The English Renaissance
The term renaissance is a French word meaning “ rebirth” The English renaissance marked changes in people’s values, beliefs, and behavior. The English Renaissance changed the way people think about life and culture. There were five reasons why it changed the way people think is “humanism, trade and exploration, scientific developments, the printing press, and the Reformation. I’ll briefly go over one by one how these five reasons changed and created a rebirth of culture and learning in England.
Humanism: the humanists studied Latin and Greek classics to discover new answers such as “ what is a human being?” “What is good life” and “how do I lead a good life” Humanist aim was to use the classics to strengthen, not discredit, Christianity. Humanist also believe that Christian teach people how to live and how to rule.
Printing press: The invention of printing press transformed the way information was exchanged during the renaissance. Before this only imfortmation was exchanged thorough books written by hand. The Hand written books was expensive and very rare. Than to inventor Johannes Gutenburg the books were printed easily and cheaply though the press and wrote his first book the Latin bible, at Mainz, Germany around 1455. The books were more available and more people read than ever before.
Trade and Exploration: People started to wonder out to the known world with their ships. John Abot explored the northeast coast of North America, 1497. Vasco Da Gama explored the India and the cape of Good Hope, 1498. Balboa crosses Isthmus of Panama and sights the Pacific Ocean. Magellan leads a first expedition to circum-navigate the globe. Hernando Cortes conquers Mexico, destroying Aztec Empire, 1521. British East India company founded for trade with Asia, 1600. First permanent English settlement in North America established at Jamestown, Virginia, 1607, and the Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, 1620.
Scientific Developments: Renaissance was a time when people argued facts with the bible. An astronomer name Nicolaus Copernicus published a theory that planets orbit the sun, 1543. This true fact out raged the Church, because they told all the people that earth is the center of the universe and everything else went around. Galileo in 1609, first study the sky with a telescope. He invented a telescope and studied the moon and also argued to the church that sun is the center of the universe. Everyone thought that he is lunatic.
Christopher Columbus discovered the America’s for Spain in 1492. The explorers and settlers that settled in Central and South America were mostly Spanish and Portuguese. The English took notice of the Spanish success in the America’s, so they decided to explore the upper part of the America’s, North America, in the late 1500’s.
The printing press was, arguably, the most impactful invention in history. Created by Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press are sets of metal letters set in a frame that could be inked, papered and pressed. The printing press affected the fast and wide spread of new ideas changing everyday life. The Protestant Reformation was a movement that changed people’s mind about Catholic belief and created new sects of Christianity. The Exploration Era led to many discoveries of the Americas and opened up the curiosity of many. Both of these historical events were important consequences of the printing press. The Exploration Era was the more important consequence of the printing press than the Protestant Reformation.
Francisco Pizarro served on an expedition, which he discovered the Pacific Ocean. Henry Hudson was an English Explorer born in 1565, he is known as one of the most famous explorers.
The Renaissance (A Very Short Introduction) written by Jerry Brotton has been illustrated into six illustrations: A global Renaissance, The humanist script, Church and state, Brave new worlds, Science and philosophy and Rewriting the Renaissance. Since this book is a history book, it is quite tough to read. This book is all about the past history which is related to the Renaissance. Honestly, I do not even have clear understanding on what is called “Renaissance” until I read this book. On page 9, under the subtitle of “Where and when was the Renaissance?” I finally found the meaning of Renaissance: the revival of classical culture. This word is come from Italian word which is rinascita. Then, French historian, Jules Michelet had come out with the definition of Renaissance. He define Renaissance as decisive historical period in European culture that represented a crucial break with the Middle Ages, and which created a modern understanding of humanity and its place in the world. He also promoted the Renaissance as representing a certain spirit or attitude, as much as referring to a specific historical period. But then, his Renaissance only took place on 16th century even though he had defined it from the previous century. There was also Jacob Burckhart, Swiss academic defined it as an Italian 15th-century phenomenon. By read it further, I found that these two persons read the vision of the Renaissance like a version of their own personal circumstances. Then again, there was also an Oxford-educated don, Walter Pater defined on this word. Similarly, in further reading, all these three thinkers had created 19th –century idea of the Renaissance as more of a spirit than a historical period.
The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that had its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. During these times there was a heightened interest with the classical learning that was brought about in the middle ages. The renaissance first started in Italy and then eventually spread to Western Europe. During this period there was a high interest in the aesthetics of the classical world like architecture. The renaissance focused on the 17th century philosophy which came from the Greeks.
