SOCS REVIEWER

RENAISSANCE
Renaissance – French word which means “rebirth.”
 Began with a revival of interest in the literature and art of the ancient Greeks
and Romans.
In Renaissance, the topical concepts were more secular or humanistic.
Humanists – people who held that in order for a person to get the most out of life,
one must place greater emphasis upon the natural and the humans.
 Cast aside the medieval learning which disciplined the mind and the
imagination.

ITALY: THE BIRTHPLACE OF RENAISSANCE

Italy – cradle of the Renaissance.
 Had been the seat of the old Roman empire. Relics of its past were evidently
found in the peninsula.
 Took pride in their close relation to the Romans in blood and language.
 They were inspired to revive classical culture despite the humanist way of
life.
 Both the rich and the poor enjoyed equal opportunities in acquiring learning.

HUMANISM
 A new movement called Humanism began in the 14th century.
 Humanism taught people to live a full life and welcome new experiences.
 Humanists wanted people to have better lives in this world rather than
waiting for the next.
 The new movement was closely tied to returning interests in classical
learning.

EARLY HUMANISTS
Francisco Petrarch
  A Florentine, was the earliest pioneer of the Renaissance and was called the
Father of Humanism, his father wanted him to take up law but Petrarch’s
first interest was on classical antiquity.
 He mastered Latin and produced a great number of works in Latin, among
which were his Sonnets in the Life and Death of Laura. Laura was the
woman he loved but failed to marry
Giovanni Boccaccio
 Wrote both poetry and prose
 In 1348, the terrible plague known as the Black Death struck Florence,
where Boccaccio lived. Thousands died from this disease. He made this time
the setting for the Decameron, a collection of his novels subtitled Prince
Galehau

RENAISSANCE EDUCATION
Education during the Renaissance aimed at producing well-rounded individuals.
A renaissance man was well-mannered, had knowledge of literature, painting, and
music, with a well-formed body and was good in sports.
 To reach these goals, Italian schools taught less theology and more literature.
Humanists who taught Greek and Latin language gained great respect.
Desiderius Erasmus of Holland – became leader of the movement.
 Praise of Folly – satirized behavior of all social classes, even the clergy.
 Wrote the Latin translation of the New Testament.
 Handbooks of the Christian Soldier – urged men not to accept the
teachings of theologians but to go directly to the Bible.
 Remained faithful to the church but his works brought out reforms, which
greatly weakened the influence of the church.
Philip Melanchton (Germany) – taught Greek at the Universe of Wurttemberg
and also delighted the study of law, theology, and medicine.
Thomas More (England) – a man of great learning, a famous states-man, and a
master of Latin and English prose.
 Utopia – his chief literary fame rests on this book. Described his envisioned
ideal state.
Humanists sometimes carried the spirit of freedom too far and without moral
restraints.
Niccolo Machiavelli – believed that the end justifies the means and laid the ground
of power politics and political science.
 His political ideas were contained in his book The Prince, which was
published after his death.

MASTERPIECES OF THE RENAISSANCE

Francisco Petrarch – Sonnets in the Life and Death of Laura
Thomas More – Utopia
Desiderius Erasmus – In Praise of Folly, New Testament
Niccolo Machiavelli – The Prince
Leonardo Da Vinci – Mona Lisa, The Last Supper
Michelangelo – St. Peters Church, Sistine Chapel, The Pieta, Statues of Moses
and David
Galileo – Laws of the Pendulum, first thermometer
Johann Gutenberg – Printing Press
Raphael Santi – Sistine Madonna

EFFECTS OF THE RENAISSANCE

 The new knowledge and outlook weakened the prestige of the Church. The
interference of the Church in the affairs of the state as well as the abuses of
the clergy caused a revolution in a religious thought, a movement called the
Reformation (reformation def. Making changes)

THE REFORMATION
 In the later Middle Ages, weaknesses arose within the Church. Some of the
clergy led immoral lives; forgetting their religious vows and duties, many
grew worldly. Some popes became involved in politics.
 Furthermore, the growing wealth of the church led to corruption. Men
bought positions in the Church, a practice known as Simony so they could
enjoy ease and luxury.
 The church became patron of arts and to finance the beautification of the
churches, they increased fees for religious practices such as weddings and
baptisms.
 The church also promoted the sale of indulgences, indulgence is a pardon for
sins committed by a person
FORERUNNERS OF REFORMATION
John Wycliffe – an English priest who attacked some Catholic beliefs and
practices.
 Protested against the paying tribute to the Church by the government of
England and spoke against the Pope as the representative of God.
 Argued that Christian beliefs should be based on the Bible alone.
 Popularly called the “Morning Star of the Reformation.”
John Huss – an ardent follower of Wycliffe and was also a priest and a professor.
 Spoke against the forgiveness of sins by confession, arguing that only
repentance can wash away sins.
 July 1415 – he was sentenced to be burnt at the stake for his belief, which he
refused to recant.
 Hussite Wars – his death caused a rebellion among the Bohemians who were
his followers.

