Renaissance –

The
Enlightenment
Period

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2 Index -
S.No. Headings Slides
1 Cover Page 1
2 Index 2
3 Project Information 3
4 Certificate 4
5 Introduction – What is Renaissance? 5
6 Humanism 6
7 Art during Renaissance 7-9
8 Architecture during Renaissance 10 - 11
9 Literature during Renaissance 12
10 Authors of the Renaissance Period 13 - 15
11 Science during Renaissance 16 - 18
12 What was the Protestant Reformation ? 19 - 22
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Name – Keertana Singh
Class & Section – XI-L
Roll No. – 17
School – Sunbeam Bhagwanpur
Subject – History
Teacher – Vineet Ashish
4 Certificate

This is to certify that Miss Keertana Singh has completed the History
Project on the topic “Renaissance – The Enlightenment Period” under
the guidance of Mr. Vineet Ashish.
The project is absolutely genuine and does not indulge in plagiarism
of any kind. The

------------------------------ --------------------------------------
Teacher’s Signature Remarks
 5 Introduction – What is Renaissance?

– True to its literal meaning i.e. ‘rebirth’ , Renaissance marked that period of European history
in which there was transition from dark middle ages to an area of light. This period of rebirth
drove away ignorance, superstition and dominance of the Catholic Church and ushered in an
age of logic and scientific learning; a spirit of enquiry and exploration.
– In the year 1453 AD, Constantinople fell to Ottoman Turks and a huge library was set on fire.
The monks of the area ran with manuscripts westwards, this lead to the availability of
reading material and opened the gateway of logic and reasoning.
– It started in Florence and to Venice and Milan. Italy being rich through trade, encouraged
creative geniuses in the field of literature, art and architecture.
– Renaissance in turn led to voyages of exploration, industrialization, colonization and
imperialism, thus it finally led into the modern ages with its flips and flops.
Fall of Constantinople
6 Humanism

– Humanist thought laid stress on skills and ideas that were developed by individuals through debate and
discussions. These revolutionary ideas attracted attention of many other universities particularly in the newly
established university in Petrarch’s native town, Florence. The humanist thought increased dignity of human
beings. Humanism embodied the mystical and aesthetic temper of a pre-scientific age. It laid stress on logic,
natural science and metaphysics. It laid emphasis not only on intellectual learning, but also on physical and moral
development. Humanism relied on flexible thinking. After Petrarch, the humanist philosophy spread first through
Italy, then into other parts of Europe. Humanist thought was reflected in contemporary art and architecture.
Petrarch represented conservative Italian humanism.
– Humanism embodied the mystical and aesthetic temper of a pre-scientific age. The intellectuals of antiquity
were relatively unconcerned about the supernatural world and the eternal destiny of the soul. They were mainly
interested in a happy, adequate and efficient life on earth.
– The leading intellectual trait of the era was the recovery of the secular and humane philosophy of Greece and
Rome. The writings of Dante and particularly the doctrines of Petrarch and humanists like Machiavelli
emphasized the virtues of intellectual freedom and individual expression. In the essays of Montaigne, the
individualistic view of life received the most persuasive and eloquent statement in the history of literature and
society. Leonardo daVinci’s ‘The Last Supper’, Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement, Fall of Man and
Raphel’s Madonna were the important works.
 7 Art during Renaissance
Renaissance art as painting, sculpture and decorative art, emerged as a distinct style in Italy, in synchronization with the
developments that began in literature, music and science. It means the evolution from medieval era to Early Modern age in
Europe. This was mainly from 15th to 16th century AD.
Renaissance art was deeply impacted by awareness of natural, logical view point and ideas of man. The artists felt that Art
should not reflect divinity, it should rather reflect day to day life. Paintings reflected portraits of commoners rather then clergy
and monarchy.
The Renaissance spirit found its full flowering in Italy in the works of the trinity of Michel Angelo, Leonardo–da–Vinci and
Raphael.
Michel Angelo was born in 1475 AD in a city near Florence and grew up to be one of the greatest painters, sculptors and
architects of Renaissance. He painted the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at Vatican, that are immortal but he
seemed to bring marble to life through his sculpture.
He was taken under the wings of Lorenzo de Medici, the great patron and soon he observed the talent of young Michel Angelo.
Pieta, a heart rendering statue in marble depicts the body of Jesus, after being taken down from the cross, in the lap of Mother
Mary.
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Michel Angelo Leonardo–da–Vinci Raphael

