MWF

• Renaissance


  • Promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art
  • Bridged the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization
• The Renaissance is credited with bridging the gap between the Middle Ages and modern-day civilization
• The most important change was that of the people and how they saw themselves and their world


  Many people showed interest in classical learning, especially the culture of the ancient Romans
• The Renaissance began in Italy in the mid 1300s and spread north throughout the rest of Europe
• Florence, Italy


  • Birthplace of the Renaissance
  • Produced great number of talented poets, artists, architects, scholars and scientists in a short period of time
  • Very much like the ancient Athens
• Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance for many reasons, including that Italy was the center of ancient Roman history
• Renaissance


  French for "rebirth", characterized by a revival of classical art, literature, philosophy, architecture, and an emphasis on humanism
• The Renaissance overlapped the Age of Discovery and advancements in science, thus making science a legitimate source of knowledge
• The Middle Ages and Renaissance (c.400-c.1550) witnessed the replacement of the Roman Empire by the 'Barbarian kingdoms', the conversion of northern and eastern Europe to Christianity, the origin and development of nation states and governmental bureaucracies, and the eventual collapse of the religious unity of Christendom with the Reformation
• Renaissance


  A period in European history, from roughly the 14th to the 17th century, regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history
• The Renaissance started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age
• Humanism


  A belief that one could realize his or her full humanity only through classical education, reasserting the superiority of ancient Greco-Roman creative and intellectual contributions
• From the early 15th to the early 17th century, Europeans embarked on maritime explorations around the world to satisfy their desire for foreign goods and to achieve geopolitical dominance
• Scientific innovations assisted the Renaissance Age of Exploration, such as improved ship design and navigational charts and instruments
• During the Renaissance Era, the Roman Catholic Church faced numerous dissenters to its authority, including popular heretical movements and more moderate reformers criticizing clergy corruption
• The most notable dissent with the Church was the Protestant Reformation, which challenged the doctrine of papal infallibility and rejected the Catholic Church as a necessary intermediary between the faithful and God
• The Renaissance Period saw vast improvements in trade and communication, resulting in cultural exchange and the expansion of trade routes on land and sea
• The beauty, color, and luster of Islamic glass and pottery inspired Italian glassmakers
• The Protestant leader Martin Luther denounced the new theory


  1539
• The Catholic Church included Copernicus' book in the "Index": A list of prohibited books


  1616
• The Catholic church used Copernicus' book to correct the calendar (which we still use today)
• The Church did not object to the theory so long as the book was treated as no more than a mathematical explanation
• This explanation also allowed Protestant astronomers to use the theory
• There were other objections to the theory that were not religious in nature
• Most astronomers and natural philosophers of that period claimed that Copernicus' theory was scientifically implausible and raised many counter claims
• Tycho Brahe


  Born into a highly aristocratic, very wealthy family on December 14, 1546 in the Danish region of Scarnia, which is now in Sweden
• Tycho's father was Otte Brahe, a member of the Royal Court, and his mother was Beate Bille, also an important aristocrat
• Tycho was the second of the couple's 12 children
• Tycho Brahe died aged 54 on October 24, 1601 in Prague
• Tycho's premature death was probably caused by either a burst bladder or kidney failure
• Something remarkable happened to Tycho in his second year of life

  1. Tycho was kidnapped by his uncle and aunt, Jorgen Brahe and Inger Oxe, when his parents were away from home

  2. Tycho's uncle and aunt were childless, and they believed that Jorgen was entitled to a lawful son and heir to his estates

  3. Tycho's natural parents eventually agreed to this, so Tycho was raised by his uncle and aunt as if he were their own son

  4. When his uncle died, Brahe inherited his wealth

  5. Similarly, he inherited his biological father's wealth when he died
• Research estimates that combined, Tycho's inherited wealth would be 1% of all of Denmark's entire wealth
• In April 1566, aged 19, Tycho arrived back in Germany


  1. Tycho got into argument with another Danish student who, like him, was studying at the University of Rostock

  2. The cause of the argument is not known

  3. Tycho enjoyed dining and drinking heartily

  4. After further disagreements, the two students fought a duel with swords, which resulted in Tycho losing the front of his nose and picking up a permanent scar on his forehead
• A year later, Tycho returned to Denmark, where he began experimenting with metal fittings to disguise his nose's disfigurement
• Tycho wore a skin-colored metal prosthetic for the rest of his life
• At the age of 25, Tycho committed a serious social offense


  1. Tycho took a woman who was not born an aristocrat as his partner

  2. It was illegal for the young couple to marry in the usual way

  3. However, provided they lived together for three years, their partnership would be recognized as a legal marriage

  4. Tycho's wife was Kirsten Hansen, daughter of a Lutheran minister

  5. Tycho and Kirsten had eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood

  6. The form of marriage between the couple meant their children were commoners, not entitled to enjoy any of the privileges of the nobility
• On October 13, 1601, Tycho attended a banquet in Prague
• Tycho had plenty to drink, but the meal carried on for a long time
• Although desperate to urinate, Tycho did not leave the table - it would have been very impolite to leave the table before the meal was formally over
• Brahe was long thought to have died from a bladder infection after politeness kept him from excusing himself to use the bathroom during a royal banquet in October 1601, causing his bladder to rupture