The typical European peasant living in the sixteenth century would have been completely unaware of the slow political and social changes brewing in Europe, a period of time historians now refer to as the Renaissance. No one at the time could foresee the chains of circumstance that would free Europeans of their medieval mindset and bring them into the modern, forward-thinking era. While many individual events lead to this rebirth of art, education, and social reform, the source of these changes can be attributed to the rise of humanist thinkers. Many humanist inspired change throughout Europe most importantly including the increase of education and scientific discovery and the reform of the Catholic Church, ultimately loosening European’s dependency …show more content…
Despite the fact that Erasmus was a devout Christian, he disapproved of the forces of corruption present in the Church’s functions. He condoned the Church and enlightened the common folk about the Church’s misconduct through works of satire, attacking “priestly greed, the abuse of ex-communication, miracles, fasting, relic-mongering, and lechery in the monasteries” (Manchester 126). Another valuable player in the clash between humanism and the Catholic Church was Martin Luther. Luther was a monk who recognized the injustices in the Catholic Church and protested aragonite them, such as his ninety-five theses against indulgences. Many Europeans agreed with Luther’s stance and supported him in the Protestant Reformation, a split away from the corruptions of the Catholic Church. Following Luther’s influence this “early Protestant strength sprang from tradesmen; from anti-clericals; from the educated middle class, whose humanistic studies had convinced them that Catholicism was rooted in superstition” (Manchester 175). Therefore, humanists exposure of the Church’s misconduct weakened Europeans faith in the system, and broke them away from their dependency on the Church to live a purposeful
Throughout its history, Europe went through several periods of dynamic change. From the 16th to the 17th century, however, these changes took a drastic shift in both religious as well as educational standards. As clearly seen through the writings of both Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis and Thomas More’s Utopia, these changes reflected a deeper movement in human culture. Referred to as the Christian Humanist movement (16th c) and the Scientific Revolution (17th c), Bacon and More capture the heart of the movement and portray it to their audiences in utopian societies. These works, then, demonstrate not only the authors’ attitudes towards the monumental changes of their time, but also the dramatic shift in ideology in approximately one hundred years.
During the renaissance, there was a renewed interest in the arts, and the traditional views of society came into question. People began to explore the power of the human mind. A term often used to describe the increasing interest in the powers of the human mind is humanism. Generally, humanism stresses the individual's creative, reasoning, and aesthetic powers. However, during the Renaissance, individual ideas about humanism differed.
Humanism The introduction of the concept of humanism greatly affected the Renaissance. The Humanistic influence shaped Renaissance art, writing, education and thinkers, its ideas were spread among all aspects of life. Machiavelli’s writings during the Renaissance were also affected by the ideas of humanism. His ideas reflect the thoughts of humanism in the way he thought governments and societies should be organized.
The radical shift in European culture, covering almost a century and a half of the region’s history, is commonly referred to as the Age of Reason, or simply, The Enlightenment. This period, spanning from about 1650-1800, is best characterized by rapid political, philosophical, and cultural reform. Many influential and radical thinkers spearheaded the movement, questioning the current societal norms while continuing to stress the importance of employing reason and logic rather than relying on blind faith when making decisions. These thinkers, including the likes of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, advocated for a shift in power away from the church and state, and are responsible for the subsequent decline in the influence of the two over-controlling entities. Focusing specifically on the
The idea that the practices of the church such as indulgences went against the humanist approach led to the break out of reformation. According to Professor Shegan, Martin Luther (1483-1546) one of the reformers did understand that the church held some sort of key for people to go to heaven. However, Luther despised the Catholic Church sacraments most especially the ideal of infant baptism. This is one of the reasons why reformation seemed to be harmful to the Catholic Church as it created a schism. Professor Shegan in lecture 4, also elaborated how Luther despised the teaching of salvation from the catholic church. Luther, said people did not have to work to earn salvation. While the Catholic church, stated that there were a number of things that people had to do to earn salvation. The Catholic leadership blamed the renaissance because it allowed for many reformers to ultimately go against the Church which unified all Europe. Both humanists such Eramsus and reformers were against the the church was selling indulgences for cash. They both agreed that Christ specifically stated in the bible had already forgiven everyone of their sins through
Martin Luther began as a simple Augustinian Friar in the Roman Catholic Church, the reigning power of Western Europe for hundreds of years, and he soon became the leader of the most important stand against the Catholic Church. I call Luther’s actions a stand rather than a revolt because he did not willingly mean to disrespect the entire church or even start a new denomination of Christianity, he was only trying to bring truth to it. Luther published writings such as The Ninety-five Theses, Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation and A Treatise on Christian Liberty, all which produced outrage in the Church for the fact that it blatantly accused the clerics, and especially the pope, of many wrong doings in their practice.
