5. Use Machiavelli to argue against The Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes call for a perfect world where everyone is holy and follows the rules of God.  This is something someone should aim for, but it is practically impossible for anyone to meet these standards.  Machiavelli knows this.  In writing The Prince he had to be realistic about what actually goes on in the world and how to survive in it.  The Beatitudes say, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 5:3 New International Version) This beatitude says that those who have not had the best of luck and are poor will be saved and raised up to the Heaven when they die.  They need to be humble and live holy lives in order to make it to Heaven.  Machiavelli argues that a prince should do whatever it takes to gain power and to rise up in life, no matter what the cost. The Beatitudes also say, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."  (Matthew 5:7 New International Version) Machiavelli argues that a prince needs to be strict and cruel at times in order to remain in power.  He says that it's acceptable for a prince to even kill at times if it is necessary.  The prince should not show mercy because then he will be seen as week.  Machiavelli doesn't agree that a person needs to be holy and have good qualities.  He says that is good to show some good qualities, but that trying to keep them takes too much time and energy, so a prince should focus more on doing whatever it takes to be in power. Machiavelli does not see living a life on the straight and narrow path as being the most important.

Works Cited:

Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Florence: Antonio Blado d'Asola. .

Holy Roman Empire Presentation

mhtml:file://C:\Users\kimhyu13\Documents\AP Euro\The Holy Roman Empire.mht!TheHolyRomanEmpire_files/frame.htm

4. Use The Beatitudes to argue against Machiavelli.

Machiavelli's views in The Prince go against God's word and will. Machiavelli says that in order to have control of a principality one must be brutal. Machiavelli uses Agathocles the Sicilian as an example of this. Agathocles had risen in power to become the Praetor of Syracuse. He was determined to become prince and use violence to do it. One day Agathocles gathered the people and senate of Syracuse, pretending that he had to discuss things about the Republic with them. When he gave a signal, the soldiers killed all of the senators and the richest people. This allowed Agathocles to take control over the princedom. (Ch. 13) Machiavelli doesn't say that this was a way to gain glory, but that it was a way to gain control over a principality which is of most importance. He feels that it is ok to be cruel in order to gain power. The Beatitudes say, "blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5 New International Version) Someone who is meek does not kill people to gain power, which is what Machiavelli is suggesting a prince should do. Machiavelli says, "...because how one lives is so far distant from how one ought to live, that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation; for a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil." (Ch. 15) Machiavelli is saying that a prince should not be concerned about living the way the Lord wants because there is so much that is bad in the world that a prince has to be able to deal with and defend against evil and being peaceful and holy will not let him do this. The Beatitudes say, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8 New International Version) One who is committing evil acts in order to remain powerful are not pure in heart. In The Prince Machiavelli basically says that it is better to be feared and powerful than it is to be loved and insignificant. (Ch. 17) As long as the prince is in power then nothing else matters. The prince remaining in power is important to him, but in reality when it comes time to be judged by God having been a powerful ruler will not matter because in the end it is whether or not you lived your life in a holy way that matters.

Works Cited:

Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Florence: Antonio Blado d'Asola. .

