Differences Of Humanism And The Renaissance In Northern Europe

During the 1400s, a whirlwind of cultural, political, and religious ideas swept across Europe. It would lay the groundwork for the Reformation in Northern Europe and redefine the way that artists and intellectuals were seen in Italy. This movement is commonly called “The Renaissance” but the Renaissance that took place in Italy was arguably different from the Northern Renaissance. The Northern Renaissance took place in France, the Low Countries, Germany and England. Due to the different types of changes taking place, the two types of humanism emerging from these areas were distinctly different. Yet they focused on some of the same things as well; such as education and rediscovering old works of literature. The main differences between

the types of humanism was how prominent religion was in their movement and their different views on politics; however, the main similarity was their joint focus on education.
When Italian Renaissance Humanism begins, it is not religiously motivated.

The humanists in Italy sought to study Classical literary literature from Greece and Rome. Many of the humanists’ occupations were secular and this contributed to the focus on the individual instead of God. Although the Northern Humanists also studied older literature and classics, their focus stayed primarily on early sources of Christian writing. This included the Holy Scriptures and the writings of church fathers. The Northern Humanists were interested in the reform of Christianity and focused on what they considered to be a “simpler religion” found in the early texts. Italian Humanists held on to their secular outlook throughout the development of their “civic humanism” and this kept the focus on learning and growing as an individual. Due to this, their humanism influenced them to become active in the state. One such humanist, Leonardo Bruni advocated Humanist’s participation in state affairs and service. Northern Humanists, also called Christian Humanists, were more interested in helping to positively influence society through educating them with Christian literature. Jacques Lefèvre d'Etaples, a leading Christian humanist, helped to apply humanism to religion. He theorized that a more accurate translation of the Bible would help people become more moral. During the Italian Renaissance, their urban society of city states was gaining wealth as well as access to more worldly possessions. This contributed to a more secular viewpoint as well. The varying prominence of religion in these two movements dictated the ultimate purpose of each type of

humanism.
Northern Humanists were not exceptionally concerned with influencing politics in their era. Their main goal was religious reform, after all. Contrary to this, Italian Humanists evaluated their roles in society and begin to lead a more participatory life as a result. Prior to the 15th century, humanists had led a life filled with solitude. Petrarch, often called the “father of Italian Renaissance humanist”, reflected this with his lack of a family life. However during the 1400s, Humanism took a turn in Italy. Cicero, a Roman statesman, became a model for their political ideals. He led an involved life with the state and the world around him. This evolution of the humanist lifestyle from a life of solitude to outspoken members of the community is evident in the roles they began to take as teachers, professors, secretaries of Chancellors, and their positions in courts of princes. Another major difference between the two humanist movements was their different views on how a ruler should govern. Niccolo Machiavelli suggested that rulers should do what was best for the state and forgo morals when making decisions. In reality, most rulers often did this but it was under the pretense of that being what God would have wanted. Machiavelli theorizes that being feared is more important than being loved as a ruler, because love is fickle. Contrary to this, Desiderius Erasmus wrote another treatise entitled “Education of a Christian Prince” in which he outlines how a ruler should act morally and with the goodness and grace of God. Erasmus was arguably the most influential Christian humanist scholar of his time. These two opposing viewpoints showcased the different beliefs of the two humanism movements.
One matter that both Italian Humanists and Northern Humanists focused on with the same fervor was education. Both movements believed that education would change a person and allow them to improve themselves. This emphasis on the power of education ensured that it would remain an important aspect of European cultural makeup. Christian Humanists believed that to change a society, the individuals making it up must first be changed. In 1423, Vittorino da Feltre, an Italian Humanist, founded a school in Mantua where the educational system was based on the ideas of Classical authors. It, like most humanist schools, focused on the “liberal studies” which included history, moral philosophy, rhetoric, letters, grammar, poetry, math, and music. The purpose of the Italian Humanist schools were to produce individuals who followed a path of virtue and wisdom. The goal of Northern Humanist schools was to educate with a religious outlook to help the individual achieve an inner piety; however, both movements sought to use education as a tool to change mentality and influence the lifestyle of the pupil.
Although these two types of Humanism had different origins, the ultimate broad goal of both was to educate people and improve the causes that were important to them. Northern Humanists’ focus on religion would ultimately be the defining difference between the two movements. The secular tones of Italian Renaissance Humanism highlighted the attitudes of the era in Italy. Approximately 300 years later, America would experience a cultural revolution much like the two movements in Europe during this time. Mirroring the religious passions of Northern Humanism, the Great Awakening emphasized the idea of the Bible holding all the answers. Although the Great Awakening also emphasized spirituality, it did not put the same emphasis on returning to a simpler religion that Christian Humanism did. The Enlightenment that swept across the colonies was reminiscent of the Italian Humanist movement with their shared prioritization of logic and philosophy. Humanists across Europe, although bonded through their shared research of the classics, were ultimately part of separate movements because of their goals and origins.