How revolutionary was the Renaissance?

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Melvyn Dorsey
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1 Starter questions 1. Working with a partner, look at the two images on picture sheet one. How would you describe the two images? What do you think the purpose of the images was? What are the main differences between them? 2. Can you think of any examples of revolutions in History? 3. What do you think is meant by the word revolution? Background information An educated, European man at the end of the Middle Ages, in around 1400, would probably have believed that God controlled everything in the world, including the weather that the earth was the centre of the universe the sun, moon and stars rotated around the earth that illness was either a punishment from God, or an imbalance in the bodies humours phlegm, blood and bile. These ideas had been held for many hundreds of years, but began to be questioned in a period of time known as the Renaissance. Translated from French the word means re-birth, and is used to describe a period in History from around in which many ideas were challenged. There were changes in scientific understanding, artistic expression and religious beliefs. Some historians have argued that these changes were great steps forward from the previous period, which is sometimes called the Dark Ages. Others, however, argue that wars within and between European countries and the growth of superstitious beliefs about witchcraft show that the changes in this period don t deserve to be called revolutionary. Tasks 1. Working with your partner, look at each of the cards about individuals from the Renaissance. Record key details about each using your table. 2. Decide which of the six individuals you think made the most important contribution to knowledge and understanding in the period. Be ready to explain your decision to the rest of the class. 3. Now look at the information on the European witch craze and the Inquisition. Are you surprised that these ideas existed at the same time? What does this tell you about the extent of change in Renaissance Europe? 4. Prepare to take part in a class debate on the big question How revolutionary was the Renaissance? Page 1 of 6

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3 Andreas Vesalius ( ) Vesalius was an anatomist (an expert in the parts of the human body). He dissected (cut open) human bodies at a time when most people thought this was immoral because the body was created by God it was even illegal in most European countries. In 1539 a judge in Padua (in modern day Italy) allowed Vesalius to use the bodies of criminals which he had sentenced to death. This meant that he could learn about, and draw detailed pictures of, the inside of the human body. Before Vesalius, doctors had mostly relied on the dissection of animals to learn more about the body. The most influential thinker to have worked in this way was the Roman doctor Galen, who dissected pigs. His ideas were used everywhere in European medicine but contained some major mistakes. Vesalius was the first person to challenge Galen s ideas. He wrote a book, The Fabric of the Human Body, which was distributed widely using the new printing press. This allowed many doctors and scientists to improve their own understanding of the human body. Galileo Galilei ( ) Galileo was an Italian astonomer (scientist who studies the stars and planets). He built the first effective telescope and used it to prove that the earth moves around the sun, not the other way round as had previously been believed. He was also able to observe mountains on the surfave of the moon and discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter. Galileo s ideas got him into a lot of trouble. In 1539 he was accused of heresy (going against Christian beliefs) for arguing that the sun was the centre of the solar system. This was a revolutionary idea because most people thought that the Earth was at the centre of the universe. This meant that he was forbidden from teaching or spreading his ideas. He was eventually sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest because the Church feared his ideas were gaining in populatiry. William Harvey ( ) William Harvey was an English doctor who discovered how the heart works and how blood is circulated around the body. This was important because previously it had been believed that blood was continually made and used up by the body. He published his theories in a book, On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, which made him famous around Europe. He also discovered that new life was formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg a theory which would not been generally accepted until hundreds of years after his death. He spent most of his life working as a physician (doctor) at Bartholemew s hospital in London. In 1618 he became the personal doctor of King James I Page 3 of 6

