Sixteenth century

• Historical background:

  1492 Columbus discovers America

  ↳ watershed moment

  change from Middle Ages to Renaissance

  · connection to France gone
• Historical background:

  1453 Fall of constantinople

  ↳)fall of Roman Empire

  ↳ supposed start of the Renaissance,

  scholars from Constantinople fled to

  Italy, cultural exchange and transfer
• Tudor achievements

  · reformed government: London as permanent

  centre of government

  · sense of Englisn Nationhood (propaganda)

  power related to symbols and performance
• Tudor struggles

  · problems of legitimacy and heirs

  · external threats: France and Spain

  Creligious reasons)

  · Tudor Myth: criticising the church, English patriotism
• Renaissance=rebirth

  ↳ rebirth of interest in Roman and Greek culture lantiquity

  (many text had already been known in the Middle Ages

  · started in Italy, moved across Europe

  · Latin remained language of learning, rediscovery of Green

  · spiritual renewing of religion
• Humanism

  · Human being and its potentials in the centre

  ↳ also taking responsibility for own actions

  · Emerge of print Culture (Gutenberg)

  · replaces scholasticism
• 2. Describe the impact of the Reformation on England and on the

  British Isles

  · Martin Luther challange the papacy (Papsttum)-> mistrust in the church as institution

  ↳ devided the church into two parts

  Solascreptura'(only the bible')-> going back to the sources of Christianity

  Catholics (pope as head of church)vs. Protestants
• Reformation in England: Henry 8th needed to divorce first wife (Catherine of Aragon)

  because need of male heir (ambition: French throne), but Pope refused

  1534 Act of Supremacy: makes Henry the head of the Church of England (Anglican church)

  ↳ dissolution of all monasteries -> no Roman influence
• · Confusion: Henry was against Protestantism and disliked the Catholic Church,

  Edward (regents)was protestant, Mary violently reintroduced Catholicism

  ↳ Elizabeth 1. went the middle way (Elizabethan Settlement)

  · Reformation devided British Isles (Ireland remained Catholic, Scotland was

  Calvinist (Scottish Reformation in the 1560s)
• 3. Outline English foreign policy in the 16th century and also

  consider its role as a rising world power

  Foreign policy: "the race of the globe"-> Spain competitor of England because of colonies

  in America (England wanted place as world power as well), also catholicism

  · early 16th century: English almost non-existent in the race of the globe
• ↳ the Spanish Armada

  · assembly of Spanish ships to carry Spanish soldiers to England (1588)

  ↳)after setting sail: storm scattered ships to invade England, rest defeated by the English

  -> victory caused England to become serious competitor in maritime dominance
• · by 1600 still no successful English colonial venture

  ↳ First overseas colony not until 1606 (North Americal

  · 1600 founding of the East India company -> early attempts to participate in World trade and colonisation efforts

  · theory of mercantilism -> fixed amount of wealth in the world, every country must grasp as much as possible -> method: colonies (wealth& resources)

  -> shift in international trade towards more aggressive imperialism