The Renaissance Period and the Start of Humanism The Renaissance was an incredibly important turning point in Western Intellectual and Cultural Tradition. All of these changes centered around the idea of Humanism -- in which, people became less "God Centered" and more "Human-centered".
The renaissance lay dormant in the minds of men from the 13th and 14th centuries. Their work was considered heretical and they were burned at the stake. The repression of the 13th and 14th centuries was undone as the power of the church and its scholastic knowledge was transferred to any literate men with access to a local printer's workshop and money to buy a library of ancient works that were now being copied at incredible speeds. This created a threat to the doctrinal power of the church which gave way to a scientific revolution. The new power of scientific knowledge and the engines that it was to build was a subject of two of the greatest playwrights of the period, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Marlowe identified the perceived threats that came from irreverence of the church and tradition. Shakespeare wrote a play that focused on the great promise that the renaissance turned out to be. Many in power feared that the promise of returning to old ideas was actually a demonic illusion of prosperity which undermined traditional doctrine. Others enjoyed the thought of the new power that might be enjoyed from conquering distant lands and using the old books as tools to master earth.
The main difference in the Renaissance that differentiated it from the middle ages was the push for Humanism, the glorification of man rather than that of God. In medieval times, art was used solely for the spreading of the message of God. Especially because the medieval world was largely illiterate, art was an excellent way of communicating the stories of the Bible to the everyday peasant. Among many other artistic decisions, Art was intentionally not made beautiful, depicted flat scenes with no background, and used a hierarchical scale to represent its characters and message. Not only was this to help emphasize the importance in a piece, but their lack of realism and beauty prevented the art as being an object of worship in itself.
The European Renaissance was a time of great change. The people of that time were beginning to take an interest in learning and also began to follow the idea of humanism. Humanism was a way of life where a person would reject most religious beliefs and focus on the here and now. One of the main things Humanist believed in was individual achievement. This gave many artists the opportunity to be known around Europe for his or her talent and not be criticized for being selfish. This is exactly what Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, or more commonly known as Donatello did. This gifted Italian sculptor was born in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, around the year 1386. Donatello grew up already set up on the path to be a great craftsman. His father was a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild, this influenced Donatello’s choice of career. Donatello’s name started to become known after he created an Annunciation carved in stone for the church of S. Croce in his hometown, Florence. After this, Donatello was hired to create art for many well-known patrons such as the Medici family. He also collaborated with other talented sculptors and artist of his time, like Ghiberti. Donatello was a huge influence to Renaissance art because of the realism of his work, the effect his art had on other sculptors, and his revival of classical art.
When the Black Death arrived in Europe in 1347, it completely overtook the country and left nothing but chaos. Europe was desperate for a rebirth. Luckily, a new beginning of the modern world arose, the Renaissance. Not only was this a new era for Europe, but also a great turning point in Western intellectual and cultural tradition due to changes in multiple, important subjects
Beginning with prehistoric man, the growth and evolvement of various civilizations and the events which occurred, in one manner or another, aided in shaping the modern world that we live in today. Some of the more influential elements of everyday modern life are the result of cultural and societal changing events, which transpired throughout the years 1350-1600. During the period known today as the “Renaissance” (1350-1600), the world of art, the boundaries of marriage, and secular viewpoints were forever revolutionized, through the development and spread of “Renaissance Humanism”, which today, still affects modern day life. (Knox 1999)
You may wonder about, "The Renaissance" and its relationship to another term, "humanism" which fits into the same time period. If you check the dictionary, you will find that both terms can be used in a broad sense or more specifically. Humanism refers generally to a "devotion to the humanities: literary culture." (My definitions come from Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). According to that definition we should all be humanists.
The word humanism is a relatively broad term described by Merriam-Webster as, “a system of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion”. While this seems a perfectly reasonable definition for the present day, it does not adequately apply to medieval society. If such a definition was used by a person from the 12th century, that person would likely be looked at incredulously and then swiftly called a heretic or a blasphemer. The role of religion in medieval society is too ingrained in the medieval world. Richard Southern provides a more likely definition of medieval humanism. He describes humanism as having “elements of dignity, order, reason and
Many diverse ideas flourished during the European Renaissance which had a lasting impact on the world. Humanism is a worldview and a moral philosophy that considers humans to be of primary importance. The aspect of humanism first thrived in 14th century Italy, and later spread north in the 15th century. Initially humanistic ideas about education were quickly adopted by the Italian upper class. The Italian ideas and attitudes towards life and learning impacted nobility in other parts of Europe. They were able to accept and adapt to this new lifestyle. Humanism during the Renaissance helped to spread ideas about the basic nature of human beings, how people should be educated to become well rounded individuals, and how education impacts an individual’s life.