The Italian Renaissance

Italian Renaissance was the opening phase of the greater time period we now know as the Renaissance, meaning rebirth or rediscovery. This was a period of great cultural change, exchange and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century (1300s) to about 17th Century (1600s). The rise of Humanism became a major theme during this time period – and major of these artists, thinkers and philosophers had a strong belief in God but saw a lesser intimidating role of God in daily lives, thus the term Humanism or the proper study of man. One of the greatest humanist literary work from the time period is called the “Oration on the dignity of Man” (1486) by a Renaissance philosopher named Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola. The time period also gave rise of some of the most famous men in the philosophical, scientific, arts, cultural and literary circles. Some famous quotes include:

• Descartes – “I think therefore I am”
• Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) – He invented the early form of Scientific Method
• Isaac Newton – Open voice for Empiricism (Sense experience) – “he believes in gravity because he experienced it.” He also had other numerous physics accomplishments.

And many other thinkers and famous individuals with key ideas we still use or study to this day. The revolution changed the world and shaped the western culture and thinking.

Protest Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation

The Protest Reformation started mainly with Martin Luther and led to the emergence of Europe from the shadow of the Catholic Church. After the Reformation, the Church was never the same again and never exerted as much control and influence as it did before the reformations. The Reformation was not an attempt to break away from the Church but an effort to correct the many mistakes Martin Luther (then a monk) saw in the Church. They were shocked to see many of the laypeople with no knowledge of the Bible, Selling of Indulgences, Selling of Church Positions (Simony), Idolatry and other forms of corruption and false doctrines that was found in the Church. Thus the statement with Power comes Corruption is proven true within Catholic Church. After Luther published his 95 Theses, the real reformation began and gave rise to more outspoken critics of the Catholic Church and sparked a theological debate in Europe. After church officials refused to address the issues and excommunicated certain reformers, the reformers made their own church. This was known as the Protestant Reformation or Protestant Revolt or Protestant Revolution and forced the church to rethink its teachings. It also split Europe along religious lines while intertwining religion and polices – as German prices became Protestant.

Church launched the Counter Reformation in response to Protestant Reformations but by then, the damage was done. The church launched a council meeting by Pope Paul III who started issuing more reforms within the Church while tackling corruption, indulgences and other financial abuses. The church however disagreed with some Protestant charges and defended its use of Sacraments, Pope’s authority, structure of the church hierarchy, spiritual groups and other core beliefs in Catholic faith. The reforms also gave rise of new religious orders, the Jesuits becoming one of the most famous missionary orders in Europe and impacting political conditions around the world.

The Price Revolution

The Price Revolution resulted because of the discovery of new world resources such as Silver and Gold that resulted in high rates of inflation – especially for food prices – and led to economic despair throughout the world. The inflation is thought to have resulted because Europeans began to bring a lot of Silver and Gold from the Americans into Asian and European trade markets and thus flooded the markets. There was “too much” money in the market compared to the good available for trade. Within Europe, Merchants came under fire for their high prices – especially by German princes and various religious authorities. After the initial rush of new found wealth, prices stabilized and generally remained the same but were still high – until the 18th century when further inflation drove prices for good higher.

Scientific Revolution

Many historians agree that the Scientific Revolution can trace its beginnings to when Nicolaus Copernicus published his work “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1543).” The scientific Revolution set the basics and foundations needed for the evolution of Modern Science. One such individual that contributed significantly yet does not earn a lot of reputation is Sir Francis Bacon with his early model of the Scientific Method that is still used in the scientific community. The revolution began in the field of Astrology by men such as Galileo who overturned much of the beliefs and teachings of establishments and was even persecuted for those ideals. But the questioning of ideas and the physical world let to more thinkers who began to revolutionize the fields of Astrology, Biology and Physics and soon set the basis for modern day science. Some argue that there was no “revolution” or distinguishable change in how the scientific methods and knowledge grew but there was certainly a change in thinking and perception in the scientific community that changed how the world is viewed forever.

Enlightenment Period

Age of Enlightenment began around 17th century with the major philosophical arguments for human reason or rationalism and was not marked by any set of unifying idea. Rather, it was a conglomerate of ideas often conflicting with one another – often challenging the traditions, establishments, customs, morals, institutions and authorities of the European world. The age was marked with great philosophical and intellectual developments and a clear return to the study of the Greek philosophies that established the Western thought process. The period also contained the rise of Absolute monarchies, centralized states and the early forms of Human Rights for the common people. Some famous key ideas and individuals include:

• Thomas Abbt – came up with ideas that was coined as Nationalism
• Beethoven – Composer and Musician
• Edmund Burke – a political think-tank and often quoted for his saying “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing.”.
• Thomas Hobbs – Philosopher and his book the “Leviathan”
• Immanuel Kant – Another great philosophy quoted often for his rationalism philosophy and other ethical and moral stances
• Thomas Jefferson – “Right to Revolution” for the people oppressed by government and other famous political philosophies including the Declaration of Independence and interpretation of the US Constitution