Form 3

Map of Europe at the time of the Renaissance (c.1500)

EUROPEAN HISTORY

3. The Politics of the Renaissance

and the Reformation

1

2

Unit 3.1 - Italian Politics at the time of the Renaissance

1. How were Italians ruled at the time of the Renaissance? Most Italian cities came under the rule of rich and powerful princes. These princes enforced the law, raised taxes, built palaces and gardens to beautify the city, helped farmers to increase farm products and encouraged commerce. They also patronized all forms of art and culture. Many of them achieved lasting fame by leaving behind them magnificent buildings, paintings and monuments. Without them the Italian Renaissance could not have taken place.

2. Who was Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) Machiavelli was the greatest political thinker of the Renaissance. He knows his fame to the pamphlet The Prince, published in 1513. The importance of this book lies in the fact that it became the guidebook to kings, princes and politicians for many years. Macchiavelli stated that the ruler should use any means to win and hold power by setting a strong government. Macchiavelli’s famous dictum was: ‘the end justifies the means’.

3. How was Italy divided in states in Renaissance times? By around 1450 Italy was dominated by five princely states. These were: The Duchy of Milan ruled by the Visconti family, The Republic of Florence ruled by the Medici familty, the Republic of Venice ruled by the Doge (elected Duke), the Papal States ruled by the Pope and the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, ruled by the a younger branch of the Kings of Aragon.

Florence was the great centre of Renaissance culture. Duke Lorenzo the Magnificent became the famous of all the Medici family. It was he who helped make Leonardo da Vinci famous as a painter and engineer.

The Popes ruled the Papal States in central Italy. The Renaissance Popes made Rome a centre for learning, art and culture. But the worldliness and open immorality of some of these Popes was to bring about the Protestant Revolt of 1517. Pope Alexander VI left two famous illegitimate children, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia. Julius II was known as the ‘Soldier Pope’ because he was often involved in wars with the Italian princes.

4. How did the Renaissance come to an end in Italy?

The Italian Wars (1494-1559) started in 1494 when King Charles VIII of France invaded Italy to claim the

Duchy of Milan. Most of the Italian princes, the Pope and the King of Spain joined to fight the French. For the

next sixty years Italy became a battleground for the foreign armies of France, Spain and the Holy Roman

Empire. The Sack of Rome in 1527 occurred when Protestant German soldiers in the army of Charles V

entered and pillaged the city which for them was little more than a pagan city. The conflict ended in 1559 when

the French finally accepted defeat. The wars had turned Italy into a poor and devastated country. Thereafter

Spain and the Roman Inquisition became the dominant powers in Italy for the next 150 years. The Inquisition

made artists and scientists afraid to come up with new ideas. The Renaissance came to an end in Italy, but in

Northern Europe and England it was still flourishing, especially during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of

England (1558-1603).

1. Macchiavelli 2. Lorenzo the Magnificent. 3. Pope Julius II 4. King Charles VIII

3

Unit 3.1 – Italian politics at the time of the Renaissance

1. Name the five most important states in Renaissance Italy in the 15th century.

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

______________________________ (3) 2. Use different pencil colours to shade these states in the map above. (4)

3. What made Machiavelli famous?

________________________________ (1) 4. Why did the Prince become a best selling book for many centuries?

___________________________________________________________________________ (1)

5. In Renaissance times most Italian states were ruled by noble families. Name one of them and the state they ruled. __________________________________________________________________________ (1) 6. (a) Who was Lorenzo the Magnificent? __________________________________________ (1)

(b) How did he contribute to the Renaissance? ___________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (1) 7. Why was Julius II a particular Pope? ____________________________________________ (1) 8. Mention one good and one bad aspect of the rule of Italian Renaissance princes.

(a) good aspect: __________________________________________________________ (1)

(b) bad aspect: __________________________________________________________ (1) 6. Mention one good and one bad aspect of the Renaissance Popes.

(a) good aspect: __________________________________________________________ (1)

(b) bad aspect: __________________________________________________________ (1) 7. (a) Why did the Italian Wars break out in 1494? ___________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (1) (b) How did they end in 1559? _________________________________________________ (1) 8. What effect did these wars have on the subsequent history of Italy?

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

(Total marks = 20)

4

Unit 3.2 – The Religious Wars in Germany

1. Why did the Reformation bring civil war in Germany? During the 1530s and 1540s there were civil wars in Germany between Catholics the Lutherans. The Catholics had the support of Emperor Charles V of Habsburg and the Lutherans were helped by King Francis I of France. By 1555 Charles realized that he could not crush the German Protestants. He thus agreed to sign the Peace of Augsburg. (1555). This treaty gave the German princes the right to chose the religion of their subjects. Those who did not want to give up their religion had to go and live in another place. This agreement however left out the Calvinists who started making many converts in the Holy Roman Empire. Meanwhile the Catholic Counter-Reformation converted many Protestants in Austria and southern Germany back to Catholicism.

