trent to fix the

Catholic Church defined Church teachings in the areas of

Scripture and TraditionOriginal Sin Justification Sacramentsthe Eucharist in Holy Mass the veneration of saints

• Jesuits – Society of Jesus, pope’s agents to spread Catholicism

• Catholic kings sent missionaries to convert

Pope Paul III

More Counter Reformation• The Thirty Years’ War-worst religious war of the

Reformation – Protestants to the North of Europe, Catholics to the South of

Europe• The Spanish Inquisition – Catholic Court used to combat

heresy– Executed 2,000 Spaniards

• King Henry IV of France a Catholic king allowed French Protestants (Huguenots) to worship

Henry VIII King of England

• Ruled 1509 – 1547• 6 wives (2 divorces, 2 beheaded) because he wanted a

son• Pope refused his request for annulment, makes like the

marriage never happened• 1534 The Act of Supremacy declared the king head of

the Church of England not the popeResult - The Anglican Church

Back and Forth in England

• Henry’s daughter Mary becomes queen in 1553 and restores Catholicism

• Arrested Protestants and had 300 burned at the stake, “Bloody Mary”

• After 5 years Mary died, her half-sister takes the throne--Elizabeth

• Queen Elizabeth I – restored the Anglican Church and became a great leader

Mary Elizabeth I

Scientific Information• Humanists searched archives, Arab

translations for classical texts• Discovered wealth of scientific

information

Scientific Challenges• Science soon became important

avenue of inquiry• Church’s teachings about world were

challenged, particularly that Earth center of universe

Natural World• Focus of Renaissance on human

sciences, history, politics, geography• New ideas about natural world began

to be explored also

Earth, Sun• Nicholas Copernicus said Sun was center of

universe• Johannes Kepler –explained planetry

motions; “celestial mechanics” as natural laws.

• Galileo Galilei arrested by church officials for saying Earth orbited Sun

Science of the Renaissance

Absolutism in France

• Louis XIV (1643-1715) believed the monarch personified the state

• Absolutism was created under Cardinal Mazarin who secularized France and fostered loyalty to the French state

Reign of Louis XIV

• Used intendants (general director) to limit the power of the nobility

• Mercantilism was used to increase the wealth of France– Jean Baptiste Colbert1. improved the state of French manufacturing2. Saved the economy from bankruptcy due to war

• Colonization– Canada

• Built the Palace of Versailles to demonstrate his power and limit the power of the nobility

Peter the Great

• Ruled 1696-1725• Modernized Russia

through Westernization• Expanded Russia to

Pacific• Taxed his subjects

heavily to pay for his projects

Russian Empire after PtG

Philip II of Spain

• Ruled Spain (1556-1598) when the empire was at its height

• Devout Catholic• Centralized royal power• Married Mary I of England• Invaded England with Spanish

Armada in 1588

Frederick II of Prussia(“The Enlightened despot”

Absolute ruler of Prussia (1740-1786) Unified Prussia, part of the Holy Roman Empire,

into one nation Built on of Europe’s most powerful militaries Supported the Enlightenment

1. modernized the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service

2. promoted religious tolerance throughout his realm3. patronized the arts and philosophers and wrote

flute music

Maria Theresa of Austria

• Absolute monarch of Austria (1740-1780)

• Enlightened Despot

• Eased taxes and gave more rights to her subjects

• Gave birth to 16 children while in power

-modernised the empire by creating a standing army

of 108,000 men

17th Century England

• James I (1603-1625) supported absolute rule• Charles I (1625-1649) fought with Parliament

over money for his wars with Spain• Dissolved Parliament in 1629 starting the

English Civil War between supporters of Charles and supporters of Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

• Oliver Cromwell: Lord Protector – England

• Ruled through the army instead of Parliament

• Exiled Catholics to Ireland• Strict Puritan laws passed – theaters

closed, Sunday set aside for worship, no lewd dancing, taverns or gambling

• When Cromwell died, Restoration began.

The Restoration

• Charles II (1660-1685) learned the lessons of his predecessors – don’t mess with Parliament

• James II (1685-1688) was an unpopular king– Returned to Absolutism– Antagonized Parliament– Ran up a huge debt– Openly Catholic

• Forced from throne in what came to be called the Glorious Revolution.

The Glorious Revolution (1688)

• William of Orange, the Dutch monarch was asked by the English people to depose their king, James II

• Parliament now reigned supreme

• The Bill of Rights (1689) outlined the powers and rights of Parliament

English Bill of Rights of 1689 • Guaranteed supremacy of Parliament over

the monarchy• Monarchy could neither make nor suspend

laws• Trial by jury reinstated• Affirmed “writ of habeas corpus” – no person

can be held in prison without first being charged with a specific crime. Due process of laws

• Laid groundwork for American system of laws

The Enlightenment

• Application of the scientific method to social problems

• Parallel to the scientific awakening• Foundation of Classical art and music

– The world behaves according to patterns and these ought to be obeyed

Basic Premises

• Scientific method can answer fundamental questions about society

• Human race can be educated and all people are important– Emergence of the middle class

• Belief in God based on reason

Growth of DeismDeists believe that a creator god does exist, but that after the motions of the universe were set in place he retreated

• Intellectuals believe in God but see him as a "watchmaker"

• Deists skeptical of organized religion– Catholic church was attacked

• Deists struggle with personal standards• Denial of “divine providence” (Voltaire) disputed

by others (Pope, Rousseau)• Denial of evil

Thomas Hobbes

•Empiricism"All that is real is material, and what is not material is not real." – Hobbes

Government"[Early man was] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short... [and in a constant state of] war, [living in] continual fear and danger of violent death.“ – Leviathan

Absolute monarchy sent by God to help mankindHobbes' concepts used to justify colonialization

• Government– Second treatise of

Civil Government– Chaos without

government• God gave

mankind natural rights

– Life, liberty, pursuit of property

• Innate goodness of mankind led to formation of governments

• Governments, which were formed by the people, must guarantee the rights of the people

– People have a right to rebel against tyrannies

John Locke

John Locke

• Theory of Knowledge– Essay Concerning Human Understanding– Reasoning puts man above animals– Rejected concept that ideas are innate

• Tabula rasa

– Outer ideas from experience– Inner ideas from contemplation– Mankind can attain all knowledge

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Contest: "Does progress in the arts and sciences correspond with progress in morality?"

– No!– As civilizations progress,

they move away from morality

• Examples: Romans, Greeks, Egyptians

• Civilization itself leads away from true fundamentals

• Technology and art give false desires

• Social Contract– monarchs not divinely empowered

to legislate; as Rousseau asserts, only the people, in the form of the sovereign, have that all-powerful

right.

• Pen name• Critical of Catholic church• Influenced others by letters• Denied writings to avoid problems

Exiled to England for a while

Returned to live on Swiss border

• Attacks on the established Catholic Church, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state

Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet)

Summary of Rousseau's Teachings

Old System (Powerful Ruler or Chaos)

New System (Social Contract Concepts)

Instinct Justice

Strength and intelligence

People equal on moral rights

Might Right

Natural inclinations Reason

Personal liberty Civil liberty

Denis Diderot

Encyclopedia-Teach people how to think critically-Solicited articles from many experts-Controversial articles brought criticism-Overall, moved forward the ideas of Enlightenment

Scottish professor-Wealth of Nation-Devised capitalism-Laissez Faire la nature

Adam Smith