Early Modern Britain English Renaissance The Rise Of The Tudors

The term " English Renaissance" is used by many historians to refer to a cultural movement in England in the 1500s and 1600s that was heavily influenced by the Italian Renaissance. This movement is characterized by the flowering of English music (particularly the development of the madrigal), notable achievements in drama (by William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson), and the development of English epic poetry (most famously Edmund SpenserEdmund Spenser (c. 1552 January 13, 1599) was an English poet, and a contemporary of William Shakespeare. The Faerie Queene is his major contribution to English poetry. It is mostly a poem seeking (successfully) the favour of Queen Elizabeth I. The poem i's The Faerie QueeneThe Faerie Queene is a poem by Edmund Spenser, first published in 1590 (the first half) with the more or less complete version being published in 1596. The poem found political favour with Elizabeth I and was consequently very successful, to the extent of and John MiltonJohn Milton ( December 9, 1608— November 8, 1674) was an English poet, most famous for his blank verse epic Paradise Lost''. His father, John Milton Sr. was a well-off scrivener, and his grandfather a wealthy landowner in Oxfordshire who, hewing to the ol's Paradise LostFor the UK Goth metal band, see Paradise Lost (band . Paradise Lost (published 1667) is an epic poem, originally in 10 books, later revised in 12, of blank verse by the 17th century English poet John Milton. It narrates the Christian story of the Fall of).

The idea of the Renaissance has come under increased criticism by many cultural historiansCultural history at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. Most often the focus is on phenomen, and some have contended that the "English Renaissance" has no real tie with the artistic achievements and aims of the northern Italian artists ( Da Vinci, Michelangelo, DonatelloThis page is about the artist. For the cartoon character, see Donatello (Ninja Turtle). Donatello's David Donatello Donato de Betto di Bardi ( 1386 December 13, 1466) was a famous Florentine artist and sculptor. He came under the patronage of Cosimo de' M) who are closely identified with the Renaissance.

Other cultural historians have countered that, regardless of whether the name "renaissance" is apt, there was undeniably an artistic flowering in England under the Tudor monarchs, culminating in Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

2 The rise of the Tudors

Some date the beginning of Early Modern Britain to the end of the Wars of the Roses and the crowning of Henry Tudor in 1485 after his victory at the battle of Bosworth Field. Henry VII's largely peaceful reign ended decades of civil war and brought the peace and stability to England that art and commerce need to thrive. A major war on English soil would not occur again until the English Civil War of the seventeenth century.

During this period Henry VII and his son Henry VIII greatly increased the power of the English monarch. A similar pattern was unfolding on the continent as new technologies, such as gunpowder, and social and ideological changes undermined the power of the feudal nobility and enhanced that of the sovereign. Henry VIII also made use of the Protestant Reformation to seize the power of the Catholic Church, confiscating the property of the monasteries and declaring himself the head of the new Anglican Church. Under the Tudors the English state was centralized and rationalized as a bureaucracy built up and the government became run and managed by educated functionaries. The most notable new institution was the Star Chamber.

The new power of the monarch was given a basis by the notion of the divine right of kings to rule over their subjects. James I was a major proponent of this idea and wrote extensively on it.

The same forces that had reduced the power of the traditional aristocracy also served to increase the power of the commercial classes. The rise of trade and the central importance of money to the operation of the government gave this new class great power, but power that was not reflected in the government structure. This would lead to a long contest during the seventeenth century between the forces of the monarch and parliament. en

3 Exploration and the beginnings of empire

In 1497 Henry VII hired Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto to cross the Atlantic on behalf of the English crown. Cabot became the first European, of the era, to discover what is today Canada and he claimed it for the English Crown. Soon after, colonies would be founded in North America and trading posts and enclaves would be established in India and elsewhere around the world. Eventually English, and later British, overseas holdings would grow and the British Empire would span the globe.

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Home > Early Modern Britain

1 English Renaissance

2 The rise of the Tudors

3 Exploration and the beginnings of empire

Topics: Early Modern Britain, English Renaissance, The Rise Of The...