10/28/10 - Review

• Principalities of Italy 
•  Milan, Florence, Venice 
• England was ruled by monarchial families. Italian city-states were ruled by wealthy merchant families. 
• Quattrocento - ex. Medici family coming into power. 
• Medici family 
• Giovanni, Cosmo, Lorenzo 
• Artists 
• Giotto, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael 
• In England you had futile society - the lord of the land and the serfs that worked the land. No movement between social orders. 
• In Italy there was movement between social orders. If you could make money and gain influence you could rise up through the social orders.
• Oration of the Dignity of Man - Pico della Mirandola
• Renaissance
• Celebration of the individual in painting 
• Arts and classical learning 
• Secular spirit
• Very intellectual
• not completely bound to what religion tells them to do. 
• Humanism
• Courtier - people in the nobility within the court of the princes that Machiavelli talks about.
• Were like the knights of England.  
• Castiglione - wrote a book about how to be a proper nobleman: The Book of the Courtier.  This had a great influence on the culture of the court and what it meant to be refined and sophisticated. 
• All of this comes to a rude ending when Lorenzo dies at age 43.  He does not leave a strong leader behind for Florence. 
• In 1494, Charles VIII of France invades Italy with the hope of conquering Naples. 
• The problem is that there are principalities between France and Naples.  Fighting breaks out in the area. 
• King Ferdinand II of Aragon contests France's claim to Naples. 
• Spain and France start to fight. 
• Italian War of 1521-1526
• Machiavelli 
• lived from 1469-1527
• Many people consider him to be the father of modern political science. 
• The Prince 
• He wanted to write a book that any prince in the principalities of Italy could use to make their cities strong again and reunify the areas of Italy that were hurt by the Italian War.
• It was not published until 1532
• 3 most important things that princes needed to know. 
• 1. Approach their relations with the people from the pessimistic view of society. 
• 2. Because human nature is selfish and greedy, a prince has to be able to manipulate people and use situations to get his own ulterior motives. 
• 3. A prince must be both ruthless and pragmatic (seeing everything from a political standpoint). 
• prag·ma·tism  –noun
• 1. character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.
• 2.a philosophical movement or system having various forms, butgenerally stressing practical consequences as constitutingthe essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value

3. According to Machiavelli, when is generosity a good thing? (Be specific, identify, and cite his argument).

            Machiavelli believes that it is good to be thought of as generous, but generosity can hurt a prince because if it is shown in an honest way like it should be, then it might not become known to the people that the prince is generous causing them to think the opposite.  A prince who is very generous will end up using all his property so that in order to give to the people he has to take from them first.  The prince would have to greatly tax the people so that he would be able to get money to give to them.  This would have the opposite effect from what the prince intended by being generous.  Instead of being loved by his people, they would start to hate him.  Since the prince would be losing money he would also lose power. In the end it takes up too much time and energy to try and be thought of as a generous prince. (Ch. 16)

           There are some cases where generosity can be a good thing though. Machiavelli says, "if he is wise he ought not to fear the reputation of being mean, for in time he will come to be more considered than if liberal, seeing that with his economy his revenues are enough, that he can defend himself against all attacks, and is able to engage in enterprises without burdening his people; thus it comes to pass that he exercises liberality towards all from whom he does not take, who are numberless, and meanness towards those to whom he does not give, who are few."  (Ch. 16) Machiavelli is saying that at first a prince would need to be frugal, saving money, so that once there is extra money saved up he can use it for generous deeds.  Machiavelli also says that it is good to be generous when working to become a prince.  For example, Caesar obtained his empire by being generous, but if he had lived and not controlled his spending then he would've caused the downfall of his empire.  

           Machiavelli basically says generosity can hurt a prince if the prince is unwise, but it can also be good if the prince knows how to control it.  It is more important for the prince to keep his power by being a bit mean than it is for him to be generous and loved.  Being generous is a good thing, but only when it is given wisely.

Works Cited:

Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Florence: Antonio Blado d'Asola. .

2. Who is a prince's greatest ally? (Chapters 9, 19, 20, 21)

According to Machiavelli, a prince's greatest ally is the people. The people are what keep the prince in power. The people can help protect a prince from dangerous conspiracies.  If a subject conspires against a prince who is loved by the people then the subject or conspirator will have to face the people, who vastly outnumber him.  A wise subject would see the love that the people have for the prince and know not to conspire against him because it would not benefit him. (Ch. 19) A prince should always let his subjects keep their arms or if they do not have arms he should give them some. By arming subjects, they become faithful and those who were already be faithful stay that way.  If a prince were to disarm his subjects he would be showing the people that he does not trust them, either because of cowardice or his desire for loyalty. (Ch. 20)  Machiavelli says,  "the prince who has more to fear from the people than from foreigners ought to build fortresses, but he who has more to fear from foreigners than from the people ought to leave them alone."  He is saying that a prince should only build fortresses if he is fearful of his people because that is the only time when he would be in danger.  If the prince is well liked by the people then they will protect him.  He will not need a fortress to do it for him.  (Ch. 20) A prince should always aim for the reputation of being a "great and remarkable man." (Ch. 21) A prince should always try to be fair and good to his people.  They will remain loyal in return.

