The Spread of Protestantism

Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli had beliefs that sometimes worked together and sometimes didn't. Write a paragraph in the comments below, stating what similarities and differences there were between their beliefs. Be sure to include your name!

The birth of Protestantism

Martin Luther was not happy with the way things were being run by the church. He had questions that wanted answered. This questions were in the form of 95 thesis he nailed to the castle door in Germany.
Read through the 95 thesis and pick out 2 you agree or disagree with. Write a paragraph here as a comment explaining your thoughts.

Ahhh Venice!

Photo: www.renaissancestudies.com

During the late fifth century and early sixteenth century, Venice suffered some military setbacks. Turkish forces seized many of Venice's eastern territories and forced the Venetian people to pay a yearly fee to trade in Turkish ports. Because of this, an alliance was formed between Italy, Germany, France, and Spain to recapture some of the mainland Italian territories Venice had conquered earlier.
This alliance, headed by Pope Julius II, succeeded in getting some land back, but it cost them many lives and a great deal of money.
The government of Venice was a Republic, controlled by the city-state's leading families. The leader of this government was called the doge (dohj), which is Latin for "leader". The doge was chosen by the members of the Greater Council, to serve for life. Although the doge was the elected leader, real power lay with the council.
One of the rules put in place by the council stated that only male descendants of men who had sat in the council before 1297 could be a member of the council. This narrowed the number of people allowed to rule Venice. The members names were written in a book called the Book of Gold.
Besides wealth from trading, Venice was also rich in displaced scholars. These scholars who had fled or been sent out of their own countries came to Venice with their knowledge and Ancient Greek manuscripts.
These scholars, along with architects and artists made a lasting impact on Venice and the entire Western Civilization.
Venice is especially remembered for encouraging the development of printing. By 1500, this city-state had more than 200 printing presses.

Question:
What pros and cons can you see in allowing only members of certain families service on the council?
Write your answer as a comment below and submit it along with your name. Answer in a full paragraph. This paragraph should include your opinion (answer to the question) along with three or four full sentences supporting that opinion. The final sentence should restate  your opinion in some way (Not the same exact words). You will be graded on spelling, punctuation, and paragraph contents.

Leonardo da Vinci

Photo from www.commons.wikimedia.org

Leonardo da Vinci could be considered a man before his time. Some of his ideas were outrageous to the people in his time period. You have seen many of the inventions he thought up, hundreds of years before they were actually created. 
If Leonardo were to be able to visit our day, what do you think he would say? Do you think he would continue to think of new ideas that would be outrageous to us? In the comments below, write a full paragraph describing what you think Leonardo would say and do if he showed up at your house today. Be sure to use full sentences and lots of description!  Return tomorrow and read what your classmates wrote. Comment on two other classmate comments.

The role of religion during the Renaissance

St. Peter's Basilica took over 120 years to complete. Why was it so important for the Pope's to build this building? They believed it stood over the exact spot where St. Peter was buried.  The Church and Renissance artists worked together to create this beautiful and remarkable building.
One of the ways the church funded this massive building project was to sell indulgences. An indulgence was supposed to be a way for someone to pay for their dead relatives to get out of purgatory or be relieved from suffering for the sins they may have committed during their life. People eagerly paid for these, but this movement caused some people to start to break way from the church. We will learn more about this during our unit on the Reformation.
For now, write a complete paragraph ( at least five sentences) highlighting the two most interesting facts you learned about St. Peter's Basilica from the website. Then be sure to comment on at least two of your fellow classmates posts.

Art of the Renaissance

During the Renaissance, art changed in many ways. Look at the two pictures below. What differences can you see between the two. Write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences), comparing and contrasting the pictures. When you have finished, be sure to comment on at least two other posts by your classmates.

The Kress Monnogrammist
The Adoration of the Magi
about 1550/1560
Oil on oak panel

Giovanni Agostino da Lodi
Adoration of the Shepherds
1510
Oil on panel

Michelangelo

Painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was no small job for Michelangelo. He had to lie on his back on scaffolding high above the ground. Visit the chapel and then return and answer the questions below.

Visit the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo was a very talented man. He had a dream to be a sculptor but kept having obstacles thrown in his way. He spent the majority of his life painting just so he could sculpt. What is your dream? Have you had any obstacles or trials put in your way that you had to deal with before you could do what you want?
Write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences) in the comments below that tells your classmates about a struggle you have had in your life. What did you learn? Did you find out anything new about yourself? Did you discover a new or hidden talent? Did your gain more gratitude for anything?
After you have written your paragraph, be sure to comment on at least two of your classmates comments.