AP European History

Crash Course

The Northern Renaissance

I. The Northern Renaissance

• A. Contact With The Italian Renaissance
  • 1. During the late 1400s, students and artists from northern Europe traveled to Italy where they became acquainted with the “new learning” and the new style of painting.
  • 2. At the same time, merchants from the Low Countries, France, Germany, and England also visited Italy and learned about the advances of the Italian Renaissance.
• B. Christian Humanism
  • 1. Northern humanists were often called Christian humanists. Like their Italian counterparts, the Christian humanists closely studied classical sources. However, they also sought to give humanism a specifically Christian content.
  • 2. Christian humanists wanted to combine the classical ideals of calmness and stoical patience with the Christian virtues of piety, humility, and love. They believed that this fusion would create the best code of virtuous conduct.
  • 3. Christian humanists were committed to moral and institutional reform.

II. Key Figures in the Northern Renaissance

• A. Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
  • 1. Known as the “prince of the humanists,” Erasmus was the most famous and influential humanist of the Northern Renaissance.
  • 2. The greatest scholar of his age, Erasmus edited the works of the church fathers and produced Greek and Latin editions of the New Testament.
  • 3. Erasmus is best known for writing The Praise of Folly, a witty satire that poked fun at greedy merchants, pompous priests, and quarrelsome scholars. Erasmus saved his most stinging barbs for the immorality and hypocrisy of church leaders, including Pope Julius II.
  • 4. Erasmus was a devout Catholic committed to reforming the church from within. It is important to note the Erasmus saw himself as a teacher of morality who wanted to reform the church, not destroy it.
  • 5. While most humanists wrote in the vernacular, Erasmus continued to write in Latin.
• B. Thomas More (1478-1535)
  • 1. More was the leading humanist scholar in England. A renowned author, lawyer, and statesman, More held many high public offices including lord chancellor under Henry VIII.
  • 2. More is best known for writing Utopia (meaning “Nowhere”), a novel describing an imaginary society located somewhere off the mainland of the New World. The country of Utopia featured religious toleration, a humanist education for both men and women, and communal ownership of property.
• C. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)
  • 1. Montaigne was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance.
  • 2. He is best known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. Montaigne's writings feature numerous vivid anecdotes and a skeptical tone best illustrated by his famous question, Que sais-je? (“What do I know?”).

III. The Printing Revolution

• A. Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press
  • 1. Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the first printing press with movable type. In 1456, the first full work ever printed by movable type, the Mazarin Bible, was published.
  • 2. Printing quickly spread across Europe. By 1500, presses in over 200 cities printed between 8 million and 20 million books, far more than the number of books produced in all of previous Western history.
• B. Impact of the Printing Press
  • 1. The printing press enabled the works of humanists such as Erasmus and More to be quickly disseminated across Europe.
  • 2. The profusion of printing technology made it difficult for authorities to suppress dissenting views.
    NOTE: The printing press had a revolutionary impact upon European life and thought. APEURO test writers often compose essay questions asking students to describe and analyze how the printing press altered European culture between 1450 and 1600. It Is important to note that like today's Internet, the printing press promoted freedom of expression, disseminated information, and challenged the power of established authorities to control divergent views.

IV. Northern Renaissance Art

• A. Characteristics
  • 1. Northern Renaissance artists were the first to use and perfect oil painting.
  • 2. The new oil paints enabled Renaissance artists to paint reality precisely as it appeared. Their works are renowned for meticulous details of everyday objects.
  • 3. Many of the everyday objects in Northern Renaissance paintings are actually disguised symbols. For example, in The Arnolfini Wedding, the dog represents fidelity and the discarded shoes are a sign that a religious ceremony is taking place. It is interesting to note that people believed that touching the ground with bare feet ensured fertility.
• B. Key Artists
  • 1. Jan van Eyck (1390-1441)
    1. Van Eyck was the most acclaimed Flemish artist of the fifteenth century.
    2. He was one of the pioneers in oil painting.
    3. Van Eyck is best known for the Ghent Altarpiece and The Arnolfini Wedding.
  • 2. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
    1. Dürer was the first Northern Renaissance artist to fully absorb the innovations of the Italian Renaissance.
    2. He is best known for his woodcuts and self-portraits.
  • 3. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543)
    1. Like Dürer, Holbein blended the Northern Renaissance's love of precise realism with the Italian Renaissance's love of balanced proportion and perspective.
    2. His best-known works are his realistic portraits of Henry VIII and Thomas More.