          The people are what the prince needs in order to even be a prince, for without the people, a prince could not even exist.   A prince is powerless without a group of people to rule over.  A prince's popularity with his people is what can make or break him.  This is why the people are so important.  If they are on the prince's side, he will succeed, but if they are not, then he will fail.

Works Cited:

Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Florence: Antonio Blado d'Asola. .

1. Which of the following would be most successful in business today? And what kind of business would they run (Internet startup, chain store, international conglomerate, NGO, mafia)? Remirro da Orca (chapter 7), Oliverotto da Fermo (chapter 8) Cesare Borgia.

        Ramiro d'Orca was a "swift and cruel man." He brought peace to Romagna, but was executed after the duke that had promoted him decided that some of the people hated him because of the mean ways he had treated them before, so in order to make the people forget about any of his cruel acts and make them loyal to only him, he wanted to show that any cruelty that had been practiced had not come from him, but from d'Orca. Ramiro d'Orca would be a good assistant to a leader, such as a president or governor.  He was good at making peace, which would be helpful to a political leader that had to try to mediate between multiple sides, but he was not very good at surrounding himself with the right people.  He didn't watch his back, causing him to be falsely accused of acts of cruelty and executed.  He could not be trusted with an extremely high position, but as an assistant to a major political leader, there would be people working to protect him too.

       Olivertto worked under Borgia. He rose to power with the help of his uncle, Giovanni Fogliani. He wanted more though and he decided to try to seize Fermo for himself. He fought for the Florentines against Pisa, but was accused of treason by Florence. However, he was spared because the government of Fermo intervened. He then went into the service of Cesare Borgia. Then Olivertto wrote to his uncle, saying that he wished to come back and visit his home and city. He held a banquet for prominent people of his home, but during the dinner he started praising Cesare Borgia. As Machiavelli says:

"When the viands and all the other entertainments that are usual in such banquets were fiinished, Oliverotto artfully began certain grave discourses, speaking of the greatness of Pope Alexander and his son Cesare, and of their enterprises, to which discourse Giovanni and others answered; but he rose at once, saying that such matters ought to be discussed in a more private place, and he betook himself to a chamber, whither Giovanni and the rest of the citizens went in after him. No sooner were they seated than soldiers issued from secret places and slaughtered Giovanni and the rest." 

One year after the incident at the banquet Olivertto was strangled.  Olivertto would be a good mafia leader in today's world.  One of his main strengths was having groups of people listen to him, as can be seen from when his soldiers killed Giovanni and the rest of the citizens at the banquet.  He was good at commanding people.  They did what he wanted and respected his power over them.  He also would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.  These are traits of mafia men.  

      Cesare Borgia would be the most successful in modern day business.  Machiavelli says, "Cesare Borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the Romagna, unified it, and restored it to peace and loyalty."  Borgia was a good ruler.  He used a form of "tough love" to control the people.  In order to keep control the people had to fear him a bit, so that they would not dare to rise against him.  This method worked for him and helped him to stay in power.  Borgia would be the CEO of a huge company such as Comcast or Apple.  Borgia had been a leader of armies and people.  The business world can be very similar to the military world. Larger companies, many times take over and buy up smaller ones, just like larger countries do when they conquer new places through war.  Borgia would be good at "conquering" these new businesses in order to expand his empire.  He would also be good at keeping his company in order because he was a harsh leader so people would be afraid not to follow his directions.   His company would be almost unstoppable.  

Works Cited: 

Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Florence: Antonio Blado d'Asola. .

10/19/10 & 10/21/10 - Italy

Italian Cities:  

• Renaissance cities usually had a communal area in the center called citadels. 
• Siena was a strong principality in the Medieval times
• Siena was eventually brought into the control of the Florentines. 
• Urbino looks like a medieval city that has grown into a renaissance city. 
• It has the typical citadel and tower. 
• Firenze is the Italian name for Florence. 
• Florence is in modern day Tuscany. 
• Many of the great vineyards in Italy are in Florence. 
• Perugia is in the center of the country.  It is near Assisi.  

