How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
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 …
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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 1400-1700 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?’.
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How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
Name:
Name:
Name:
What did they discover?
What did they discover?
What did they discover?
Why was this important?
Why was this important?
Why was this important?
Name:
Name:
Name:
What did they discover?
What did they discover?
What did they discover?
Why was this important?
Why was this important?
Why was this important?
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How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
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 (1564-1642)
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 (1578-1657)
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.
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How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
Thomas Savery (1650-1715)
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 (1643-1727)
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 (1689-1762)
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.
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How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
17th century witch hunts in Europe
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 1400-1700 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.
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How revolutionary was the Renaissance?
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 13th and 15th 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.2.
3. 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?
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