4 Thomas Savery ( ) Thomas Savery was an English engineer and inventor who built the first steam engine. His first interest was in the difficulty of removing water from flooded coal mines. He invented a machine which used sealed pipes and steam to force the water upwards and trap it at a higher level using valves. He took out a patent on the machine which covered all engines that moved water by using fire. This meant that all other industries that wanted to develop similar machines had to consult with him. After gaining Savery s permission, other individuals produced steam engines capable of moving water around large houses and even towns. Problems occurred with the engines when some blew up, casuing injuries and, in one case, a death. They also consumed a huge amount of fuel so were very expensive to run. Influenced by the first steam engine, other inventors went on to design engines capable of driving pistons in factory machinery and even trains. Sir Issac Newton ( ) Issac Newton was a mathematician and physicist who developed many ideas which are fundimental to modern day science. Some historians argue that he is the most influential scientist ever to have lived. He discovered, for example, that white light is composed of all of the colours which can be seen in a rainbow. He also had a huge impact on the study of astronomy by defining the laws of motions and proposing that all objects in the universe are affected by gravity. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu ( ) Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was a highly educated and wealthy English aristocrat. In December 1715 she contracted smallpox, a highly contagious and dangerous disease which made its sufferers break out in severe spots and boils. It commonly killed its victims and at best left their skin badly scarred Lady Mary s own brother had been killed by the disease. Having recovered from the disease she accompanied her husband to Istanbul where he worked as the English Ambassador to Turkey. Here she was influenced by different approaches to medicine which were unheard of in Europe. These included the use of inoculation to treat smallpox. This involved putting some of the pus from a smallpox blister into a scratch on a person s skin. This seemed to mean that they wouldn t then contract the disease, although it was not understood why this should be the case. Lady Mary brought the practice of inoculation back to England, where many people doubted its safety and effectiveness. It did, however, grow in popularity and eventually influenced scientist Edward Jenner to develop the safer practice of vaccination against smallpox which used the less lethal cowpox disease Page 4 of 6

5 17 th century witch hunts in Europe How revolutionary was the Renaissance? Whilst ideas and understanding in science were taking some big leaps forward, at exactly the same time in Europe, superstitious beliefs were taking more of a hold than ever before. One of the main symptoms of this was a witch hunting craze which occurred all over Europe. Many people, including King James I in England, became convinced that some individuals, particularly old and vulnerable women, had entered into a pact with the devil in order to gain supernatural powers. If something went wrong in a town, perhaps a poor harvest or wave of thefts, people looked for signs that witchcraft might be to blame. This led to major persecutions including witch trials and executions. James I even produced a book on the topic, Daemonologie, which claimed to explain how to recognise and catch a witch. No one can be sure of how many people were put on trial and killed for being witches, but recent estimates suggest that from the number could be as high as 35,000, eighty percent of whom are thought to have been women. The Inquisition Changing ideas in science often challenged the established wisdom of the Catholic Church. This sometimes resulted in a backlash against people who were developing new theories. Galileo, for example, found himself imprisoned for his determination that the Earth was not the centre of the universe. In some parts of Europe during this time, religious courts were set up to try those accused of heresy (going against Catholic beliefs). The largest and most famous of these was the Spanish Inquisition which was originally set up to stop Catholics from converting to Judaism, resulting in all Jews being banned from Spain. Over time it also began to work on banning lists of heretical books, including works of science and literature. Some historians claim that this limited free scientific thought and progress in Europe Page 5 of 6

6 Teaching notes This resource was originally planned as a two lesson sequence for a Y8 group focusing on the key concept of change and continuity. The overall rational is that students consider some examples of the progress in European scientific thinking that occurred broadly in the period known as the Renaissance and contrast this with the superstitious/religious backlash that it faced, exemplified by the witch craze and the Inquisition. They can then consider/debate the big enquiry question either in groups or as a whole class. You could follow the suggested pattern of activities below and use p.1 as a student prompt sheet, or use the information and pictures to devise an approach which is suitable for your class. All the pictures referred to below are contained in a separate PDF which can also be downloaded for free on the site. Tasks: 1. Ask students to work in pairs. Show them the two contrasting drawings of the human body from the 13 th and 15 th centuries which are provided on picture sheet one. Ask students to discuss the starter questions from p.2 and feedback as a class. 2. Read through the background information from p Give each pair a copy of the table from p.3. Ask them to look at the information on each of the six Renaissance individuals and their achievements from pp.4-5 and to record key points using their table. Each individual also has a corresponding set of images in the picture PDF they could be cut up to present with the written information in mini packs. This activity could be completed as a carousel, if practicable with your group/space, in order to keep up the lesson momentum, in which case five minutes per individual should be plenty of time. 4. Ask each pair to decide which of the six individuals they think made the most significant advancement in thinking. A class discussion of this could be held to review the learning. 5. In pairs again, ask students to read the information on p. 6 which looks at the European witch craze and the Inquisition as examples of how things were not changing during the Renaissance. 6. Hold a whole class debate on the big enquiry question: How revolutionary was the Renaissance? Page 6 of 6

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION Figuring Out the World of Science and Where God Belongs in the Equation. Setting the Stage Between 1300-1600 CE, Europe went through major changes. The Renaissance, a rebirth