The printing press allowed anything to be spread throughout the world with relative ease, and for cheap. Prior to the 1436 invention by Johannes Gutenberg, books were written BY HAND, by the priests and scholars of the time which meant knowledge was limited, and the spreading of news would take much longer. Without the printing press Martin Luther would never had been able to spread his ideals throughout the world. The printing press made it easier for males, and sometimes women to get educated, this still did
The Scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries changed the way that people views the world. Scientific philosophers such as Galileo and Descartes threw out the old teachings of the church and challenged them with new ways of thinking. These men sought to prove that rational thought could prove the existence of God. They also challenged that it was an understanding of a series of rational thoughts, not faith, would bring understanding of how the world worked. Traditional ways of thinking were ultimately challenged by logical and sensible rationale.
This time era was filled with many good things that allow modern life to exist. The Renaissance was a time of many new ideas and many new practices in medicine, entertainment, punishments and many other topics. Without the knowledge that was gained in this era many things that we take for granted now would never of existed. In this essay I will tell you about the many things that occurred during this time period and how people in this time would have lived their daily lives.
Because of how many books were made, it lowered the price of books, which made them more accessible to the general public. The printing press brought upon change to an era where only the elite could read, and only the wealthy could buy books. Gutenberg’s printing press paved the way for others to spread knowledge and ideas. Bringing people together, from many different lifestyles, and experiences, to discuss and debate about natural phenomena, science, culture, art, literature. Religious texts and educational texts became increasingly popular as the general population would have a book of the bible, as well as having books for different educational purposes.
During the fifteenth century, the Americas were being explored and conquered by many Old World countries. The Spanish were the first to move into the New World and had the largest empire, spreading all across North and South America. Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 looking for a route to Asia. On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed in the Caribbean. He thought he had landed in India.
As previously stated, the renaissance was the rebirth of society. What led to this was a decrease in faith because of the great schism, a conflict between two popes, where both said they were the pope. People were starting to take a secular view compared to what the church told them to believe. Society was changing to where individual viewpoints mattered. With politics starting to matter, and a better economy, places were beginning to be city centered, specifically city states, which are urban societies that have taken secular views.
Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment Essay At the end of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment period, society and government were drastically changed from the ideas and observations make by political thinkers and scientists. The time period of the Scientific Revolution was the 1500’s and 1600’s and took place in Europe. The Enlightenment time period was the 1600’s and 1700’s, and this is where people started to use reason and develop new ideas about the government. The impacts that the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment had on society were advances in medicine and chemistry, understanding space and gravity, improvements in government.
Gutenberg’s printing press was one of the most important inventions of the renaissance, as it has had a major impact on both the Renaissance and todays world of printing. The Gutenberg Press, impacted the renaissance by, making books and information easier and cheaper to reproduce and print, spreading more information easier and faster to vast audiences eager for new information, helping advance science and technology, and also by helping the economy grow stronger through creating new industries and the constant purchasing of books.
I do not know much about the Renaissance era, but I do know a little. I know it took place between 1485 and 1660. There were quite a few boats. There was the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Those were the ships that Christopher Columbus and his crew used to discover the New World. There was the mayflower; the vessel that carried the pilgrims to Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. The entire Spanish Armada that got defeated by the English navy. Then there was the Victoria, the boat that Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set sail on to circumnavigate the globe. Some famous people were born, and others were executed. Bill Shakespeare was born in 1564 and King Charles I was defeated in the English civil war, was tried, and beheaded. Buildings were built, and others were almost blown up during the renaissance. The Taj Mahal was built, which took seventeen years and the king had ordered for the builders to have their hands cut off so they could never build anything as magnificent again. Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British Parliament building in retaliation for the King increasing the repression of Roman Catholics. There is more I would like to know about this time period. Many questions come to mind, such as, “How did people dress during the renaissance?” and “ What did they do for fun or entertainment?” or “Were there any major advances in science or technology that still have an effect on us to this day?”
The Renaissance was a time of change. It began in Italy during the 14th century, and spread throughout the North. People all over Europe were affected, for the better and for the worse. Some people finally had a chance to control their own fate. Others, like upper class women, lost their social status. The values and purposes of Renaissance education were to improve the society, increase the economy, and restore the religious beliefs.