Europe 1500: Renaissance, Exploration, and Reformation

European Renaissance

• Period of intense artistic and intellectual activity
  • "Rebirth" of ancient Greek and Roman culture
  • Italian Renaissance (mid 1300s - mid 1400s)
  • Northern Renaissance (early 1400s - early 1600s)

Renaissance Art

• Characteristics of Medieval Art:
  • New perspectives, colors, and techniques like contrapposto and chiaroscuro
  • Emphasis on naturalism and realism
• Renaissance artists like Giotto and Masaccio revolutionized art with new styles

Machiavelli and Political Thought

• Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527):
  • Major works: The Prince
  • Key ideas: "Better to be feared than loved," ignore moral considerations, and "the ends justify the means"

Age of European Exploration (1400-1600)

• Causes of Exploration:
  • Desire for new trade routes to Asia
  • Spread Christianity
  • Access to new navigational technologies (caravel, astrolabe, compass)
• Key Explorers and Impacts:
  • Christopher Columbus: Searched for a western route to Asia; discovered the Americas in 1492
  • Vasco da Gama: Reached India, boosting Portuguese trade
  • Treaty of Tordesillas divided new lands between Spain and Portugal

Impact of European Exploration

• Columbian Exchange:
  • Global transfer of goods and cultures
  • Economic impact: Rise of capitalism, mercantilism, and joint-stock companies
• Colonization:
  • Establishment of European control over the Americas
  • Transatlantic Slave Trade expanded, impacting economic structures

Protestant Reformation

• Background:
  • Split from the Catholic Church during the 1500s
  • Rise of Protestant churches (Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican)
• Major Figures:
  • Martin Luther: Initiated the Reformation with his 95 Theses in 1517
• Impacts:
  • Increased literacy due to the printing press (Gutenberg)
  • Protestantism spread to America, influencing U.S. demographics
  • Religious wars erupted across Europe

Connections and Themes

• Renaissance emphasized rebirth and creativity
• Exploration and conquest reshaped global trade and cultural exchanges
• Reformation redefined religious structures and increased literacy and knowledge dissemination

These notes cover the major events, figures, and impacts of Europe from 1500 to 1600, highlighting the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, and the Protestant Reformation.