HVII - Culture

Question 1

What is Humanism?

Answer 1

A broadly intellectual cultural movement developing from the Renaissance movement.

Question 2

What were Humanists particularly concerned about doing?

Answer 2

Establishing the reliability of Latin and Greek translations in order to purify the ideas of religious texts. Christian Humanism was the movement which arose when this approach was applied to biblical texts.

Question 3

In the Catholic faith, what did Humanists particularly believe in?

Answer 3

The notion of Free Will

Question 4

Who were the earliest humanist scholars of significance in Tudor England?

Answer 4

William Grocyn (1449-1519) and Thomas Linacre

Question 5

How did Grocyn and Linacre experience humanist approaches?

Answer 5

Grocyn - lectured at Oxford on the ideas of Aristotle and Plato Linacre - particularly influenced by science, took a medical degree at the University of Padua

Question 6

Who was John Colet? What did he believe?

Answer 6

He travelled to Italy and was introduced to Humanism there. He saw humanist scholarly approaches as a way of reforming the Church. It is thought by Historians that his views foreshadowed those who favoured the growth of Protestantism.

Question 7

Who was Desiderius Erasmus?

Answer 7

A renowned Dutch scholar, who paid is first visit to England in 1499, was someone who ‘epitomised the spirit of new learning’. His friendship with Thomas More gave a huge boost to humanist ideas in the early reign of Henry VIII

Question 8

Who was Sir Thomas More?

Answer 8

A distinguished lawyer and humanist scholar, most famous perhaps, as the author of Utopia. He was a valued councillor to Henry VIII and was appointed to Lord Chancellor on the fall of Wolsey in 1529. He resigned in 1532 in despair of Henry’s religious changes and was executed for treason.

Question 9

What was humanism like in the time of Henry VII?

Answer 9

Humanism made little impression on England in this period and English medieval life continued to be dominated by the traditional medieval scholastic philosophy. Humanists considered this too formal and old-fashioned.

Question 10

Which schools provided early education in the Henry VII period?

Answer 10

‘Song Schools’ and ‘Reading Schools’ provided elementary education for the very young.

Question 11

What form of secondary education was available?

Answer 11

Secondary education took place in grammar schools, some of which had been around for centuries but many others were built during this period.

Question 12

How many new schools were founded between 1460 and 1509?

Answer 12

53

Question 13

What did education depend on in this period?

Answer 13

• the amount of money you had. - your location.

Question 14

What subject was central to the grammar school curriculum?

Answer 14

Latin Most schools continued to teach this the traditional way, but the 1480s saw a the beginnings of a humanistic approach, particularly and Magdalen College School in Oxford. Teachings of English remained as a by-product of the teaching of Latin.

Question 15

Which two universities were around at this period?

Answer 15

Oxford and Cambridge

Question 16

Which of these two universities expanded more in Henry VII’s reign?

Answer 16

Oxford had experienced substantial growth at the start of the 15th century, but Cambridge continued to expand into Henry’s reign. Lady Margaret Beaufort was responsible for the foundation of Christ’s College and St John’s College Cambridge.

Question 17

What was a popular art form in Henry’s reign?

Answer 17

drama and plays - these were often performed in association with Church festivals or performed at the feasts of Corpus Christi.

Question 18

Why were drama performances important festive occasions?

Answer 18

They were important because Churches, corporations and guilds performed plays which demonstrated moral and religious messages for the moral improvements of their audiences.

Question 19

What types of music were popular in Henry’s reign?

Answer 19

• local bagpipe and wind groups entertained people on saints days, often accompanied by drinking songs - great choral pieces were sung at Cathedrals throughout the country

Question 20

What is the most important surviving source for music from Henry’s period?

Answer 20

The Eton Choir-book This was compiled in around 1505 and has a collection of 93 separate musical compositions

Question 21

Who were the main patrons for music in this period and what instruments were primarily used?

Answer 21

• musicians were often employed at the home of the Earl of Oxford - Lady Margaret Beaufort was a regular patron - Music performed at court or in households often used instruments such as trumpets, shawms (medieval wind instrument), sackbuts (medieval trombone), stringed instruments and lutes.

Question 22

Who were Brown and Fayrfax?

Answer 22

• composers - wrote secular songs that were used for entertainment.

Question 23

What type of building went through major rebuilding in Henry’s reign?

Answer 23

-Parish Churches - The vast number of Churches built in gothic perpendicular style is an indication of the scale of investment which took place.

Question 24

Examples of Churches built in the Gothic Perpendicular style?

Answer 24

• Saint Mary Redcliffe in Bristol - Lavenham - Long Melford - In 1502, Henry VII approved this architectural style for the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey

Question 25

What did English Culture mainly follow in Henry’s reign?

Answer 25

English Culture still followed the Gothic traditions of northwestern Europe, with an allegedly primitive visual style. The new industry of printing was still only concerned with traditional medieval culture. However, tastes began to change and by the time of Henry VII’s death in 1509 humanist influences had reached England, particularly from Italy.