Pieta Sistine Chapel at Vatican Creation of Adam

 He also carved the 17 feet statue of David in marble. His, fresco, The Last Judgment by God. Michel

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Angelo had an eye for detail and he famously said, “Trifles make perfection is not a trifle”.

Leonardo da Vinci was multifaceted. He was a painter, sculptor, engineer, scientist, poet, singer and
philosopher! He probably has the distinction of designing an airplane! He is best known for two
paintings The Last Supper and Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa was the first painting of an ordinary common
person. Her expressions remain inscrutable till today, while The Last Supper is a mural at Milan in
which he depicted Jesus having his last meal with his followers, on the night before crucifixion.

Madonna Raphael was also an Italian painter who was a contemporary of da Vinci and Michel Angelo. He is
famous for his painting of Madonna the Mother of Jesus.

Mona Lisa The Last Supper The Last Judgment

 10 Architecture during Renaissance

– Architecture during Renaissance reflects the birth of classical culture that originated in Florence in
the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe, replacing the medieval Gothic style.
– There was a revival of ancient Roman forms, the column and the round arch, the tunnel and the
dome.
– Proportion was the most important part of Renaissance architecture.
– Filippo Brunelleschi was the first Renaissance architect. Italian Bramante amalgamated classical
styles into contemporary buildings.
– Facades, Columns, Arches, Pilaster, Vaults, Dome and windows formed a very important part of
this style. Florence Cathedral and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican in Rome are two of the most
outstanding examples of this style.
– The Florence Cathedral was the first church to have a dome after the ancient Rome buildings.

Filippo Brunelleschi
• The paintings inside have a deep imprint of Humanism; in fact it even has a painting of the Divine Comedy.
• Rich families of Silk route traders and the famous families as Lorenzo de Medici became patrons of
architecture.
• The Renaissance style reflected mathematical and geometrical accuracy. The Renaissance style expressed
sense of light clarity and spaciousness. It reflected enlightenment and glorified Humanism.

Florence Cathedral St. Peter’s Basilica

Bramante

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Literature during Renaissance
– Literature during the time of Renaissance was deeply affected by the intellectual climate of
reasoning and logic. There was a strong emphasis on Humanist philosophy that included the
problems of common people.
– One of the most distinctive features of the literature of this era was the usage of languages that
the common people spoke. Though the Renaissance authors knew Greek and Latin well, yet they
chose to write in English, Spanish, German and French and thus these language began to flower.
– The invention of the printing press by Guttenberg was a big boost to literature as numerous
copies of books could be printed quickly and ideas could be disseminated.
– In the first half of the 15th century there were only about 100,000 manuscripts in Europe but
within fifty years, due to the invention of printing press the number reached nine million! During
this period, not only the format but also the content of the literature changed. Dramas, novels
and poems of varying lengths were written. The central characters men and women and their
pains and pleasures of daily life were the themes!
13 Authors of the Renaissance Period
– Petrarch was one of the earliest writers of this period. He was from Italy and though he had mastery over
Latin, he chose to write in Italian the language of the commoners. He was a true Humanist who wrote about
love, loss and desire. He wrote the famous poem, “The Great Triumphs”. He also wrote Secretum Meum (My
Secret book) dealing with his personal emotions.
– Dante who wrote in Tuscan, penned the fabulous masterpiece “The Divine Comedy” a long poem in which the
journey through hell and heaven is described. He questioned faith, church and religion. According to him
humans must always find the righteous path themselves and need to be free from the fear that sacred texts
instill.
– Machiavelli was a historian and a political thinker who wrote “The Prince”. A book that defines the deft state
art and skill of political survival.
• Erasmus of Netherlands openly wrote against dogmas of Catholic Church. He was called the “Prince of
Humanists”. His famous works are “On Free Will”, “In Praise of folly”. He criticized the Catholic Church but
wished to reform it rather than quit it.
• Thomas More wrote the book “Utopia” in which he talked about of an ideal society but attacked the institution
of slavery in a sarcastic way.
• Cervantes wrote “Don Quixote” in which he made fun of the stupidity of Knights and how commoners as Sancho Panzo had
more sense!
• Francis Bacon wrote wonderful essays that were thought provoking. He famously said “Reading makes a full man, writing
an exact man and conference a ready man”. It’s a thought that is eternal and timeless.
• William Shakespeare an English dramatist of the 16th century wrote plays that were tragedies, comedies and historical
plays. His plays that were staged in the Globe Theatre and even Queen Elizabeth I came to watch them.

