Henry VII - Culture

• What is Humanism?

  A broadly intellectual cultural movement developing from the Renaissance movement.
• What were Humanists particularly concerned about doing?

  Establishing the reliability of Latin and Greek translations in order to purify the ideas of religious texts.

  Christian Humanism was the movement which arose when this approach was applied to biblical texts.
• In the Catholic faith, what did Humanists particularly believe in?

  The notion of Free Will
• Who were the earliest humanist scholars of significance in Tudor England?

  William Grocyn (1449-1519) and Thomas Linacre
• How did Grocyn and Linacre experience humanist approaches?

  Grocyn - lectured at Oxford on the ideas of Aristotle and Plato

  Linacre - particularly influenced by science, took a medical degree at the University of Padua
• Who was John Colet? What did he believe?

  He travelled to Italy and was introduced to Humanism there.

  He saw humanist scholarly approaches as a way of reforming the Church.

  It is thought by Historians that his views foreshadowed those who favoured the growth of Protestantism.
• Who was Desiderius Erasmus?

  A renowned Dutch scholar, who paid is first visit to England in 1499, was someone who 'epitomised the spirit of new learning'.

  His friendship with Thomas More gave a huge boost to humanist ideas in the early reign of Henry VIII
• Who was Sir Thomas More?


  A distinguished lawyer and humanist scholar, most famous perhaps, as the author of Utopia.

  He was a valued councillor to Henry VIII and was appointed to Lord Chancellor on the fall of Wolsey in 1529.

  He resigned in 1532 in despair of Henry's religious changes and was executed for treason.
• What was humanism like in the time of Henry VII?

  Humanism made little impression on England in this period and English medieval life continued to be dominated by the traditional medieval scholastic philosophy.

  Humanists considered this too formal and old-fashioned.
• Which schools provided early education in the Henry VII period?

  'Song Schools' and 'Reading Schools' provided elementary education for the very young.
• What form of secondary education was available?

  Secondary education took place in grammar schools, some of which had been around for centuries but many others were built during this period.
• How many new schools were founded between 1460 and 1509?

  53
• What did education depend on in this period?

  - the amount of money you had.

  - your location.
• What subject was central to the grammar school curriculum?

  Latin

  Most schools continued to teach this the traditional way, but the 1480s saw a the beginnings of a humanistic approach, particularly and Magdalen College School in Oxford.

  Teachings of English remained as a by-product of the teaching of Latin.
• Which two universities were around at this period?

  Oxford and Cambridge
• Which of these two universities expanded more in Henry VII's reign?

  Oxford had experienced substantial growth at the start of the 15th century, but Cambridge continued to expand into Henry's reign.

  Lady Margaret Beaufort was responsible for the foundation of Christ's College and St John's College Cambridge.
• What was a popular art form in Henry's reign?

  drama and plays - these were often performed in association with Church festivals or performed at the feasts of Corpus Christi.
• Why were drama performances important festive occasions?

  They were important because Churches, corporations and guilds performed plays which demonstrated moral and religious messages for the moral improvements of their audiences.
• What types of music were popular in Henry's reign?

  - local bagpipe and wind groups entertained people on saints days, often accompanied by drinking songs

  - great choral pieces were sung at Cathedrals throughout the country
• What is the most important surviving source for music from Henry's period?

  The Eton Choir-book

  This was compiled in around 1505 and has a collection of 93 separate musical compositions
• Who were the main patrons for music in this period and what instruments were primarily used?

  - musicians were often employed at the home of the Earl of Oxford

  - Lady Margaret Beaufort was a regular patron

  - Music performed at court or in households often used instruments such as trumpets, shawms (medieval wind instrument), sackbuts (medieval trombone), stringed instruments and lutes.
• Who were Brown and Fayrfax?

  - composers

  - wrote secular songs that were used for entertainment.
• What type of building went through major rebuilding in Henry's reign?

  -Parish Churches

  - The vast number of Churches built in gothic perpendicular style is an indication of the scale of investment which took place.
• Examples of Churches built in the Gothic Perpendicular style?


  - Saint Mary Redcliffe in Bristol

  - Lavenham

  - Long Melford

  - In 1502, Henry VII approved this architectural style for the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey
• What did English Culture mainly follow in Henry's reign?

  English Culture still followed the Gothic traditions of northwestern Europe, with an allegedly primitive visual style.

  The new industry of printing was still only concerned with traditional medieval culture.

  However, tastes began to change and by the time of Henry VII's death in 1509 humanist influences had reached England, particularly from Italy.