Chapter 3

How Did the Western Worldview

Grow Out of the Renaissance?
 How Did New Religious Views Become
Part of the Western Worldview?
■ Two views of religion existed in the Western
worldview:

MIDDLE ■ Believed that individuals should follow the

AGES
rules, rituals, and teachings of the RCC

HUMANIST
■ Believed that individuals should question and
respond to the Bible personally
■ Some questions raised
■ The necessity to follow the Church laws and rituals
■ The actions of the clergy and popes
■ Many wanted to see things reformed, but not
break from the RCC
■ This was called the Protestant Reformation
pg. 91 (D2L) and read about Martin Luther.
Martin Luther
■ What he Believed – Following the
rituals was not enough. Seek
personal religious understanding.
Not pay for forgiveness.
■ What he Did – he wrote 95 church
reforms that he felt were necessary
■ What Happened –Books burned.
Luther was expelled from the
church.
John Calvin
■ What He Believed – Believe and
practice what is written in the
bible only.
■ What He Did – introduced a
strict form of Protestantism
■ What Happened – was the
central developer of Christian
Theology or Calvinism
John Knox
■ What He Believed – Believed
that the people should govern
their local church
■ What He Did – created
Presbyteries, or councils of
men, to govern the church.
Led rebellions.
■ What Happened – led into the
Presbyterian church
King Henry VIII
■ What He Believed – he
believed that he should
control the church land. Have
his marriage annulled.
■ What He Did – he put himself
in charge of church business.
■ What Happened - appointed
himself the head of the
church of England
Spanish Monarchs
■ What they Believed – they
believed that all other religions
were false and wrong but
Catholicism.
■ What they Did – started the
Inquisition to find heretics and
disbelievers.
■ What Happened – thousands
were expelled from the country.
Some were jailed, tortured and
put to death.
How Did Ideas of National Identity and Citizenship
Begin to Develop During the Renaissance

The idea of Nations began to develop in the

Renaissance.
Small political units began to join and develop into
larger states. These States then became countries
because:
■ Societies became more urban
■ Citizens developed new identities of belonging to a
state as well as to their local communities
■ Gunpowder was introduced from China,
which changed the nature of battles
between monarchs and the nobles who
owned feudal property
■ The invention of the printing press and the
use of local languages helped create
national identity
■ Exploration of
new lands also
led to a sense of
greater national
identity.
Changes in European Societies show
Changing Worldviews - Social Systems
■ People began to see themselves as citizens of a
country willing to give their allegiance to the monarch.
■ Exploration of new lands promoted personal feelings
of optimism
■ Citizens were able to move out of their class, although
serfdom continued
■ Public services provided by a central government
■ Growth and power of the modern states put them in
competition with the authority of the Church
Changes in European Societies show Changing
Worldviews - Political & Social Systems

■ Government policies were set up to ensure political &

economic independence
■ Permanent armies established paid through taxes
■ Resources were provided for large projects and
national importance
■ Centralized laws and rules
■ National economic policies such as trade & tax rules
Changes in European Societies show
Changing Worldviews - Culture

■ Common national language chosen from various

dialects became the national language of each
country.
■ More middle and upper class people became
literate
■ Religious literature was published in the vernacular
How Did a Spirit of Exploration Become Part
of the Western Worldview?

■ Governments & traders wanted to expand

control of trade around Mediterranean
■ Monarchs wanted to gain the wealth that came
from trading with the East
■ New trade routes; increased geographic
knowledge; new sailing technologies spurred
the start of the Age of Exploration (Discovery)
■ Began in the early 15th century till 17th century
▪Europeans wanted/needed to expand their
control to other parts of the world

■ This territorial or economic expansion to other countries

is call expansionism
■ Resulted in the spreading of the Western worldview to
other continents of the world
Factors Affecting Expansionism
The Need for New Trade Routes
■ Merchants would form a company and pool
their money together to fund trading trips and
would share the profits for the sale of goods.
■ Making a profit through trade became an
important part of the European world view.
■“In the Name of God and
Of Profit” on account
books
• Countries like Spain, • Wealthy Merchants
Portugal, France and and Monarchs
England wanted to cut started to fund new
out the middle-men in exploratory trading
the trading route. routes to the East
(Italian or Muslim
traders)
New Ideas and Knowledge
Geography
■ Aristotle (Greek Philosopher) - believed that the earth
was round and flat, like a plate
■ Ptolemy (Egyptian Geographer) - believed that it was
round (like a ball) but only one ocean.
■ Islamic and European scientists agreed with this
■ Sailors were confident to sail westwards & believed that
they could sail west to Asia
Interest in Learning More About the World

