Renaissance and Reformation: Seeds of Modernity

Key Factors in the Discovery of New Lands

• The Conquest of Constantinople
• The end of the Reconquista
• Growing acceptance of the idea that the Earth was a sphere
• Technical inventions (compass, astrolabe, etc.)
• A new mentality (Humanism)

How Authoritarian Monarchies Reinforced Their Power

• Unifying and extending their territories through marriage and war
• Imposing regular taxes
• Appointing high public officials, summoning the Parliament, and limiting the autonomy of cities by sending corregidores
• Establishing the court in one city
• Maintaining a professional, permanent army
• Establishing a diplomatic system

Humanism in Italy

• Florence: Medici family (patrons who subsidized the arts). Machiavelli, political writer.
• Rome: Papal court. Nicolas de Cusa: humanistic writings.
• Naples: Alfonso V of Aragon. Lorenzo de Valla.

Diffusion of Humanism

• Netherlands: Erasmus of Rotterdam combined humanistic ideas with Christian values.
• England: Thomas More proposed a new model of social organization.
• Spain: Seville (Nebrija and Spanish grammar) and Valencia (Luis Vives and philosophy).
• 1499: Cardinal Cisneros founded the University of Alcalá de Henares.

The Reformation

The Reformation was the division of Catholicism due to the emergence of Protestantism.

Causes of the Reformation:

• The bad practices of the Church
• The sale of bulls and indulgences
• Less emphasis on Mass and more on the study of the Bible

Map of Christian Branches after the Reformation

Following the Reformation, Christianity was divided into three main branches: Catholic (or Roman), Orthodox (or Eastern), and Protestant. Within Protestantism, there were various faiths, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, and Calvinists.

Humanism: A Definition

Humanism was an intellectual movement that changed the mentality of the age. It originated in Italy in the 15th century.

Characteristics of Humanism:

• Inspiration in classical culture: Texts from ancient Greece and Rome were studied and imitated.
• Anthropocentrism: The human being was at the center of the world, instead of God (medieval theocentrism).
• Growing interest in science: Observation of reality, experimentation, and reasoning were used to explain things (not just faith!).

Main Representatives of Humanism:

• Religious Humanism: Erasmus of Rotterdam, who combined classical antiquity and Christian religion.
• Scientific Humanism: Nicolaus Copernicus, who formulated the heliocentric theory, placing the Sun (not the Earth) at the center of the universe.

Expansion of Humanism

Humanism expanded due to:

• The movable-type printing press invented by Gutenberg: Books became cheaper, leading to a revolution in education.
• Academies where humanists met and shared ideas (e.g., the Platonic Academy in Florence, supported by the Medici family).