Medici Reign: 

• The city states and individual republics had power over themselves
• The Medici family was very powerful and rich.  They gained their fortune through banking.  
• Before the bank, Medici bank rolled the Pope into power
• Cosmo was a son of the Medici family. 
• Lorenzo was his grandson and  (the Magnificent) he became the ruler of Florence during it's greatest time. 
• Lorenzo was the patron of Michaelangelo  
• In the Italian Renaissance the art world was completely different.  
• Today we go to an auction or gallery and buy art pieces.
• In the Renaissance an artist would have never made a sculpture just because he wanted to.  He would have made it because someone came to him with money and asked him to make it. 
• Example: A patron would go to an artist saying "I'll give you all this money if you make a tomb for me."
• The patron pays the artist anything he needs.
• They took a lot of pride in the Italian history of antiquity (the quality of being ancient). 
• They painted and sculpted in styles that they thought classical antiquity was like. 
• Lorenzo was humanist (a person having a strong interest in or concern for humanwelfare, values, and dignity). 
• Classical mythology was to be enjoyed. 
• The Renaissance church was against much of this though.  They said they were pagan works.  
• Bonfires of the Vanities
• All the people of Florence came out into the streets and burned all their jewelry, books, and art pieces.
• When Cosmo died Florence faced uncertainty. 
• Cosmo told his son to stay out of politics. 
• No one who saw the chapel could ignore the power of the Medici.
• Lorenzo had been born into great privilege, but he was also a scholar. 
• The principalities warred against each other
• Most powerful were Milan, Florence, Pisa, Senna, Genoa, Ferrara, Mantua, Verona, Venice