2. What caused the outbreak of civil war in Germany in 1618? The Peace of Augsburg did not bring a lasting religious peace in Germany. In the early 1600s the German Protestants formed the Protestant Union. The Catholics responded by forming the Catholic

League. These two blocs were to fight the deadliest civil war in German history, known as the Thirty

Years’ War (1618-1648). In 1619 Ferdinand II of Habsburg became Holy Roman Emperor. Soon he broke his promise to let Bohemian Protestants practice freely their religion. A group of Bohemian Protestants threw three Catholic officials from the window of the town hall in Prague. The incident sparked the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War in Germany. Other European countries entered the war at different times. England, the Dutch Republic, Denmark, Sweden and France sided with the German Protestants princes. Spain, the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor sided with the German Catholic princes. The greatest generals of the war were Count von Wallenstein (leader of the Catholic) and King Gustavus II of Sweden (leader of the Protestants). When an agreement was nearly reached in 1635, France decided to enter the war against the Emperor. Peace was finally made in 1648 by the Treaty of Westphalia.

2. Why is the Peace of Westphalia an important treaty in European history? Victory saved Protestantism in Germany. it increased the powers of the German princes and

reduced that of the Emperor. it left Germany divided for another 200 hundred years. it marked the growing power of France and Sweden as the new Great Powers in Europe. it brought a lasting religious peace in Germany. Catholics and Protestants stopped fighting each other and learned to tolerate each other and live in peace.

1. Charles V 2. The Townhall hall at Augsburg 3. Ferdinand II 4. The Bohemian Revolt, 1618

6. Catholics and Protestants in Germany around 1560.

5

Unit 3.2 - The Religious Wars in Germany

Source A Source B

1. How did Emperor Charles V try to solve the religious problem in Germany?

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

2. Why did King Francis I, a Catholic, help the German Lutheran princes?

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

3. What was agreed at the Peace of Augsburg of 1555?

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

4. Why did religious divisions in Germany increased after 1600?

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

5. (a) Use pencil colours to shade Catholic areas in Germany yellow and Lutheran areas green. (2)

(b) The map shows Northern Germany as ___________________ and Southern Germany as

______________________. (2)

6. Why did the Peace of Augsburg failto bring lasting peace between Catholics and Protestants in Germany?

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

7. What sparked another religious war in Germany in 1619? Give two important events.

(a) _______________________________________________________________________ (1)

(b) _______________________________________________________________________ (1)

8. Name the countries that fought on the Catholic side in the Thirty Years’ War?

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

9. Name the countries that fought on the Protestant side in the Thirty Years’ War?

__________________________________________________________________________ (2)

10. Describe the event shown in Source A above.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1) 11. Source B shows King _______________ of Sweden who defended the _________________

In Germany. (2)

12. The Peace of Westphalia finally brought religious peace in Germany. State why this was so.

__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

(Total marks = 20 marks)

6

Unit 3.3 - The Religious wars in France, 1562-1598 1. Henry II and Catherine 2. The murder of Henry IV

de Medici in 1610

4. The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day, 24th August, 1572

3. The murder of Catholic and Huguenot leaders during the

religious wars.

1. Early Protestantism in France Since the rule of King Francis I (1515-1547), Protestants in France were imprisoned, exiled or burnt as heretics. Many of them escaped to Holland, Germany and England. But in the 1550s, Calvin started sending Calvinist missionaries to spread the Calvinist faith among the French.

Then in 1559 an unexpected event occurred. King Henry II died when he was wounded in the eye during a jousting tournament. The Queen-Mother Catherine de Medici ruled France for her three sons. The Catholics and the Huguenots (French Protestants) wanted to take control of the government. Between 1559 and 1589 France was ruled by a line of young and weak kings from the House of Valois: Francis II (1559-1560), Charles IX (1560-1574) and Henry III (1574-1589). 2. The Religious civil war in France In 1560 France had a population of 16 million. The Huguenots amounted only to about 1.2 million. The French nobility was nearly divided equally between Catholics and Huguenots. The civil war began in 1562 when soldiers of the Duke of Guise (leader of the Catholics) killed 300 Huguenots. On 24th August 1572 (St Bartholomew’s Day) armed Catholic bands murdered thousands of Huguenots in Paris and other cities. The massacre was secretly planned by Queen Catherine and the Duke of Guise. The civil war came to an end when King Henry III was assassinated and Henry of Bourbon (leader of the Huguenots) became King of France as Henry IV. In 1594 Henry IV had to become a Catholic before he could be allowed to enter Paris. He concluded that conversion was a small price to pay for the restoration of peace in France.

