The Northern Renaissance

1. The Northern Renaissance

2. Pieter Brueghel the Elder • Born in Flanders in 1530. • Known for his painting of peasants in the Realism style. • Famous painting The Peasant Dance • Relied on colorful, vivid detail & realism. • Just like many Italian Renaissance painters. • Painted people as they were: show strengths & flaws

3. How did the Renaissance ideas that inspired Brueghal come to northern Europe?

4. Spread of Ideas • Trade & Travelers: • Italian businessmen had offices in cities throughout Europe: London & Geneva. • These businessmen lived in Italian Renaissance style regardless of where they were. • Europeans appreciated emphasis on wealth, beauty & personal achievement. • Other Europeans also traveled to Italy. • Brueghel went to study art. • Scholars went to the great library at the Vatican. • Visitors came to see the ancient ruins in Rome.

5. Spread of Ideas • Printed Word: • Hand written, until the development the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. • German, invented and perfected a movable type printing press. • Allowed to quick printing of books. • Everything printed from the Bible, to Greek & Roman classics. • Literacy rates began to increase & book trade became major parts of fairs. • Books bought by churches, universities & individuals. • Help in spreading Humanism.

6. Spread of Ideas • Monarchs • With the spread of Humanism ideas, royal courts in France & England began to develop interest in learning & the arts. • Kings & Queens supported humanist scholars & artists. • King Francis I of France brought da Vinci and many other Italian artists & scholars to his court. • Helped firmly establish Renaissance values & ideas in northern Europe.

7. Ideas & Ideals • Northern Humanism differed from Italian Humanism. • Feudalism was stronger in northern. • Nobles instead of patrician families. • Secularism (non-religious ideas). • Individual achievement • However, northern Europeans also believed in the importance of spiritual life. • North & Italian studied ancient Greek & Roman literature, but north also learned Greek & Hebrew to study ancient bibles. • Leading to the questioning of church leadership. • Humanists believed church put too much emphasis on ceremony.

8. Desiderius Erasmus • Dutch priest and 16th century humanist. • Wanted to reform church. • Believed church teachings should be simple to understand and everyone should be able to read bible, not just clergy. • Traveled around Europe to spread his ideas and his books could be widely published, because of the printing press.

9. Achievements • Realism: • Realistic portrayal of people and nature in paintings and writings. • Sir Thomas More: • English statesman, scholar, author. • Lived from 1478 to 1535. • Using Renaissance idea of individual worth, he proposed that all men should be treated equally. • In his book Utopia, More describes rules of society were all men equal and work together to achieve happiness.

10. Achievements • William Shakespeare: • Born in England in 1564. • Poet, actor and master playwright. • Wanted to educate and entertain his audiences. • His characters full of life, wit and passion. • They reveal the strengths and weakness of people. • Plays built around historic figures: Julius Caesar & kings of England.

11. Achievements • Medicine: • Paracelsus: • Physician and chemist, discovered new way to treat illness. • Tiny doses of poisons to destroy diseased tissue. • Amboise Pare: • Developed bandage to replace practice of cauterizing or burning the edges of a wound. • First to use thread to close a wound. • Humanist of Northern tradition: “I treated him, God cured him.”

12. Comparison Handout

13. Questions: • 1) How did Feudalism in northern Europe make the character of the Renaissance different in the north than in Italy? • 2) How did the scholar Erasmus represent northern Humanism? • 3) Why was the printing press an important part of the Renaissance?