The works of all these authors show how the ethos of intellectual rebirth began to focus on the genuine interest on the affairs
of man and not God!

Dante William Shakespeare Erasmus 14

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Petrarch Machiavelli Thomas More

Cervantes Francis Bacon

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Science during Renaissance
The Renaissance constituted what was the most significant period in the growth of science. Science
truly came into realization during this era and principally due to the spirit of enquiry! Francis Bacon
famously said, “He who seeks knowledge, should first look at things that happen around him. He
should then ask for reason and when he has found one, he should form a theory of his own and
should experiment”. This clearly defines what we call “scientific temper”!

– Nicolaus Copernicus was a polymath who bought about the Copernicus Revolution. He placed
the sun at the center of the universe with Earth and other planets moving around it. He said that
the Earth exhibits Rotation and Revolution.
– Johannes Kepler responsible for giving the Kepler’s laws of planetary motion which states that all
planets move around the sun in elliptical motion and planets cover equal areas in equal time, as
they revolve. He gave mathematical interpretation to these laws.
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Nicolaus Copernicus Johannes Kepler Galileo

Isaac Newton Vesalius William Harvey Robert Hooke

• Galileo built on the foundations of Copernicus’ work, however as his beliefs were in a collision course with what
the Bible preached. He was considered a heretic for believing the sun to be stationary at that center! In 1610,

