Major paradigm shifts at the end of the Middle Ages lead to a changing worldview

How did Western Europe step into the Modern Age?

Began in northern Italy in the 1300s

A paradigm that included 4 major new ideas.

These new ideas developed partly as a response to the tragic disasters that gripped Europe in the 14th century.

However, it was also influenced by the influx of Christian scholars that fled to Western Europe after the Ottoman Turks (Arabs) invaded Istanbul (then Christian Constantinople)

The Renaissance – “Rebirth”

1. Classicism Thinkers of this era saw the destruction brought on by the great

disasters (the plague, famine, war, etc.) and searched for a method to stabilize society

They looked to the Greek and Roman Empires to discover the secrets of their success

Thinkers and artists of the Renaissance developed a renewed interest in the writings, art, architecture, philosophy, attitudes, and values of antiquity

Greek art Early Medieval artRenaissance art

Merchants were part of the peasant class. They had no power in the feudal system because they weren’t born of noble blood.

However, they became much more powerful thanks to their growing wealth and their contributions to the arts, philosophy, and sciences.

They believed that their contribution to society was important, even though they weren’t of noble birth.

2. Individualism & 3. Humanism

The concepts of individualism and humanism developed from these circumstances, and are the foundations of modern society.

Definition: These ideas meant that everyone had the ability to constantly improve themselves and develop new talents in order to contribute to and improve society, and to live a full and happy life. (Important: human worth)

Art and architecture began to change drastically

Individualism & Humanism Cont’d

Medieval Art • 2-Dimensional

• Focused on religious imagery

• Unrealistic

Renaissance Art• 3-Dimensional realism

• “Linear perspective” perfected

• Focused on human beauty, form, and emotion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9KI0ozIvrw&NR=1

Definition: a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship.

Main idea: trust only what we can observe and prove through our senses.

In the Middle Ages, scholars used a combination of religious faith and reason to learn and understand the world and the role of humans within it. Biblical writings and Catholic teachings were very important in this interpretation of the world and were not openly questioned.

4. Secularism

After the decimation of millions by uncontrollable circumstances, scholars wanted more concrete answers than the Church could provide. Faith was no longer enough.

In the Renaissance, faith was forsaken. Reason became the only acceptable method of observing the world.

This lead to the development of the Scientific Revolution and, doubtless, to the Reformation.

Secularism Cont’d

Exploration

The invention of the printing press lead to the spread of exploration information

Europeans began to explore the physical world (land and oceans)

Two important developments were made with regards to exploration at the end of the Middle Ages:

The Printing PressThe movable-type printing press was

invented in 1456 by Johannes Gutenberg

Before this invention, monks copied all books by hand. Very few except the extremely wealthy had access to books.

After the invention of the printing press, many copies of books, letters, etc. were done quickly.

Philosophers and scientists were able to share their ideas more easily. Changes in society happened quickly after this.

Land and Sea Exploration The Ottomans invaded Turkey

and limited the exchange routes from Europe to Asia

Merchants had to go all the way around the southern tip of Africa, which took a long time

Land and Sea Exploration They didn’t dare go west

because at this time in history, Europeans thought that the world was flat and that a boat would fall off the edge of the earth somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

Christopher Columbus was brave enough (or dumb enough) to test out the theory

In 1492, he sailed the ocean blue and found land, although he didn’t realize at the time that it was the Americas; he thought he had found Asia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3fYF6YvesA

Consequences of ExplorationColumbus provided evidence that the

world was not flat, but the Church was teaching that the world was flat, so its teachings were being questioned

Knowledge was spread around the world

Many civilizations outside of Europe were annihilated by European invaders with a sense of superiority

Europeans also became very rich thanks to the exploitation of the New World’s resources (gold, furs, sugar, slaves, etc.)

In the 14th & 15th centuries, science was thought of separately from religion

Scientists were convinced that they could learn more about something by observing it rather than by reading about it in the Bible or in ancient texts. Their new discoveries often provided evidence against the Church’s teachings at the time.

Galileo said that scripture tells us "how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”

This was a very dangerous time for scientists, many of whom were excommunicated (booted from the Church) or killed for their discoveries

The Scientific Revolution

Developments during the Scientific Revolution:

Scientific method that is still used today

The sun, and not Earth, is at the centre of the solar system. The planets are solid masses and rotate around the sun.

Geometry and calculus were developed

Inventions like the telescope, etc. helped to prove the theories of scholars

Study of human anatomy to advance medical knowledge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hodYUDDfsY

The Scientific Revolution

The Reformation

The Reformation was a period of history in which Europeans questioned the practices of the Roman Catholic Church

It began officially when Martin Luther posted on his church door 95 theses questioning the Church’s practices. He underestimated the reaction it would get.

Thanks to the invention of the printing press, within 2 weeks Luther’s document had spread throughout Germany, and within 2 months, it had reached most of Europe.

Before the ReformationA strict hierarchy was enforced, the pope had more

power than lords and even than the kings. Even though it was the priests working with the people, they were not allowed to change the rules to better suit the needs of their parishioners.

The Bible and church services were in Latin only, so many people were not actually able to understand the word of God, or communicate directly with Him.

The Great Schism: The papacy was moved from Rome to Avignon, France, and at one point there were 3 elected Popes . Ordinary Christians didn’t know who to believe anymore.

http://Setting the Stage for Reformation

However, people had issues with the Church not just

because of the hierarchy and the disconnection

between the Church and the people, but in large part

because people objected to some Church practices.

For example:They began to auction off important sacred objects, likerelics of Jesus and Saints.

Problems within the Church

Problems within the ChurchMost of all, people objected to the sale of

indulgences. Instead of actually following the rules set out by the

Church, rich patrons were simply able to make a monetary contribution to the church that was the equivalent of absolving their sins and permitting them to enter heaven.

“When the gold in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs!”http://The Roots of the Reformation

Martin Luther was excommunicated (expelled from the Church), as were many other religious scholars who thought change in the Church was important.

Many new Christian religions were created (such as Lutheranism), which together became known as Protestant religions.

In these new religions, the hierarchy within the Church was eliminated (Pope, cardinals, etc.), the Bible and Church services were offered in vernacular languages (language of the people, like German) instead of Latin.

Kings gained power, the Church lost power

What changed in the Reformation?