HIS 111
Unit 14: Renaissance and Reformation

Raphael Santi's The Holy Family (The Madonna with Beardless Joseph), 1505-06, tempera and oil on canvas.  The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has one of the finest collections of Renaissance art in the world.  That is largely a legacy of the wealth, power and collecting prowess of Catherine the Great in the eighteenth century.

• Read chapters 16 and 17 in the textbook.
• Read my notes on the Renaissance and the Reformation.
• Watch my short videos on the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation.
• Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
• If you have not already done so, you must complete your digital project now.
• Post (or respond) with your thoughts/ideas/comments in the discussion forum: Comment on the idea of humanism as an important part of the Renaissance and Reformation (5 points).

What you can do in this unit

• Watch my longer videos from 1995 on the origins of the Renaissance and the key individuals of the Renaissance.
• When it comes to a narrated, online presentation, they don't get better than this done by Leah Salentine on the Commedia dell'arte for HIS 111.

Some videos that you can watch for this unit

• The Renaissance: Was it a Thing? - Crash Course World History #22
• Luther and the Protestant Reformation: Crash Course World History #218
• Leonardo da Vinci (Khan Academy)
• Michelangelo's (Khan Academy)
• Michelangelo (biography)
• Michelangelo Revealed (PBS video)
• Raphael, School of Athens
• Leonardo da Vinci (biography)
• All about the Renaissance Part 01 Historical Background Beginnings and Art
• Machiavelli • The Prince • The Common Sense of Politics (sometimes available online)
• Martin Luther: Driven to Defiance (PBS video)
• History_s Mysteries - The Inquisition (part 1_9)
• Catholic Inquisition and The Torture Tools
• Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther and Henry VIII
• Martin Luther Sparks a Revolution
• Martin Luther's Reformation (AP Euro Review)
• The Reformation-Martin Luther
• For extra credit please suggest to your instructor a relevant video for this unit of the course. Send the title of the video, the URL and a brief explanation of why you find the video interesting and applicable to the material that is being studied in this unit.

Extra Credit Options

• Submit an Extra Credit Special Project paper (point value varies).
• For up to 25 points of extra credit, assess the significance of the Medici family for Renaissance Florence.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, choose one of the famous quotes about the study of history--scroll down that page to find a list of quotes--(Get permission from your instructor first.) and write a long paragraph in which you explain who the author of the quote was, what he/she meant by the quote and then your evaluation of the quote's accuracy. You can also use the material on these two links, Historians and Why We Study History. Don't forget to cite your sources.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the Council of Trent: Rules on Prohibited Books and in a paragraph explain what the Church was attempting to do with these regulations.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, read the excerpts from Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), Leonardo da Vinci, and write a long paragraph in which you explain how da Vinci was a perfect expression of the Renaissance ideal.
• For up to 5 points of extra credit, read Luther's 95 Theses and answer the Luther study sheet questions.  Please write in formal, complete sentences.
• For up to 10 points of extra credit, contribute at least five photos to the Northern Virginia Digital History Archive.
• For extra credit, please suggest a relevant website for this unit of the course.  Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.

• Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the importance of the Italian Renaissance and its impact on northern Europe, (2) identify some of the important individuals involved in the Renaissance, (3) identify the terms of Luther's and Calvin's protests and (4) explain the impact of the Protestant Reformation on Catholic Europe.