• In the north of Italy there was ongoing feuding between the Vatican and the Holy Roman Empire. 
• During hte 15th century many of the powerful city states annexed the smaller cities.
• Annexed - took them and made them part of their own.
• Florence was one of the cities that annexed the town of Pisa in 1406.  
• Nearby MIlan annexed areas around it to grow bigger. 
• There was almost constant battle going on throughout central Italy.
• Land battles were carried out by mercenaries. 
• Soldeires from around Europe were lead by Italian generals in campaigns. 
• One of the major strategies was siege war-fare.
• Instead of meeting the opposition on the battlefield, they surrounded the city and burned everything around it.  This way the people either had to come out and fight or they starved. 
• At sea there were also major battles going on.
• Genoa was a strong sea power.
• They beat Pisa, but then Genoa's influence starts to decline and Venice's increases. Venice becomes the main naval power.  
• By 1454 Florence, Milan, and Venice were the 3 major powers in central and northern Italy.
• They signed the Treaty of Lodi.  That treaty lasted for about 40 years or so. It was the first time that there was relative peace in a long time. 
• Exploration
• Columbus (who was Italian) goes to Spain and Portugal.  He secures the right to sail his journey from the king and queen of Spain. 
• When the Spanish explorers get to South America, they find raw materials. 
• These materials have a lot to do with bolstering the economy of these countries for the next couple hundreds of years.  
• Colonization is fundamental to jump starting the economies of many of these countries during the renaissance. 
• Spain, France, and England did the majority of the exploration of the New World. 
• The Abitzi used to be the leading family in Florence and they were very jealous of the Medici.
• Giovanni Medici created the bank.
• Cosimo made it become the biggest bank. 
• The Medici were so popular in Florence because they had money, the pope liked them because they bankrolled him into power. 
• The Medici family was beloved in Florence. 
• Lorenzo has one thing going against him
• He's not quite the business man that Cosimo was.
• He starts to have ill relations with the pope.
• The Pazzi were a rival family. They were the second richest family in Florence.
• They had a richer, nobler history than the Medici, which gave them an advantage.
• Lorenzo sees to it that they are kept out of business. 
• The Pazzi took matters into their own hands.
• They wanted to eliminate the Medici family. 
• They had the Church on their side.
• The Church was in a great about of debt to the Medici bank and it would be good for them if the Medici were no longer around. 
• The conspirators knew that they must kill both.  They could not just kill one brother.
• As rumors of the conspiracy spread, a new plot was hatched.  
• Sunday April 26, 1478, Easter Day.  The people of Florence gathered to celebrate mass at the Cathedral. 
• Both Medici brothers were in the cathedral at the same time.  
• Guiliano Medici was stabbed 19 times, but 
• Lorenzo was wounded, but not killed.  He showed himself to the crowd, which said to them that the Medici were still there. 
• Violence swept through Florence as supporters of the Medici sought revenge.  
• The Pope himself ordered troops to wipe out the Medici once and for all. 
• Lorenzo knew that he had to act. The people of Florence feared for his survival. 
• Lorenzo traveled for nearly a month. He sailed to Naples in 1479, just before Christmas. 
• He arrives with money and gifts.  A deal is cut between both sides.  The Pope is very unhappy about it, but he is forced to agree. 
• The enemy troops were called off. 
• Lorenzo was hailed by his city when he came back. 
• However, Lorenzo's experiences had changed him.
• He adopted the illegitimate son of his murdered brother.  
• The Medici needed all the heirs they could get.
• He took over the government.  All legislation had to be approved by him first. 
• He now had full control over the city.  
• Lorenzo often commissioned artwork from artists. 
• One artist was producing extraordinary work, unlike anything Lorenzo had ever seen before. 
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Leonardo was determined to reflect the detail of the natural world. 
• But in the battle for Medici patronage, Leonardo's rival was raising the stakes. 
• Botichelli was Leonardo's rival. 
• He painted "The Birth of Venus"
• The freedom that Lorenzo brought to Florence was about to come to threat.
• Savonarola was a monk that was against Lorenzo. He thought Lorenzo was leading the city to destruction. 
• He was opposed to any kind of visual art that wasn't religious. He took a dim view of everything that happened that wasn't entirely dedicated to religion. 
• Savonarola's disgust became an obsession. 
• He was sickened by what he saw around him. He turned his hate towards Lorenzo as the focus.  
• July 29, 1487
• Lorenzo's wife died suddenly from tuberculosis.  She was only 34. Lorenzo lamented the loss of those closest to him. 
• He found solace, as always, in art. 
• In 1488 he established the first art school. 
• Here he spotted a young talent. 
• Michaelangelo Buonarroti was only 13.
• He was born in 1475 and died in 1564. 
• He came from a merchant class family. 
• He fell in love with stone carving. 
• Lorenzo takes him right under his wing. 
• He decided to bring Michaelangelo into his family to live with him and his seven children. 
• Michaelangelo became invested in Lorenzo's approval. 
• As the young Michaelangelo learned his craft, his talent was pulled in two different directions. 
• Traditional religious work vs.  classical legends 
• Michaelangelo was arrogant. He could be abusive and petty and he had a terrible temper.  He could be very anti-social.  
• Savonarola believed that Lorenzo was leading to the downfall of Florence. 
• Florence was split between people who wanted a secular lifestyle and those who agreed with Savonarola. 
• Florence had reached new heights of culture, but Lorenzo loosened his grip on the family business. 
• Across Europe, branches of the Medici bank had to close.  The family lost a great amount of money and it's network was falling apart. 
• There were more people asking for favors than there were favors to be distributed.  Many people walked away empty handed and unsatisfied.  
• In 1492 Lorenzo fell seriously ill.  
• Lorenzo turned to the church for help. 
• At 16 Giovanni Medici was already a Cardinal.  The position cost Lorenzo a fortune that he could barely afford.  
• Lorenzo knew he was dying and now he needed something money couldn't buy.  
• Lorenzo called Savonarola to his deathbed seeking absolution. 
• Savonarola's judgement was harsh.  He damned Lorenzo.  
• At the age of 43, Lorenzo died, fearing hell to his last breath. 
• With Lorenzo gone, Savonarola sees his chance. 
• Even Botticelli embraced Christianity with the change of the world around him. 
• Under Savonarola's fundamentalist regime prostitutes were beaten and homosexuals burned. 
• Any display of make up or jewelry was forbidden.  
• Savonarola had gangs of people that enforced the rules. 
• He wanted to create the Kingdom of God on Earth by any means necessary. 
• He organized an enormous public burning of books, wigs, cosmetics, and jewels. 
• Now even Botticelli for fear of the nation joined the destruction. 
• He hurled his own paintings into the flames. 
• The inferno would become known as "The Bonfire of the Vanities"
• Florence became known as a vision of hell.

