Renaissance+(c.+1450-1600)+RELIGION

==== Humanism was an emerging philosophy during the Renaissance period. Inspired by traditionally secular belief systems and generally characterized as the midpoint between extreme medieval spiritualism and later scientific principles, it preached the importance of human forms and accomplishments above all else. Physical and aesthetic pleasures, along with appreciation for beauty in the arts and several classical works, were granted heightened importance that is still very much alive today due to early humanistic movements. This brought Man’s stature closer to God, and blurred the lines between this world and the next to many believers. However, it did not free the human spirit entirely from an ancient authority, and religion remained an incredibly integral part of life to the majority of Renaissance Europe. But the personal was far more emphasized, a drastic change from the previous total servitude to God. ====

__Corruption in the Roman Catholic Church__
In the Renaissance era, the Roman Catholic Church was the main source of influence over political and social movements, as it had so many followers and had existed even before the period: as such, many high-ranking leaders also followed its traditions and beliefs. However, the impact it had on primarily European society was not always backed with good intention, or headed by those who practiced what they (literally) preached. As the Roman Catholic dogma stated, high priests and bishops were to be celibate and refrain from marriage or sex in order to be closer to God with less interruption from outside sources; however, some individuals in the highest rungs of the leadership ladder were found to be adulterers and practiced bribery and dishonesty to arrive at their place. This bribery was made possible by the wealthy backgrounds that these authorities had, and it carried over into their roles as religious figureheads. Pope Leo the 10th often purchased art using the money received by the church through scandalous and dirty methods, like selling fake spiritual relics to its Pilgrim followers. This focus on material gain, and the distancing from the personal connection with God that the common followers of the Roman Catholic faith aspired to have led to the Reformation.

__The Reformation__
The Reformation began in the 16th century with a German monk, Martin Luther, nailing his 95 theses on the door of a local church. The theses had to do with Luther's problems with the church, the 95 of them that were nailed being his main problems that he thought should be fixed. He did all this because he didn't believe, as the Catholic Church did, that you could buy yourself into Heaven through indulgences, nor could you escape punishment from sin with money. He taught that good deeds and money did not earn salvation, faith in god and jesus christ did. His writings (which he refused to retract) as well as his teachings caused the catholic church to brand him an "outlaw" and excommunicate him in 1521.However, his translation of the Bible into the common vernacular, or language of the people, as well as his marriage, caused his new faith movement, Protestantism, and his name-sake religion, Lutheranism, to gain many new followers, because his way of teaching taught faith above all else, and love for each other.

__The Counter Reformation and The Council of Trent__
The Counter Reformation was the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation, which began with the Council of Trent, and concluded at the end of the Thirty Years’ War. The Council of Trent had the largest influence on church music in the 16th century, but the Catholic church had already attempted to make reforms to music before the council convened to discuss music. One Bishop named Egidio Foscarari and Gabriele Paleotti started to work on reforming cloisters of nuns and their liturgical practices. The reforms made to the cloisters included banning the use of an organ, banning professional musicians in the church setting, and banning polyphonic singing. These reforms were for more severe than those made by The Council of Trent, which did not focus on the style of music but on attitudes of worship and reverence during the mass. Several changes in music followed the Council of Trent, such as the development of the Missa brevis, Lauda, and “Spiritual Madrigal.”

__Overview & Religion__
In the Northern Renaissance, humanism was established in some secular aspects. Humanism was developed against a Christian backdrop. Renaissance had a profound effect on contemporary theology, specifically in the way people perceived the relationship between man and God. The Renaissance era began in times of religious turmoil. Churchmen proposed a reform to the Church based on humanism, the new testament was later published in 1517, which is now known as the Protestant Reformation. This led to a separation with the Roman Catholic Church.

Several holidays the people celebrated include: - The first Monday after Twelfth Night of January, meaning, any time between January 7th to January 14th. It was known as “Plough Monday” - Valentines Day (February 14th)

Although Christianity was not so popular after the Protestant Reformation, there were still plenty of Christians back in the Renaissance.

Holidays of the Christians include: - June 21st, known as Midsummer. - What is known as “Halloween” today, back then was “All Hallows Eve”, which symbolizes the beginning celebration of the days of the dead.