Presentation on Introduction to the 16th Century, pp.319-329

The introduction starts with a description of various cities in England and how the young and wealthy of England longed to visit mainland Europe for its cultural impact.  Despite these visits, cultural exchange seemed to be one-sided.  English culture and language was not being spread elsewhere, because there was little in the way of art and literature to be spread.  This trend began to change in the 1400s.

The Court and the City
Periods of violence, such as the War of the Roses, left little time for the development of the English language.  Henry VII came to power in 1485 and with church backing was able to quell those who would revolt and continue the violence.  To secure his hold, Henry began consolidation of power into the royal court.  Familiarity with the king granted power and wealth, but could also be dangerous and cause paranoia of those who might take a courtier's place.  The sly language used by courtiers began to influence the vernacular of poets in the 16th century, since many poets had been courtiers at some point.  Cultural expansion strengthened the economy which in turn caused cities to grow.  London became one of the largest cities in England as well as Europe and jobs there were known to pay particularly high wages.  During the period of Henry's reign, literacy increased as a result of the introduction of the printing press and the introduction of an English Bible.  Caxton, the man who introduced the printing press to England, appealed to royal tastes by making translated medieval works available.

Renaissance Humanism
The stability of Henry VII's reign allowed the Renaissance of Europe to take hold in England and the continued stability under Henry VIII allowed it to flourish.  The Renaissance's most pronounced effect was the introduction of Humanism.  It also caused a shift in learning from training for the clergy to learning for the sake of literature and culture.  Humanism brought the classics back into modern education, bringing with them many pagan ideals that could be adapted to Christian teachings and morals.  Strong English nationalism prompted many scholars to translate classics into the English language and tempted many to write their own works in English as well.

The Reformation
The clergy of the Roman Catholic church had much power over illiterate commoners.  Previous revolts against the church had been quickly and violently repressed, but Martin Luther's revolt started the Reformation.  Others built on Luther's arguments and overturned the church in several European cities.  England had continued its loyalty to the church, but broke away when the Pope refused to grant Henry VIII a divorce.  Henry persecuted protestants and those who remained loyal to the Pope.  Mary, Henry's daughter, rose to the throne and immediately reestablished connections with the Roman Catholic church.  Elizabeth returned the Reformation to England upon taking the throne.  This second Reformation allowed English religion to move toward Protestantism.