Causes of Florence's downfall:

• Lorenzo doesn't put as much work into running Florence and the Medici Bank.  He focused on art, dance, and other artistic things of the Renaissance period. 
• The Church did not support the arts.  
• At this time the Holy Roman Empire is not really holy or Roman.  
• It consisted of the German Empire, the Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Burgandy, Kingdom of the Two Sicilys, Corsica, Sardinia. 
• In Central Italy things are a bit different. In this area there are no kings.  There is not a lot of unity because people are loyal to their own city-state.

Holy Roman Empire: 

Map of the Holy Roman Empire 15th Century

• The power of the centralized authority breaks down and you have the rise of the individual kingdoms.  
• Frederick III is the Emperor through the middle and later part of the 15th century. 
• He was a Habsburg, which was a powerful house in Germany. 
• As we move into the 16th century, the empire is broken down into areas that will really influence the development of Germany. 
• Austria and the Confederation of the Swiss become much more important.  
• In the late 15th century Frederick III and his son, Maximilian, declare war against Hungary.
• So the Holy Roman Empire declared war on Hungary.  
• There is a general treaty called the Treaty of Worms signed that declares peace that lasts up until the early 19th century.  
• In the early 15th century, Charles V of Spain becomes the Holy Roman Emperor by way of marriage. 
• This creates an alliance between Germany and Spain.  

Perugia location and geography

Location/Geography

• Perugia ¡s located ¡n the central part of Italy.

• It is the capital city of the Umbria region.

• Perugia has a humid subtropical climate, much

like that of Northern Italy. Summers can be very hot and the winters are cool, so the best times to visit would be the spring or fall. 

How do I get there?

Land

— Buses

It is possible to get to just about anywhere by bus, except on

Sundays.

— Train

‘ Perugia’s main train station is named “Stazione Fontivegge7

‘ The station is easily accessible by bus.

• Tickets must be purchased to ride the train.

• Trains run all over the country, to cities such as; Florence, Rome,

Assisi, and Arezzo.

— Car and Motorcycle

. Car rental companies are near airports.

. You can rent a car or motorcyclefor an affordable price.

Air

— Aeroporto Sant’Egidio (13km east of the city) offers fligF

to places like Milan and London Stansted.

— There are buses that run to the airport.

— You can also rent a taxi to take you to the airport.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perugia

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/umbria-and-le-marche/perugia/transport/getting-there-away

Elizabeth I Movie Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJV3Fh1pPkc&feature=sub

Missed notes - 10/8/10

• Giotto
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giotto
• The first person to break out of o,d painting styles and into Fresco
• He painted scenes instead of people
• Painted "normal" looking people
• All religious paintings because he was working for churches
• Fra Angelico
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fra_Angelico
• Was more detailed
• Filippo Brunelleschi
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Brunelleschi
• The Medici were willing to take a gamble and try Brunelleschi's designs
• He brought back ancient techniques
• Cosimo Medici would publicly support Brunelleschi's plans
• He was going to build the largest dome in the world, and there was a large gamble
• Brunelleschi was inspired by the design of the Parthenon
• Giovanni made a shifting gear so that oxen could walk forward while the gear switched direction, raising and lowering stones
• Cosimo is imprisoned, accused of treason, and found guilty
• He was supposed to be executed, but he bribed his jailers and was set free
• Cosimo and his family were exiled, and Brunelleschi was thrown in jail
• Agents of the Pope came, and Cosimo's exile was over
• He was offered control of Florence again, and he accepted

