Social Significance of Reformation

1. Religious Practice in Sixteenth-Century

1. Clergy fell by two-thirds
2. Religious Holidays fell by one-third
3. Church sites reduced by one-third
   1. In Zwinglian cities churches the walls stripped bare so congregation meditates on God’s word alone
4. Worship conducted in the vernacular and NOT Latin.

2. Reformation and Education

1. Protestant schools and universities attempted to unify wisdom, eloquence, and action.
   1. Study of history, poetry, and other humanist diciplines
2. Catholic Counter Reformers recognized the close connections between humanism and the Reformation.
   1. Ignatius of Loyola
   2. Teresa of Avila
3. Luther pressed for universal compulsory education so both boys and girls could reach vernacular literacy in the Bible.
4. Calvin founded the Genevan Academy, which was created primarily for training of ministers. Pursued the same ideals set forth by Luther.

3. The Reformation and the Changing Roles of Women

1. Protestant reformers took a positive stand on clerical marriage and strongly opposed monasticism and the celibate life.
2. Challenged medieval view of women
   1. Woman as temptress (Eve)
   2. Woman as exalted virgin (Mary)
3. Protestant praised women in their own right in Bibical vocations of “mother” and “housewife.”
4. Women remained subject to men.
5. New laws gave women greater security and protection.
6. New attitude of more respectful and sharing relationship between husbands and wives and between parents and children.
7. Protestants encouraged girls to read the Bible, expecting that they would model their lives on the Bible.
8. However, women found passages that implied they were equal to men in the presence of God.
9. Small steps in the emancipation of women.
10. Argula von Grumbach: Bavarian noblewoman. First Protestant woman writer, publishing letters and poems promoting and defending Martin Luther
11. Elisabeth Cruciger: first female poet and hymn writer of the Protestant Reformation and a friend of Martin Luther

4. Family Life in Early Modern Europe

1. Later Marriages
   1. Between 1500-1800 men and women married at later ages than in previous centuries.
   2. Late marriage reflects difficulty couples had supporting themselves independently.

2. Arranged Marriages
   1. Wealth and social standing were NOT the only aspects considered when parents met
   2. Emotional feeling respected by parents
   3. Parents did not force total strangers to live together.

3. Family Size
   1. Average husband and wife had 7 or 8 children.
   2. 1/3 of children died by age 5.
   3. 1/2 died by teens
   4. Nuclear family: Father and Mother and 2 to 4 children that survived into adulthood
   5. Rare was the family of any social level that did not experience infant mortality and child death.

5. Literary Imagination in Transition

1. Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra: Rejection of Idealism
   1. Traditional Catholic teaching was major influence on all aspects of Spanish life
   2. Writes Don Quixote (1605). Intent to satirize the chivalric romances then popular in Spain.
   3. Don Quixote is an “old-school Catholic idealist” knight (in his own mind) who attempts to prove his worth for the peasant girl Dulcinea whom he fancied as a noblewoman with whom he could with honor dedicate his life.
   4. Sancho Panza, a clever and worldly (Reformer street smart) peasant is DQ’s squire. He watches DQ act the fool.
   5. DQ defeated on his quest by well-meaning friend.
   6. DQ does not get the new ways…goes to his village a shamed and brokenhearted old man.
   7. Cervantes admires each man for representing attitudes necessary for a happy life.

2. William Shakespeare: Dramatist of the Age

1. Was a school teacher who gained broad knowledge of the Renaissance
2. Conservative in politics and religion
3. Queen Elizabeth and King James were patrons
4. Elizabethan drama consisted of classical comedies and tragedies, medieval morality plays, and contemporary Italian short stories
5. A keen student of human nature
6. Shakespeare’s tragedies are considered his unique achievements
   1. Hamlet: 1603
   2. Othello: 1604
   3. King Lear: 1605
   4. Macbeth: 1606
7. Most original tragedy was Romeo and Juliet 1597 most famous “history” was Richard III written 1593.
8. Shakespeare’s works struck “universal” human themes.