The Northern Renaissance as a whole

The Courtier

1. According to Castiglione, what physical attributed befitted a courtier?*Medium height, well proportioned, nimble, strong, light, and quick

2. Why did a courtier need to handle different kinds of weapons skillfully?

* to be ready to fight in war, and to defend himself in a fight with another gentleman

3. Why did Castiglione feel a courtier should engage in such activities as hunting, swimming, and tennis?

* to be better prepared to fight in war, to demonstrate his skill and distinguish himself, to become physically fit, and to fit in with nobles at court.

The Prince

1. Take 5 minutes to share your cause and effect chart with the person sitting next to you

2. Write a numbered list of tips for princes who want to gain fame and public approval1. Set a good example

2. Do great deeds

3. Encourage excellence

4. Foster peace

5. Reward success

6. Respect citizens/ subjects

How was Northern Humanism spread?

By the learning imported by students returning to the Netherlands from Italy

The French invasions of ItalyOccurred between 1495- 1559

What happened during the French invasions of Italy?

A general struggle for power and territory among the Italian city- states and European monarchies (France, England, Holy Roman Empire, Scotland)

Included an increased number of alliances, counter- alliance and betrayal

How did these invasions start?

Ludovico (Il Moro) Sforza, of Milan, asked the French king, Charles VIII to aid him when Milan was challenged by Italian city- state rivals Naples, Florence and the Borgia Pope Alexander VI (who ruled the papal states).

Charles VIII responded with an invasion of Florence and Naples.

When Piero de Medici attempted to appease Charles VIII, Girolamo Savanorola helped agitate the Florentines, and they exiled Piero.

Louis XII, Charles’s successor, eventually invaded Milan in 1499

What is the conclusion of these invasions?

Italy’s political power declinesThe states of Italy, which had wielded power disproportionate to their size during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, were reduced to second-rate powers or destroyed entirely.

France fought too many wars in Italy and outspent itself

By the end of the wars in 1559, Habsburg Spain had been established as the premier power of Europe, to the detriment of France.

Witnesses to Italy’s political decline

Da Vinci

Raphael

Michelangelo

Niccolo Machiavelli

Important Northern Renaissance Writers

Desiderious Erasmus (1466- 1536)

The most famous of northern Renaissance writers

Tried to unite the classical ideal of civic virtue with Christian ideals

His works included opposition to church involvement in government and satirized (ridiculed) religious superstition.

Produced a Greek edition of the New Testament (1516)

Also wrote, Praise of Folly in which he made fun of greedy merchants, heart sick lovers, argumentative lovers and pompous (arrogant) priests

Thomas More (1478- 1535)

English humanistGood friends with Erasmus.Best known for Utopia, a critique of society that envisioned an imaginary society based on tolerance and communal property.Wrote in Latin

Women and the Northern Renaissance

Most Europeans at this time could not read and write.Those who could afford schooling sent their sons

Christine de PizanSpoke out against the practice of sending only boys to school

Very educated

Was one of the first women to earn a living by writing

Mostly wrote about men’s objection to teaching women

Ex: The Book of the City of Ladies

Printing Press

History of Writing:

• 2700 B.C. Egyptians write books on papyrus scrolls

• 1000 B.C. Chinese make books by writing on strips of bamboo

• A.D. 300 Romans write on sheets of parchment (treated animal skin)

• A.D. 800 Irish monks hand- write and hand- illustrate The Book of Kells

Life Before the Printing Press

Kings and princes had encouraged schools and literacy to help provide educated bureaucrats to staff the offices of their kingdoms.

By the 15th century a new literate lay public had been created thanks to the expansion of schools and universities during the late Middle Ages.

Demand for cheap books and expansion of lay education led to the creation of the Gutenberg Printing Press.

Printing Press

Gutenberg Printing Press

Johan Gutenberg invents the printing press in the German city of Mainz, the center of printing for the whole of Western Europe.

Printing had existed, but this was the first time movable components were incorporated.

Popular books in the early decades of print were books of

Religion

Calendars

How to books

Printing Press cont.

About 1455 Gutenberg prints the first complete book on a printing press it is known as the Gutenberg Bible.

By 1500 printing presses operated in at least 60 German cities and in more than 200 cities throughout Europe.

The printing press was a boon (advantage) to the careers of humanists, who now gained international audiences.

Effects of the invention

Standardized texts enabled a print revolution which made anyone who could read an instant authority

Rulers and the church were now dealing with a less naïve, (innocent) audiences.

Print became a powerful tool for political and religious propaganda

Kings could now instruct people more easily

Clergymen were now able to mass produce both indulgences and pamphlets.

Elizabethan Age

Renaissance reaches England in the mid 1500s

It is known as the “Elizabethan Age” after Queen Elizabeth I who reigned from 1558- 1603

Among the most famous English writers was William Shakespeare, many regard him as the greatest playwright of all time

Revered the classics and drew on them for inspiration and plots

Works display a masterful command of the English language and deep understanding of human beings

Many of his plays examine human flaws