NCERT Pointer History Class-11 Chapter-7
NCERT History Summary Class-11 Chapter-7: Changing Cultural Traditions
● Many significant changes took place in cultural traditions of Europe between 14th to 17th centuries.
● The church mainly influenced the life of people a lot. ‘
● Renaissance is a French word.
● Fall of feudalism, the religious wars between Christians and Muslims, commercial properties, etc. were the main reasons for the rise of Renaissance in Europe.
● Renaissance at first started in Italy. Then it started in Rome, Venice and Florence.
● In 1455, printing press was invented by Gutenberg.
● First printing press was set up by Caxton in 1477 in Europe.
● The invention of printing press increased the volume of books. It also helped in the spread of education.
● Milan, Naples, Venice and Florence gained the status of trade centers because of flourishing of trades.
● Humanism was one of the movements that started in Italy in 14th century.
● Petrarch is known as the ‘Father of Humanism’. He vehemently criticized the superstitions and lifestyle of clergy.
● Dante was an eminent poet and philosopher of Italy.
● Dante is known for his classics, The Divine Comedy.
● William Tyndale (1494-1536) translated the Bible into English in 1506.
● Boccaccio was the greatest writer and humanist.
● Decameron is a classic work of Giovanni Boccaccio. It is the collection of 180 stories.
● Leonardo-da-Vinci was one of the greatest painters. He was born in Florence in the year 1452.
● Mona Lisa’ and ‘The Last Supper’ were the most famous paintings of Leonardo-da-Vinci.
● Michelangelo was another great painter. His greatest painting was ‘The Last Judgement’.
● Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Issac Newton were well-known scientists of the Renaissance period.
● The theory of the earth as a part of the sun centered system was made popular by Kepler’s Cosmographical Mystery.
● The revolution in science reached at its climax with Newton’s theory of gravitation.
● Aristocratic families dominated the way of life during 14th century medieval Europe.
● Social, political and economic life of people were deeply affected by Renaissance.
● Renaissance aroused the spirit of equality among the people and attacked on the superstitions and rituals prevailing in the society.
● Literature of Renaissance period brought about a great change in political thinking of the people.
● Reformation movement was a protest movement that took place in the 16th century against the church and the pope.
● Martin Luther wrote Ninety-Five Theses challenging the authority of the church.
● Nation-state received new power and vigour from Reformation.
● The Society of Jesus was founded by Ignatius Loyala in 1540. It made an attempt to combat Protestantism.
Important terms:
- Renaissance: A French word meaning rebirth.
- Renaissance man: A person with many interests and skills.
- Document of Indulgences: A document issued by the church which guaranteed a written promise to absolve the holder of all his sins.
- Humanism: A movement which gave priority to present life rather than life thereafter.
Timeline:
The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries:
- 1300– Humanism taught at Padua University in Italy
- 1341– Petrarch given title of ‘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
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