Module 6
Overview
In Module 6, you focus on the spread of Renaissance culture to Northern Europe and the impact it had beyond the Italian city-states of its origin. You also continue and expand upon the Reformation to include the broader intellectual and cultural movements in Northern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
While humanism in Italy was focused primarily on classical studies and the revival of the languages and culture of the classical world, and humanists acted as teachers of rhetoric and independent scholars and tutors, the humanists of Northern Europe focused their attention more on biblical studies and the great moral and political issues of their societies. There was also a difference in the art and themes of the artists of the North, as well, if only a difference in emphasis and the depiction of subjects.
Module Outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Identify the major developments and features of the Northern European Renaissance
- Compare and distinguish northern humanism and art from their Italian counterparts
Course Outcomes
The course outcomes that will be addressed in this module are:
- Couse Outcome 1: Critique multiple historical and theoretical viewpoints that provide perspective on the past. (History Program Outcome 2)
- Course Outcome 2: Discuss a major theme in ethics, philosophy, religion, or spirituality in the European Renaissance.
- Course Outcome 3: Analyze the main events, persons, institutions, trends, and developments that are involved in the history of the Renaissance.
- Course Outcome 5: Apply credible sources and/or evidence appropriately for the communication task and context (Gen. Ed. Outcome 1.3)
Please complete the items below, due at the end of this module, unless otherwise stated.
Read the following:
- Module Notes: The Renaissance in the North
- Jonathan W. Zophy. A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe (Pearson, 4th Edition). Chapter 9
View the following websites:
- Kenneth Clark, “Protest and Communication,” [Video File] [50 min 05 sec] from the PBS series Civilization. Copyright © 1996 by BBC Worldwide Ltd.:
Additional Resources (highly recommended):
- Desiderius Erasmus. “The History Guide: Lectures on Early Modern European Intellectual History”:
- Sir Thomas More. “The History Guide: Lectures on Early Modern European Intellectual History:
- Examples of Northern Renaissance Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection:
- Examples of Northern Renaissance art from the Royal Collection Trust:
Participate in the following discussions:
- M6D1: Northern European Humanism and Art
- M6D2: Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus
Submit the following:
- M6A1 Essay 3: Origin and Impact of the Reformationdue Oct 30th
Module Notes: The Renaissance in the North
The Renaissance in Italy involved patronage of artists and humanists by the great princely families and republics of central and northern Italy, and humanists not only educated the children of upper classes in these court societies, but acted as secretaries, ambassadors, and advisers to princes and governments. In the north of Europe, humanists tended to be less involved in such pursuits and more involved in a more contemplative form of humanism that included an interest in biblical studies and biblical criticism. Many northern humanists were Christian humanists, who were more interested in these pursuits and in discussions of what the just or moral society should be, the great examples being men like Thomas More and Erasmus. They were also more interested in the vernacular language than their Italian counterparts, who stressed Latin and Greek studies.
As the ideas of the Renaissance traveled north, Italian interpretations of humanism changed to fit the needs of the societies of Northern Europe, with its more religious culture and less commercial economy. Northern Europe was still more “medieval,” and religion and religiosity played a larger role in the daily lives of the people there. This also applied to the humanism that developed in Northern Europe, and it contributed to the currents that fed the Reformation. While Luther was not a humanist in the true sense of the term, he employed humanist techniques to analyze the Bible and produce his German Bible. He also used such techniques to criticize papal interpretations of the text and to formulate his own views based on his analysis of the text.
After you have completed your reading, participate in the first discussion for the module on Northern European humanism.
M6D1: Northern European Humanism and Art
Gutenberg Printing Press: Engraving of the first printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg, 16th century. (Photo by Authenticated News/Getty Images)
While humanism in Italy during the Renaissance tended to focus on the retrieval, revival, and study of classical texts, generally of a secular nature, and primarily in Latin or Greek translations, the humanists of the Northern Renaissance were more involved in vernacular literary pursuits and the use of humanist literary techniques and methods to analyze religious texts, like the Bible, as in Erasmus of Rotterdam’s new edition of the Greek New Testament. They focused more on daily concerns, rather than the high culture of the Renaissance courts, and were interested more in the moral and political issues of the day; the art reflected this, as well, often depicting daily life of ordinary people, as well as religious themes and the portraits of the elites.