Henry VIII: An Unjust Divorce and Reformation

Henry VIII let the amount of power he had get to his head. His ego grew to be so much that he decided that he had the right to make himself the head of the Church of England after the Vatican would not let him divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry wanted to divorce Catherine because she could not give him a son, which he would need to keep the throne in his family. Henry’s divorce of Catherine and making himself head of the Church was unjustified: A king needs to be kept within restrictions so that he does not become power crazy. The changes Henry made; divorcing his wife for no justifiable reasons, appointing himself head of the Church of England, and taking away Catholicism, were all unfair to the people and did not show that he was a good ruler.
Henry and Catherine of Aragon had been happily married for many years and even had a daughter named Mary, but Catherine could not produce a son. This was the original cause of the Reformation. Catherine and Henry tried many times, but with every pregnancy ending in a miscarriage, still born baby, or the baby dying as an infant. Henry wanted a son to carry on his family’s reign. Catherine deeply loved Henry as you can see in an excerpt from a letter she sent to him after England’s victory at Flodden Field, “And with this I make an end, praying God to send you home shortly, for without this no joy here can be accomplished.” In the end, though, her love did not matter. Henry found another woman named Anne Boleyn, who he fell in love with and was ready to marry. Henry treated Catherine horribly, but she still always loved him saying in her final letter to him, “For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also.” Catherine forgave Henry for everything. He approached the Vatican asking for a divorce from Catherine so he could carry out his plans with Anne, but they would not give in to him. At this point in time the Holy Roman Empire spread over parts of France, Hugary, and modern day Germany. It was extremely powerful and could not be scared into letting Henry do as he pleased. Charles V, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at this time was also the nephew of Catherine of Aragon, which most likely affected his decision on Henry’s inquiry of a divorce. Henry was denied his request for a divorce, but he found a loophole in the rules and he used it to his advantage.
Henry could not receive permission from the Vatican for a divorce, but he really did not need that at all. The only person he had to adhere to was himself. Henry found out that he could declare himself to be the head of the Church of England, so that is exactly what he did. In the Act of Supremacy (1536), Henry is declared head of the Church of England: “Albeit the king's Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm in their convocations…” Henry separated from the Vatican, severing ties with them, and causing a tense relationship between the two countries. Henry created his own church using Protestant ideas from Germany. He finally got the divorce from Catherine of Aragon that he had been waiting for and married Anne Boleyn. Henry did not have the right to create his own church just because he could not get what he wanted. He was very selfish; only caring about himself and his throne.
England was on it’s way to becoming a fully Protestant country. Henry started the beginning of the reformation.  His change to the Church of England would cause much tension and fighting between religious groups in England and with other parts of Europe for many years to come.. Henry and the new religion he was forcing upon the English Catholics had violated them. It was unfair of Henry as ruler to change the ways of the church just because of his own selfish desires.
Henry hurt a woman who loved him deeply, unjustly appointed himself head of the Church of England, and was religiously unfair to many of the English people. He was selfish and cruel to even those who loved him the most. Ironically, he never ended up getting the male heir that he had always dreamed of, which was the reason for the whole divorce and reformation to begin with.

Works Cited
"Primary Sources - Letter from Anne Boleyn to King Henry VIII, Late Summer 1526." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. .

"Primary Sources - Letter of Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 7 January 1536." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 02 Oct. 2010. .

"The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

"Medieval Sourcebook: Letter of Thomas Cranmer, 1533." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 01 Oct. 2010. .

"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE--1500." McMurry University | Christian College | Universities In Texas. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. .

Queen Elizabeth

• Elizabeth never married.  
• Marriages became alliances between countries.  
• Religion and politics were joined.  
• Elizabeth wanted to have England remain on it's own. 
• She retained ultimate power in England and kept them from getting into any bad alliances.
• Spain is a Catholic country. It was more like a "puppet" for the pope. 
• During the term of Mary I the relations between England and the Vatican became a bit better.
• After Mary, England becomes a Protestant country under Elizabeth.  They become a natural enemy of Rome. 
• Italy itself has a fractured government.  The pope isn't able to raise a fighting force to fight the English.
• He gets the Spanish to fight the English for him.  
• Spain invades England starting a sort of Holy War between the Catholics and Protestants.
• The English are vastly outnumbered by the Spanish.  

Background: 

• Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. 
• When Elizabeth was 3 months old she was given her own household.
• Hatfield
• Mary was sent to live at Hatfield as well and be one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting.
• This angered Mary, but she did as she was told. 
• In 1534 a law was passed declaring that Henry's only heirs could be from Anne Boleyn. 
• When Elizabeth was 2 her mother was arrested and sentenced to death because she could not give birth to a son.
• After this Elizabeth was treated as a bastard child.  
• Within two weeks of Anne's death, Henry married Jane Seymour.
• Now that Mary and Elizabeth were both bastardized the rivalry between then calmed down. 
• Jane gave birth to a son named Edward VI
• Elizabeth received a great education.  She was learning everything that her brother was.
• Elizabeth adored her father.  She was fascinated by his power and wealth. 
• In 1547, Edward ascended to the throne after her father's death.
• Elizabeth was now an orphan in the world. 
• Elizabeth stayed with Katherine Parre, Henry's window.
• Thomas Seymour was the one time love of Katherine Parre.  He wanted to marry Elizabeth so he could be in line for the throne. 
• Elizabeth rejected him, so he moved back to Katherine Parre.  They were married.
• Seymour would romp in the beds with Elizabeth.  Katherine put a stop to it, but she blamed it on Elizabeth.
• Soon after Katherine died and Seymour went back to Elizabeth.
• There were rumors that Elizabeth was pregnant with his child, but Elizabeth dismissed these rumors as gossip.  
• Her brother would not talk to her and her servants were imprisoned.  
• Seymour was soon executed.  
• Elizabeth would appear in stark black and white instead of the rich colors like everyone else wore.
• Edward was dying and Lady Grey and Dudley set up a plot to win the throne by trying to persuade Edward to not allow his sisters to become the ruler of England. 
• Mary won the battle with Lady Grey and Dudley after Edward's death.
• Mary ascended to the throne.
• Elizabeth sat waiting for her time. 
• At first people were thrilled with Mary as their new Queen, but with her policy to return England back to Catholicism, their minds soon changed. 
• Elizabeth's following grew as people stopped liking Mary.  
• Mary thought that Elizabeth was plotting against her.  She was locked in the Tower for 2 months.
• There was not enough evidence though so Elizabeth had to be released.  
• Mary and Elizabeth needed to be reconciled so that Elizabeth could become queen.  If they did not reconcile then Mary Queen of Scots would become queen.
• After the meeting Elizabeth was allowed to go back to Hatfield.  Things had become better between Mary and Elizabeth.
• In 1557, Mary's husband, Phillip, left her and Mary's health was weakening.  
• Mary allowed Elizabeth to ascend to the throne as long as Elizabeth would keep the Roman Catholic Religion. 
• Mary died and Elizabeth became queen at age 25 in 1558.  
• Elizabeth's ambition was to be queen.  Her only sense of purpose is to remain queen.
• She was quick tempered and very unpredictable.  
• She believed that she had been chosen by God to be ruler of England and that what she wanted was all that mattered.  
• Elizabeth remained unmarried. 
• She refused to be someone else's subordinate. 
• The only serious conventions for Elizabeth's affections was Robert Dudley. 
• The problem was that Dudley was married. 
• She was discovered at the foot of a set of stairs with her neck broken.
• This put Elizabeth and Dudley at suspicion.  
• She could not marry him now because there would be too much suspicion that she had been apart of Dudley's wife's death.
• Mary Queen of Scot's was Elizabeth's cousin.  
• She was always the focus of any plots to take down Elizabeth because she was Catholic. 
• Mary made about every wrong decision in her life. 
• Mary was trying to make herself Queen of England
• Eventually Mary was executed after plotting against the Queen. 

• Elizabeth was very vain.  She did not want any pictures of her to show that she was aging. 
• She also loved dresses and flattery.  She was not especially beautiful though.
• Elizabeth wanted to marry the duke of France, but he was a Catholic so her advisors would not allow her to marry him.
• The alliance with France would not happen.
• Elizabeth would not marry or ever have children. 

• England and Spain then went to war against each other.  
• They had great naval battles.
• England won the war with Spain.

• Elizabeth was brilliant at promoting Elizabethan England.  
• She was not a good ruler for this time because she hated change.  
• She did not make any great changes during her reign in England.  
• She was well loved though and great at promoting her country. 
• Until she was 60 she kept her young figure & energy.
• Robert Devereux the Earl of Essex. 
• She was 53 and he was 19 when they met.
• He could be rude & petulant, but she was always forgiving. 
• Essex started a rebellion against her & England. 
• She had Essex executed.
• After Elizabeth became weak.
• She died at age 69. 
• Before she died she said that she wanted James VI to succeed her. 
• The people were very sad about her death.
• She left the country with all the problems she had ignored. 
• James VI took the throne as king of England