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he used his telescope to discover the moons of Jupiter and found the moon to be rough.
• Galileo observed the lamp swinging in the Grand Cathedral and measured that time period of each swing or
oscillation was the same! This principle of the pendulum gave us the concept of frequency and time period thus
helped to regulate clocks.
• Galileo climbed up the leaning Tower of Pisa and threw down many items of varying weights and they hit the
ground at the same time, proving that the velocity of fall was controlled by gravity and not by the mass of the
objects.
• Isaac Newton, an English physicist was probably the greatest scientist of the Renaissance era. His experiments
and observation were diverse. He discovered that white light consists of seven visible wavelengths.
• Newton also gave the three laws of motion and when the famous apple fell, he gave the law of universal
gravitation which states that any two objects in the universe attract each other with a force that is proportional
to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of distance between them.
• Newton also discovered calculus.
• In 1542, Vesalius of Belgium published De Humani Corporis Fabrica, a detailed account of the dissections of the
human body with brilliant diagrams.
• In 1610 William Harvey an Englishman explained the complete process of circulation of blood in the human
body.
• In 1665, Robert Hooke discovered cell, the structural and functional unit of life. Renaissance scientists made
significant progress because of their desire to observe, infer and question which became the basis of modern
science.
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What was the Protestant Reformation ?
The protestant reformation was actually a protest against the superstitious and corrupt practices of the Catholic Church. It
was a 16th century movement that threatened the Catholic Church and the papacy and paved the way to redefine
Christianity and culture in Europe. Over the centuries the Catholic Church had become all powerful and the status of the
pope was almost unquestionable.
Causes of Protestant Reformation –
– The office of the Pope was like an absolutist monarchy around the 15th and 16th century and as illiteracy was rampant
and very few had actually read the Bible, they believed the commandments of the Church as Holy Scriptures that had
to be abided by.
– The Pope and the cardinals lived more like Kings than spiritual leaders. The church was the biggest land owner and the
churchmen were very active in politics.
– Simony (the auction of offices of the bishops to the highest bidder) and Nepotism (favoring family relationships) was
rampant.
– Sale of Indulgences- “Indulgence” meant forgiveness from God for one’s sins. The Catholic church began actually selling
letters of Indulgences. So the people who confessed to their sins were “forgiven” by the church and granted letters of
indulgence but only for a price! The poor were exploited and tortured. The abuse of indulgences became a major
causes of anger against the Pope.
• Burning at stake – Burning of heretics (dissenters, those who disagreed) became quite common from the 12th
century AD in continental Europe. Jews, lepers and anyone who questioned the gospel of the Catholic church
were burnt at stake. In Spain, “Marranos” & “Moriscos”, the people who were Jews or Muslims were burnt in
public! Women were declared witches and burnt. The most famous being Joan of Arc, the 19 year old burnt in
front of a crowd on 29th May 1431. all this angered the common people.

Important events in the Protestant Reformation –

Martin Luther’s Points – In 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk posted 95 points on the door of the Wittenberg
Church. It argued that Bible and not the Pope was the word of God. He maintained that salvation was granted only
by faith and good works and letters of indulgences were not required.
He was vehemently against sale of indulgences and said this was being used by the Catholic Church to accumulate
wealth for building St. Peter’s Basilica. The Pope ordered Martin Luther to correct himself but he broke away from
the Catholic Church and established a parallel church based on protests against Catholic superstitions and this was
called the Protestant Church.

What helped Martin Luther ?

Martin Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and were read widely; this was because of
the invention of the printing press by Guttenberg. As Martin Luther himself said “Printing is the ultimate gift of God
and probably the greatest one”. The prints helped to spread the ideas of reformation.
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Joan of Arc Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther Guttenberg. Wittenberg Church

Bible was printed in great numbers and people began to read and understand that the dogmas of the papacy were not based

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on the holy book.

King Henry VIII of England –

King Henry VIII, was a Tudor king of England. He was a Roman Catholic who came into a collision course with the Pope because
the institution of the catholic church believed that marriage is for life, “Till death does us apart” but King Henry VIII wanted to
divorce his ageing wife Catherine and marry a much younger Anne Boleyn in 1527 AD.
As the Pope refused to relent, King Henry VIII announced that as the King of England he was allowing himself a divorce and
the Pope could excommunicate him i.e. throw him out of the Catholic order! The Pope was angry and so was the king and in
1533, King Henry VIII ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to grant him a divorce. The Archbishop did so and England broke
away from the Catholic Church and set up the Church of England which was Protestant and the reigning monarch would be
the head of this church (by the act in 1534). King Henry VIII dissolved the catholic monasteries and established the Church of
England, in direct confrontation with the Pope and the Catholic Church.

Counter Reformation
Counter Reformation was catholic resurgence in reaction to Protestant reformation. It was not only a religious movement but
a socio-political one too. The reforms included foundation of courses for priest training, improving theological traditions and
encouraging priests to live a clean and moral life. Reformation was a kind of an effort by the Catholic church to save itself from
bigotry and the dark world of superstition. In Spain, a soldier named Ignatius Loyola established an organization for Catholics
to work as humble men, simply soldiers of Jesus. Its members came to be known as Jesuits. They travelled to France and
Germany to regain followers and started schools. However, England continued to be a Protestant nation.