RBSE Class 11 History Notes Chapter 7 Changing Cultural Traditions

These comprehensive RBSE Class 11 History Notes Chapter 7 Changing Cultural Traditions will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 11 History Chapter 7 Notes Changing Cultural Traditions

→ Between the period from 14th to 17th century many significant changes occurred in cultural traditions of Europe.

→ During this period the church deeply influenced the life of the people.

→ Renaissance known for bringing new message of new age for the Europeans.

→ Renaissance is a English word, which comes from French.

→ The meaning of Renaissance is the Rebirth, which means new awakening in the form of art, literature, cultural traditions, etc.

→ Famous historian H.A. Dans define the concept Renaissance as the Re-birth of freedom Loving and adventurous thoughts during the medieval age.

→ Literally speaking the concept Renaissance means rebirth of freedom to think and act without being controlled by any external agency.

→ Fall of feudalism, the religious war between Christians and Muslims, commercial property, etc., factors were responsible for the rise of Renaissance in Europe.

→ Renaissance first started in Italian cities—Venice, Rome and Florence.

→ Printing Press was invented by Johann Gutenberg in 1455.

→ Caxton set-up first printing press in Europe in 1477.

→ Turks occupied Constantinople the capital city of Byzantine Empire in 1453.

 

→ As the trade flourished in Italy, cities like Milan, Naples, Venice and Florence emerged as vibrant centres of trade.

→ Humanism was one of the most significant elements of Renaissance which started in Italy in 14th century.

→ Francesco Petrarch is regarded as the Father of Humanism, who criticised the superstitions and life style of clergy.

→ Dante is said to be one of the greatest poets of Italy.

→ Dante is known for his famous book ‘Divine Comedy’.

→ Giovanni Boccaccio is the greatest writer and a humanist who wrote ‘Decameran’.

→ Decameron is a collection of 180 stories.

→ Leonardo-da-Vinci was not only a greatest painter but also was a well known engineer.

→ Leonardo-da-Vinci born in Florence in 1452 and was known for his worldwide famous paintings like ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Mona Lisa’.

→ Michael Angelo spent 8 years to paint his famous painting the ‘Last Judgement’.

→ Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo Galetite, Kepler, Willian and Issac Newton were well known scientists of the Renaissance period.

→ During the period (age) of Renaissance all the women did not enjoy equal status. They were not given the right of freedom.

→ Life during Medieval Europe in 14th century was dominated by aristocratic families. 

→ During the period of Renaissance, women were deprived of their right to advice their husband in business matter.

→ Women’s position in aristocratic families was much superior than the ordinary families.

→ Renaissance deeply affected the social, religious, political and economic life of the people.

→ Renaissance aroused the spirit of equality among the people and attacked on the superstitions and rituals prevailing in the society.

→ Literature composed during the era of Renaissance brought a great change in the political thinking of the people.

→ Reformation Movement broke out as a protest reaction that took place in 16th century against the church and the Pope.

→ Martin Luther wrote 95 theses challenging the authority of the church.

→ Reformation gave new power and vigour to strengthening the Nation State.

→ Ignatius Loyala found the Society of Jesus and aimed at revival of ascendency of Roman Catholic faith.

→ The 16th century is commonly designated as the ‘Age of Renaissance’, also called the ‘Revival of learning’.

→ Humanism resulted in the emancipation of the mind of man from the shackles of effete dogmatism, and in the creation of fresh intellectual atmosphere and ideals of life.

→ Great writers of the Italian Renaissance included Dant, Petrarch, Boccaccio and Machiavelli. Great painters of Italian Renaissance included Leonardo da Vinci (Famous Paintings : ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Monalisa’), Michelangelo (‘The Last Judgement’ and ‘The Fall of Man’) and Raphel (‘Madona’). Great astronomers of Italian Renaissance included Bruno and Galileo.

→ The movement spread to other countries of Europe and at last it reached the shores of England, where it manifested itself in the poems of Chaucer and Spenser, the plays of Shakespeare, the essays of Francis Bacons and utopianism of Thomas More, and particularly in the courts of such rulers as Elizabeth I of England.

→ The Renaissance movement was enormously, helped by the invention of the printing press (in 1454 by Gutenberg of Germany; ‘Gutenberg Bible’ 1456-the first printed book); with the help of which old and classical books were multiplied leading to a great increase in knowledge and in the spirit of enquiry and experiment.

→ The Reformation was another movement that the 16th century witnessed.

→ It was started by Martin Luther in Wittenburg, Germany in 1517 by publicly protesting against the sale of letters of Indulgence. (Indulgence : the letters which remitted punishments of the sinners who bought them and which began to be considered as passports to heaven.)

→ It was a revolt against the control of conscience by the priests.

→ With the breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church by such leaders as Luther of Germany and Calvin of Switzerlan, Western Europe was split between Catholic and Protestant countries, a situation which developed enmities of the fiercest nature.

→ The movement, which began within the Catholic Church to combat the effects of the Protestant Reformation, was known as Counter Reformation Movement.

→ Timeline: The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries

1300	Humanism taught at Padua University in Italy.
1341	Petrarch given title or ‘Poet Laureate’ in Rome.
1349	University established in Florence.
1390	Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales published.
1436	Brunelleschi designs the Duomo in Florence.
1453	Ottoman Turks defeat the Byzantine ruler of Constantinople.
1454	Gutenberg prints the Bible with movable type.
1484	Portuguese mathematicians calculate latitude by observing the sun.
1492	Columbus reaches America.
1495	Leonardo da Vinci paints The Last Supper.
1512	Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

→ Timeline: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

1516	Thomas More’s Utopia published.
1517	Martin Luther writes the Ninety-Five Theses.
1522	Luther translates the Bible into German.
1525	Peasant uprising in Germany.
1543	Andreas Vesalius writes On Anatomy.
1559	Anglican Church established in England, with the king/queen as its .head.
1569	Gerhardus Mercator prepares cylindrical map of the earth.
1582	Gregorian calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII.
1628	William Harvey links the heart with blood circulation.
1673	Academy of Sciences set-up in Paris.
1687	Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica published.

→ Periodisation used by Humanists and by Later Scholars

Periodisation used by Humanists and by Later Scholars
5th-14th century	The Middle Ages
5th-9th century	The Dark Ages
9th-11th century	The Early Middle Ages
llth-14th century	The Late Middle Ages
15th century onwards	The Modern Age
Recently, historians have questioned this division.