The Northern Renaissance
The spread of renaissance literature, art and humanism.
The Italian Renaissance spread to Northern Europe, through King Francis I of France. Shakespeare, Flanders, Erasmus all reflect the Northern Renaissance.
Northern Beginnings
The Renaissance began in Italy, and slowly spread north, to France, Germany, and the Low Countries of Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Eventually it reached the British Isles and Scandinavia. This Northern Renaissance has very distinct characteristics that set it apart from its Italian counterpart.
By the end of the Hundred Years War, in 1453, changes in art, literature and philosophy were brewing in Northern Europe. The Renaissance came to Northern Europe via the French king, Francis I. Francis rebuilt the palace at Fontainebleau, introducing the Italian Mannerist Style, with its dense Roman detailing to its interior decor. He also brought the famed Italian artist, Leonardo Da Vinci to the French Court. Da Vinci undoubtedly had a great influence over many local artists.
Art
Despite French beginnings, the bustling city of Flanders became the artistic center of the Northern Renaissance. Artists had their own unique styles, differing from the south. German artisit, Albrecht Durer created realistic landscapes, and blended religious themes with classical myths. He was also known for woodcuts and engravings. Another German artisit, Hans Holbein the younger, produced almost photographic quality portraits. One of his most famous portraits was of Anne of Cleves, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Old King Henry, on yet another wife hunt, fell in love with Holbein’s portrait of Anne. However, upon meeting the lady in person, Henry firmly declared “I like her not!” It seems Hans was instructed to make Anne prettier than she really was, in order to advance the marriage plans between England and the small duchy of Cleves.
Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck used oil paints to create unusually realistic detail and reveal the personality of his subjects. Fellow Flemish artist, Pieter Bruegel captured everyday peasant life, and used his work as a political platform, to protest Spanish rule over his Flanders.
Northern Humanism
Northern humanists had more interest in religious ideas than secular (worldly) themes. They strove to blend the new thinking with core religious values. Human dignity helped to develop plans for social reform, based on core Christian values. Desiderius Erasmus of Holland wrote The Praise of Folly which poked fun at greedy merchants, lovers, scholars and priests. He believed that in order to improve society all people should study the bible. Englishman, Thomas More, penned Utopia which literally means “no place.” More believed there was little use for money, as all it did was promote greed. Rabelais believed humans were basically good creatures, and that they should live by instinct, rather than religious rule.
The Bard of Avon
Literature would be forever changed during the Northern Renaissance, when a playwright from the small English town of Stratford-on-Avon. His name: William Shakespeare. Shakespeare possessed a deep understanding of human beings, reflected in his plays and sonnets. He wrote tragedies, such as Romeo and Juliet. He also wrote comedies, including Midsummer Night Dream, and drew upon the classics, as in Julius Caesar.
The Northern Renaissance was a continuation of new beliefs, ideas, and thinking. However, it retained its unique blend of new ideas mixed with old religious beliefs, and influenced Western Europe in its own unique way.