MARTIN LUTHER
 Studied law, but instead of pursuing his career, he entered the priesthood
hoping to find peace and comfort.
 Joined the Augustinian monks in 1505 and was ordained two years later. He
was a good member for 12 years.
 He became a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg in Germany.
When Pope Leo X sent his agent, John Tetzel, to preach indulgences in order to
raise money to complete the repairs of St. Peter’s Church in Rome, Luther rose in
protest.
 To Luther, Tetzel and his sale of indulgence was an insult.
 Luther preached against Tetzel’s mission and posted his arguments, the
famous Ninety-Five Theses, on the church door of the Wittenberg.
 He argued that indulgences were not in the Bible, and that the Pope had no
right to release the souls from purgatory, and that one could only be saved
through faith.
Ninety-Five Theses – may be considered the start of the Reformation.
Dr. John Eck – took up Luther’s challenge to a debate and the arguments of the
two thrilled their audiences.

Pope Leo X ordered Luther to recant his theses within 60 days to avoid
excommunication.
  Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation – denied the papal
supremacy and held that the church should be subordinated to the state.
 Babylonian Captivity of the Christian Church – refused to acknowledge
the sacraments of marriage, confirmation, ordinance, and extreme unction
and accepted only baptism, communion, and confession.
 On the Liberty of Christian – explained his doctrine of justification by
faith alone and defended the private interpretation of the Bible.

THE SPREAD OF PROTESTANISM

Charles V – tried to heal the rift of the Pope and Luther. He called the diet of high
Church officials and dignitaries.
 Luther was summoned to appear so he could recant his statement and
teachings, but he further refused, saying, “I can’t recant anything I said,
because these are the dictates of my conscience. And going against my
conscience is wrong.”
 His refusal gave him many followers among the petty kings of Northern
Germany. He was kept in one of the castles of Frederick (The Great) for many
months where he took time translating the Bible into German.

Protestants – The kings and princes who protested against the order of Charles V
banning the spread and teaching of Luther’s reforms

 In 1530, the Diet of Augsburg drafted the code known as Augsburg

Confession which became the creed of the Protestant faith. The peasants,
whose life had never been good, rose against their feudal lords in 1524. They
mistook the equality of men before God as preached by Luther, to mean also
economic and social equality.
 When the peasants continued to revolt, Luther told the nobles to put down
the rebellion in blood. Some 50,000 peasants were killed in this revolt. As a
result, the peasants who lived most in Southern Germany felt Luther had
betrayed them. They remained Catholic. The nobles on the other hand
followed the teaching of Luther From Northern Germany, Luther’s teachings
spread to the different parts of the world

Calvinism – a type of religion founded by John Calvin, who believed in

predestination, the idea that God chooses who would be saved.
Presbyterianism – founded by John Knox
Anglican – The Church of England
Thirty-Nine Articles – the creed of the Church of England

KING HENRY VIII’S WIVES

 Catherine of Aragon – DIVORCED
 Anne Boleyn – BEHEADED
 Jane Seymour – DIED
 Anne of Cleves – DIVORCED
 Catherine Howard – BEHEADED
 Catherine of Parr – SURVIVED

COUNTER REFORMATION
 Counter-Reformation – the movement to reform the Catholic Church and
fight Protestants.
Paul III – the Pope from 1534-1549, led to reform the movement.
 Appointed able scholars and reformers to key posts to end corruption within
the papacy.
The Council of Trent – met from 1545-1563 formulating many doctrines and
statements of beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.
 Vulgate – Latin edition of the Bible.
 Reaffirmed traditional Catholic views, which Protestants had challenged.
 Delegated the right to interpret the Bible to the church alone.
 Reaffirmed the Pope as the head of the Church and the final interpreter of tis
doctrines.
 Also called for better training of priests and reforms in church’s finances and
administration.
Index – a list of books and publications, which the church forbade its followers to
read because they contained ideas contrary to the teaching of Catholicism.
Ignatius de Loyola – a former soldier turned priest that founded the Society of Jesus,
whose main aim was to win back Protestants to Catholicism and to strengthen the
church by establishing schools and universities to educate the youth with Catholic
ideals.
 Jesuits – followers of the Society of Jesus.