After reading and viewing the assigned material, discuss the following in your initial post:
In your opinion, what are the main characteristics of humanism and art in Northern Europe, as compared to those of Renaissance Italy?
What elements did they share?
What elements were different?
What would account for these distinctions?
How did these contrasting forms reflect the societies that produced them?
Include at least one additional resource other than the textbook in your post. Your post should be about 250 words.
After posting your initial response, choose the initial posts of at least two of your classmates and respond to their ideas on the sources of the differences between Northern European and Renaissance Italian art and humanism.
Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM.
M6D2: Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus
Northern humanism is best exemplified by Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus. More and Erasmus were, in fact, great friends, and both were attracted to the religious life. Thomas More contemplated leaving his legal career to become a monk, and Erasmus was an ordained Catholic priest. Both were faithful Catholics. They also wrote famous critiques of the society of the times. More wrote a political satire in his famous Utopia, a veiled attack on the unjust society of Henry VIII’s England. Erasmus wrote his famous Praise of Folly, dedicated to More, which was critical of the Catholic Church and society of his day, as well. More died for his faith, while Erasmus was often blamed for inciting people like Luther and contributing to the Reformation, something he vehemently denied. In fact, Erasmus was highly critical of Luther and his ideas, even though he felt that reform was needed. Both More and Erasmus were keenly aware of the problems of their societies and the injustices and failures of both church and state in their age.
After reading and viewing the assigned material, discuss the following in your initial post:
How, in your opinion, did Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus embody the ideals of the Northern Renaissance?
Discuss the ways in which their lives and writing reflected their concerns and interests.
Which do you admire more, the Italian or Northern Renaissance humanist? Why?
Include at least one additional resource other than the textbook in your post. Your post should be about 250 words.
After posting your initial response, choose the initial posts of at least two of your classmates and agree or disagree with the ideals of the Northern Renaissance embodied by More and Erasmus.
Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM.
Origin and Impact of the Reformation Essay
- Your study of the Reformation has included its origins with Luther and the reinterpretation of his views by other reformers, like Calvin and Zwingli, who moved beyond what Luther ever imagined with their religious views. Use your reading and viewing in Modules 5 and 6 as the groundwork for your essay on the Reformation.
In a 4-6 page essay (1000-1500 words), develop your paper using the following as your guide:
- In what ways was the Reformation the result of the ideas of the Renaissance?
- How are Luther’s Ninety–Five Theses indicative of a decline in the authority of the papacy and church and the unquestioned primacy of religion in 16th century society?
- The Reformation, although a religious movement, brought with it elements that could be construed as secularizing tendencies, including not only its critiques of Medieval spirituality and religiosity, but also its view that clerical celibacy was not superior to lay religiosity and that any individual should read and understand the Bible in his or her own way. So, how did an essentially religious movement contribute to the secularization of European society?
Include as much information as possible from your reading on the Reformation and northern humanism to discuss and analyze these questions. Support your opinion with properly cited information from your assigned reading and viewing.
Your essay should include:
- An introduction, including a thesis sentence
- A body, in which you develop your topic and support your argument
- A conclusion highlighting the main points of your essay
We prefer you follow Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers for formatting citation and references, but APA is also acceptable. For assistance with formatting your paper in Turabian (Chicago style) or APA style, visit the library’s Citing Sources page: (Login to the EC Library is required.)
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Used the EC Library resources to cite your work (login to the EC Library is required):
- Citing Sources
The Northern Renaissance took the ideas and the ideals of the Italian Renaissance, reshaped them, and gave them a new life in the 16th century and beyond, even as the courtly principalities and republics of Italy had seen their best days behind them. In this period, the culture of the Renaissance became a European-wide influence that helped set the stage for the Enlightenment in the 18th century and the development of modernity on the European continent. The inspiration of the Renaissance humanists and artists, with their love and admiration of classical antiquity, spawned a revival of European intellectual and artistic culture that permanently changed the perception of Europeans for centuries to come.