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1400
How can the Reformation and the Age of Discovery be seen as extensions of the Renaissance? (Summary)
The biggest influences from the renaissance that lived on in the following years were its ideas. Humanism’s stance on education was a large one. Education was improved greatly because people believed that anyone could become good and well rounded with a robust and diverse education. We also see ideas from famous renaissance thinkers. (Continued) -
1401
How can the Reformation and the Age of Discovery be seen as extensions of the Renaissance? (Summary Cont.)
We see Machiavelli’s belief that a good king makes his subjects fear him and doesn’t worry about the “right” thing to do in practice, and Castiglione’s ideas about how to manipulate and influence a ruler instead of simply avoiding making a fool of yourself. And patronism was still common, having sparked the protestant reformation itself. -
1450
Royal Officals
After the discovery and subsequent use of gunpowder in wars, kingdoms all over Europe found themselves in even more financial trouble than before. To solve this issue, many turned to the humanist students of Italy to help them expand their power and wealth, giving them the job of royal official, whom could be fired if they didn't do a good enough job. Thankfully, their high level of education aided them when targeting nobles and the church to gain more land and wealth. -
1487
Henry VII's Punishments
Henry VII likely concurred with Machiavelli's idea that a good ruler must make his subjects fear him if he is to be effective. His Star Court was used to try any nobles suspected of trying to betray him. He would also steal land from them if it suited him. Even simple criminals would be executed, whipped, branded, or mutilated to create fear. The idea is that, if everyone knew there would be swift punishments for their crimes, rich or poor, then maybe they won't commit crimes. -
1520
The Torture and Enslavement of the Native Americans
The enslavement, murder, and torture of the natives is a good example of Machiavelli's idea that a good ruler doesn't worry about doing the right thing when power is on the line. Even when the pope recognized the humanity of the Native Americans in 1537, he still allowed horrible things to happen. As “good” rulers, the Spanish and others didn’t worry about how hurting people in such large numbers may be wrong. They instead worried about the wealth and power they could (and needed) to gain. -
1525
Protestant Peasant Uprising
This is another example of rulers not caring about "what is right" when their power is on the line. In 1524, there was a peasant uprising all across Germany as they used the Lutheran message in a way that Martin Luther disagreed with. They wanted fewer duties and taxes, along with justice from their lords. Instead of risking losing who knows how much money and power over their subjects, many lords instead killed the problematic peasants. Over 100,000 died, but the lords didn't have to change. -
1535
Reaching out to the Common People
One of the issues that the church decided was important enough to work on during the Catholic Reformation was reaching out to the public. They wanted people to stay Catholic instead of turning to Protestantism. So, ironically, they turned to the thing that kind of caused the issue: patronism. They no longer used the sale of indulgences to fund it, but they paid for plays and important charitable works to get the people on their side again. They knew it worked before, so why not again? -
1549
Jesuits as Advisors to Kings
The Society of Jesus was started by Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. This society demanded respect and devotion for the Christian church and its practices. They believed that the church was the sole path to salvation, and so abhorred the protestant denominations. Due to their fantastic education, many went on to become advisors to kings all over Europe. They would have made Castiglione proud with their ability to manipulate the kings into finding and prosecuting heresies for the church. -
1550
The Inquisition
The inquisition was a branch of the church that interrogated and tortured people that were suspected of heresy. The church as a whole acted as the ruler here, turning to execution and censorship to keep their power when they realized it would be easier than reconciling their differences with the Protestants. Even though the Council of Trent was created to discuss the accusations and problems, the issues were almost always dismissed. -
1567
Indulgences
While the sale of indulgences finally stopped in 1567, it had been going on for hundreds of years before that. The church officials quickly realized that they could use the sale of indulgences to patronize art and sculptures to increase their power and standing with the public. This is an idea from the renaissance that ended up sparking the protestant reformation due to how much this practice angered Martin Luther. -
1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
The Duke of Guise was able to successfully influence the King of France into believing that the death of the Huguenots was the only way to end the threat of religious division. So, with Prince Henry of the Huguenots coming to Paris to marry the King's sister Margaret, the Catholics launched a surprise massacre. On that day, more than 2,000 Protestants were killed. Again, it is possible that he drew inspiration for the words of Castiglione. -
The Jesuits' Schools
The Jesuits also believed in strong education. They themselves had to attend 11 years of training and education, and their admiration for learning lead them to opening plenty of schools. Along with devotion to the church, the young men received a humanist education. These free schools had 250,000 students enrolled by 1600.