■ Humanism & Travel Writers created an

interest in trade and exploration.
■ Advances in cartography [distribution of maps &
navigation tables], navigation [use of astrolabe],
and shipbuilding [carracks & caravel]
■ Astrolabe and Compass: Sailors went from always
being close to the shore, to being able to navigate in
open waters.
How did the Age of
Exploration Begin?
■ A European desire to expand their influence to
other areas of the world became a major part
of their worldview. European explorers would
spread the Western worldview to all inhabited
continents of the world.
■ Portugal, France, Spain and England
became the leading players in the Age of
Exploration because:
■ POSITION– An Atlantic coastline
■ MONARCHS – Sponsored explorers by
financing their voyages.
■ TECHNOLOGY – New ship designs,
navigational tools (astrolabe) and
navigational information enables explorers to
sail the new-world and far-off lands..
■ The new values of travel & exploration,
consumerism and accumulation of wealth
fueled the race for new trade routes.
■ The Roman Catholic Church was very involved in
the exploration of new lands because it wanted to
spread Christianity.
Portugal
■ Early 1400’s: Portuguese sailors sailed around the southern tip of
Africa to establish a trade route to India & China.
■ The city of Lisbon became the main trading city of Europe.
■ Bartholomew Diaz and Vasco da Gama were 2 of Portugal’s most
famous explorers at this time.
Spain
■ The Spanish were envious of Portugal’s wealth and
started their own series of explorations.
■ Spanish explorers sailed west to try to reach Asia’s
eastern shores; however, they did not realize that the
Americas were in between Spain and Asia.
 England
■ England started focusing on exploration in the 16th century.
■ English explorers, Martin Frobisher and John Davis, looked for a
North West passage through Canada to India & China.
■ By the 17th century, England had more colonies along the North
American Atlantic coast and in the West Indies than any other
European power.
France
■ At first, France was preoccupied by wars with England
and Italy.
■ France sponsored expeditions to areas that were farther
north and west.
■ Cartier’s explorations set the stage for France’s future
exploration and colonization of the New World.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-age-of-discovery-tim
eline-explorers-quiz.html
Explorers

■ 1492: Christopher Columbus sailed to

what he thought was Japan. In fact he was
at an island in the Caribbean. Columbus
was sponsored by Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand of Spain. Columbus never
reached mainland North America.
Explorers

■ 1497: Even though England was not really

interested in exploration, the monarch
sponsored Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)
who sailed to North America.
Explorers

■ 1501: Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian

merchant and mapmaker who explored the
coast of Brazil. North and South America
are named after him.
Explorers

■ 1519: Ferdinand Magellan sailed around

the tip of South America and named the
Pacific Ocean. He reached the eastern
part of Asia and his ships were the first to
circumnavigate the globe. He was killed in
the Philippines.
Explorers

■ 1534: France sponsored Jacques Cartier

who sailed to the New World and explored
up the St. Lawrence river as far north as
present day Montreal (then known as
Hochelaga).
 How Did the Age of Exploration Lead
to Imperialism?
■ Britain and Spain had built huge empires
that spanned the globe.
■ Through policies of imperialism these
countries maintained control over the
inhabitants and resources of the New World.
■ Built on the desire to increase wealth
and power
■ The colonies & land they controlled were
to further the interests & increase wealth
of home country
The European view of the rest of the world

■ Europeans believed that they were culturally and

politically superior, therefore they had every right to
control the people and resources of these new lands.
■ The indigenous people were not considered as
equals.
■ Belief that one’s own race and culture was superior
to those people of other societies is known as
ethnocentrism
Examples of ethnocentrism

■ Aztecs & Incas (Spanish)

■ Chinese & Indians (British, Portuguese)
■ First Nations in N.A (British, French)
■ Africans as slaves
■ Caribbean (Spanish, British)

HOW? Government, Religion, Land, Slavery

How Did the Exchange of Goods and
Products Change the World?

■ The exchange of foodstuffs, metals, plants,

animals and diseases affected economies and
changed traditional ways of life of people
around the world.
■ Europeans introduced: Metals, Wheel, Work animals,
Firearms, War technology
■ Product of Americas: Rubber, Canoes, Snowshoes,
Toboggans, Chewing gum, Dyes, Medicinal plants
How Did the Exchange of Goods and
Products Change the World?

■ European diseases had devastating effects on

the local Indigenous people who did not have
immunity to European diseases.
■ It is estimated that 75% to 90% of the Aboriginal
population died as a result of European disease.
 How Did Imperialism Affect European
Worldviews?
Ideas & Knowledge
■Although Europeans considered their way of life as superior, they were
impressed by the First Nations ideas of personal liberty, leadership &
consensus government and lack of emphasis on personal property.
■Europeans saw the New World as a place offering new opportunities ,
free land & escape from religious persecution.
■Because of the ideas taken from the First Nations, Personal freedom,
leadership, individual choice of religion are key parts of the modern
Western Worldview.
 How Did Imperialism Affect
European Worldviews?

Economic Systems
■As more gold and silver came into Europe from the New World, its
buying power was reduced which resulted in inflation.
■The price of goods rose due to this inflation which caused hardships for
the common people who did not have the wealth from colonies.
■Spain and France purchased most of their goods from other countries
which led to industrialization in countries such as England, Germany and
the Netherlands.
■By the end of 17th century, power was shifting from Spain

■https://goldsilver.com/blog/this-one-chart-shows-a-gold-silver-hard-assets-renaiss
ance-is-upon-us/and
Portugal to these countries due to this initial industrial development.