2. Why is the Edict of Toleration by King Henry IV a very important historical document? Henry realized the only way to solve the religious problem in France was by a compromise. Peace was reached with the Edict of Toleration of 1598. This document gave Huguenots freedom of worship, and equal rights with Catholics. This edict became a landmark in the history of religious toleration. For the first time a European country gave Catholics and Protestants the right to live together in peace. The edict also showed the political skill of King Henry as a tolerant ruler and a peace-maker.

7

Unit 3.3 - The Religious wars in France, 1562-1598

Source A Source B Source C

1. Use pencil colours to shade Catholic areas in France (in yellow) and Huguenot areas (in red). (2)

2. (a) How did King France I try to solve the religious problem in France?

____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

(b) Did he succeed in suppressing the Protestant movement in France? Give a reason why.

____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

3. (a) What happened to King Henry II in 1559? ______________________________________ (1) (b) How did this tragic event effect the future history of France? ____________________________________________________________________________ (2) 4. By 1560 France included some ______ million Catholics and ______ million Huguenots. (2)

5. Source B shows Queen _______________________________ leader of the French Catholic (1)

6. Source C shows King _________________________ leader of the French Huguenots. (1)

7. How did the civil war break out in France in 1652?

____________________________________________________________________________ (1) 8. Look at the picture sources on Unit 3.3. Why was it dangerous to live in France at that time? ____________________________________________________________________________ (1)

9. What did Henry IV do to be accepted as King and end the civil war in France?

____________________________________________________________________________ (1)

10. Why was the Edict of Toleration a very important document in modern European history?

___________________________________________________________________________ (1)

10. Mention two rights acquired by French Huguenots by this edict.

(a) __________________________________ (b) __________________________________ (2)

11. Why, do you think, was King Henry IV assassinated by a Catholic fanatic in 1610?

___________________________________________________________________________ (1)

(Total = 20 marks)

8

Unit 3.4 - Source Question on the Thirty Years’ War

Read carefully the following sources and then answer all the questions.

1. The Thirty Years’ War took place between ______________ and _______________. (2)

2. What was the apparent cause of the war? _________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 3. Give one real aim of the fighting countries for entering the war. _________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 4. From source A and C what would you conclude happened during this war? _______________________

____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 5. (a) To which religious group would you think the author of source A belonged? ____________________ (1)

(b) What made you conclude so? ________________________________________________________ (2) 6. Why do you think more people were killed by plague than by war? ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 7. From the following list, pick out one power which did not take part in the Thirty Years’ War: France, Sweden, Denmark, England, Russia, Spain. (1) 8. Name the peace settlement by which the Thirty Years’ War ended. _____________________________ (1)

9. What happened to Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire by this peace settlement?

_____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 10. How did the German princes benefit from this peace settlement?

_____________________________________________________________________________________ (2) 11. Which one of these rulers was the greatest loser in the war? (a) the King of France, (b) the King of England, (c) the Holy Roman Emperor, (d) the King of Sweden (1)

(Total marks = 20)

Source A. A passage taken from The Tears of Germany, written in 1638.

‘Soldiers, violent, desperate, have broken into our colleges and schools, our monasteries and churches….Our priests are forced to flee into other countries. Many hundreds have miserably perished with their wives and children. Many of our famous schools and colleges are burned to the ground. Libraries are consumed by flames….Torture and torments are brought to men of all ages and conditions. There has been murder and killing on every acre of ground in Germany.’

Source B. Here are some other statements made about the Thirty Years’ war in Germany.

1. Officers and men saw the war as a way to get rich quick. 2. Armies were small. Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, had about 15,000 men. His opponent, Wallenstein, had perhaps 20,000. 3. The fighting season was short, from May to October. Armies went home for the long winter. 4. 6,009 people were buried in the city of Nijmegen in 1636. The population of the city was about 15,000 in 1635. 5. More people were killed by plague than by war.

6. Some places did well from the war. The town of Essen sold weapons and ammunition to both sides at

great profits.

The Sources were taken from Jones, J., The Early Modern World, 1450-1700, Macmillan, 1979.

9

Unit 3.5 Politics of the Renaissance and the Reformation

Read carefully the following essay titles and answer any ONE in about 200 to 300 words.

Essays carry 20 marks each.

Reformation Europe at the Treaty of Westphalia, 1648

PAPER 2A

On the politics of the Renaissance and the Reformation 1. Why did civil war break out so often in France in the thirty years from 1562? Show how the wars were finally brought to an end. (SEC 1997) (Marks: 12, 8)

PAPER 2B

On the politics of the Renaissance and the Reformation

1. Write briefly about the following: (a) the Massacre of St Bartholomew (1572) (b) the Peace of Augsburg (1555) (c) the Peace of Westphalia (1648) (d) the Edict of Nantes (1598) (SEC 1997) (Marks: 5, 5, 5, 5)

10