The Renaissance

1. The Renaissance 1485-1660

2. Art on Pages 190-191 As a young man, Joris Hoofnagel, the son of a Belgian diamond merchant, traveled through Europe drawing. On their way home, he and his family lost everything to Spanish plunderers and fled to Bavaria. Hoofnagel was then hired to illustrate four books on natural history. An engraver as well as a painter, he made maps, some for a book on world history.

3. Page 193: The Term Renaissance The term Renaissance was first used in 19th century to characterize the changes that began in the time of Charlemagne and continued through the 15th or 16th century. Historians now discuss the period as marked by series of renaissances, not just one single, massive transformation.

4. Page 193: The “Books” The “books” mentioned on page 193 were actually handwritten manuscripts, preserved by Byzantine and Islamic scholars. With the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, however, what we know as the book became a reality and a working tool for scholars. By 1500, printers—particularly Italian printers—had published in book form the works of most of the important Greek/Latin authors (Homer, Virgil, etc.).

5. Side Text on page 196: The Biblical Story of Creation This version of creation differs a great deal from the story of creation told in the Bible. This passage represents the new thinking of the Renaissance and emphasizes people’s freedom to choose. It does not dwell on sin, and it appears to make men and women equal in their capacity to rise and fall. The author, Pico della Mirandola, died of mysterious causes. In 2007, his body was exhumed, and a documentary is being made about the investigation.

6. Page 196: Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was probably the ultimate Renaissance man. The painter of the MonaLisa, TheLast Supper, and other important works, he pioneered new artistic techniques. In addition, he was a scientist who explored everything from the movement of water to human anatomy, was well as an engineer who designed various flying and military machines.

7. Page 197: Michelangelo True to the definition of a Renaissance man, Michelangelo excelled in many areas. Not only did he execute the masterwork of the Sistine Chapel, but he created sculptures of monumental proportions that convey the beauty and majesty of the human physique. Michelangelo also became chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, one of the most important projects of his time.

8. Humanists: The Humanities The humanists not only studied the subjects related to a classical education—history, literature, philosophy, and more—but they made these subjects popular again. Hence, the collective term for these subjects became the humanities.

9. Page 198: The Printing Press Spain, Hungary, and Poland also had their first printing presses between 1474 and 1476; Denmark and Sweden were equipped by 1482-1483. By 1500, forty thousand titles had been printed, totaling about six million books.

10. Art on page 199: Hans Holbein Hans Holbein the Younger was a German artist. Because of his reputation as a master portraitist, he was often asked to produce likenesses of royalty. Henry VIII and most of his wives sat for Holbein. The king admired him and pardoned him for pushing down his stairs an Earl who insisted on visiting Holbein’s studio. Holbein died in London during a plague. No one knows where he is buried.

11. Page 200: The Reformation This was a time of internal reform in the Catholic Church, as well as a time of criticism from those who chose to break from it. Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent in 1545 to investigate the selling of religious pardons and other abuses. Luther began the Lutheran church; soon others, including the Anglican, Calvinist, and Anabaptist faiths, sprang up. All of these faiths, and the denominations developed from them, such as Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian, have come to be called Protestant.

12. Art on page 201: Old St. Paul’s Old St. Paul’s cathedral was under construction from shortly after the Norman conquest until around 1300. The church was the center of activity. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed most of London, including the cathedral. It was rebuilt, but the style was different. Instead of rebuilding the old towers, it was modeled after Roman architecture with a great dome inspired by the Pantheon.

13. Page 203: The Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses began in 1455 and were fought by the rival families of York and Lancaster. By the time the struggle ended in 1485, so many baronial families were extinguished that the hierarchy of succession to the throne in England was permanently altered, allowing Henry VII to become king.

14. Art on page 204 The seated monarch is Henry VIII. Henry hands a sword to the boy king, Edward VI. From the left comes the hated Mary, linked to the Spanish King Philip II—the English always depicted the Spanish in melancholic black. At the far left is the god of war, Mars. At the right is Elizabeth I, who renounces Mary’s sword and ushers in Peace and Plenty, at the far right.

15. The Virgin Queen, page 205 Then, many people couldn’t understand why she resisted marriage. Consider this: • dangers of child-bearing at the time—her mother’s troubles with still-born babies • fearful examples of her sister (Mary) and her mother (Anne Boleyn)—marriage probably had a negative connotation for her. Basically, she never wanted to give herself a master—as any 16th century woman did by marrying.

16. Quotation on page 205 What does the quotation mean? • Sir Walter Raleigh had a love interest in Elizabeth I. He is saying he’d like to approach her; yet he fears doing so, probably because she is the QUEEN. • She replies, with her typical sharp wit, that if Raleigh has to wonder about whether he has sufficient courage to woo her, then he shouldn’t even bother trying.

17. Page 206: Money and Fashion • Elizabeth I’s yearly wardrobe expenses for the last four years of her reign were only 9,535 pounds per year. • James I spent an astonishing 36,377 per year on his wardrobe for the five years of his reign.

18. Page 208: Mary Stuart Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was Elizabeth I’s cousin. She should not be confused with Mary Tudor, Elizabeth’s half-sister. Mary Stuart claimed the throne of Scotland after her husband’s death. Her ties with France and Spain made her a threat to Elizabeth’s England. Elizabeth had her cousin beheaded on February 8, 1587. To be fair, there were rumors of Mary trying to have Elizabeth killed, too. Also, it broke Elizabeth’s heart knowing she had to have her killed.

19. Page 210: James I James VI was the only son of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, and her second husband, an English nobleman named Lord Darnley. When James succeeded Elizabeth as sovereign of England and of Scotland, he was called James I because he was the first James to rule the newly formed Great Britain. Imagine taking over for the woman who had your mother executed.