English Renaissance
Scholars argue over the exact moment when the English Renaissance began. Some point to the late 15th century while others insist it started in the early 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII. England saw little of these developments until more than a century later within the Northern Renaissance movement. Renaissance style and ideas were slow to penetrate England compared to Italy. The Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of this cultural shift. Many scholars see its beginnings in the early 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII. Others argue the Renaissance was already present in England in the late 15th century.
England had a strong tradition of literature in the English vernacular which gradually increased as English use of the printing press became common by the mid-16th century. This tradition largely began with the Protestant Reformation's call to let people interpret the Bible for themselves instead of accepting the interpretation of the Catholic Church. Discussions of how to translate the Bible so that it could be understood by laymen but remain faithful to God's word became contentious. The desire to let people read the Bible for themselves led William Tyndale to publish his own translation in 1526. Sir Rowland Hill published the Geneva Bible in 1560 marking the re-establishment of the Church of England at the accession of Elizabeth I. Roger Ascham proposed that speech was the greatest gift to man from God and to speak or write poorly was an affront.
The English theatre scene performed both for the court and nobility in private performances and a very wide public in the theatres. It was the most crowded in Europe with a host of other playwrights as well as the giant figures of Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. Elizabeth I herself was trained in Renaissance humanism by Roger Ascham and wrote occasional poems such as On Monsieur's Departure at critical moments of her life. Philosophers and intellectuals included Thomas More and Francis Bacon. All the 16th century Tudor monarchs were highly educated as was much of the nobility. Italian literature had a considerable following providing the sources for many of Shakespeare's plays. The works of this period are also affected by Henry VIII's declaration of independence from the Catholic Church and technological advances in sailing and cartography.
England was very slow to produce visual arts in Renaissance styles and the artists of the Tudor court were mainly imported foreigners until after the end of the Renaissance. Hans Holbein was the outstanding figure among these foreign imports. The English Reformation produced a huge programme of iconoclasm that destroyed almost all medieval religious art. This process effectively ended the skill of painting in England for centuries to come. The significant English invention was the portrait miniature which essentially took the techniques of the dying art of the illuminated manuscript and transferred them to small portraits worn in lockets. Though the form was developed in England by foreign artists mostly Flemish like Lucas Horenbout natives such as Nicolas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver produced the finest work by the late 16th century.
English Renaissance music kept in touch with continental developments far more than visual art and managed to survive the Reformation relatively successfully though William Byrd and other major figures were Catholic. Thomas Tallis, Thomas Morley and John Dowland were other leading English composers. In 1588 Nicholas Yonge published in England the Musica transalpina, a collection of Italian madrigals that had been Anglicized. This event began a vogue of madrigal in England which was almost unmatched in the Renaissance in being an instantaneous adoption of an idea from another country adapted to local aesthetics. English poetry was exactly at the right stage of development for this transplantation to occur since forms such as the sonnet were uniquely adapted to setting as madrigals.
Despite some buildings in a partly Renaissance style from the reign of Henry VIII notably Hampton Court Palace begun in 1515 it was not until dawning of Elizabethan architecture that a true Renaissance style became widespread. The most famous buildings of a type called the prodigy house are large show houses constructed for courtiers characterised by lavish use of glass. Hardwick Hall featured more glass than wall while Wollaton Hall Montacute House Hatfield House and Burghley House continued the style into the early 17th century before developing into Jacobean architecture. Lesser but still large houses like Little Moreton Hall continued to be constructed and expanded in essentially medieval half-timbered styles until the late 16th century. Church architecture essentially continued in the late medieval Perpendicular Gothic style until the Reformation then stopped almost completely.
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Common questions
When did the English Renaissance begin according to scholars?
Scholars argue that the English Renaissance began in either the late 15th century or the early 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII. The Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of this cultural shift.
What caused the rise of English vernacular literature during the Renaissance?
The Protestant Reformation's call to let people interpret the Bible for themselves initiated a strong tradition of English vernacular literature. This movement led William Tyndale to publish his own translation in 1526 and Sir Rowland Hill to publish the Geneva Bible in 1560.
Who were the most famous playwrights in the English theatre scene?
The English theatre scene featured giant figures including Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Ben Jonson alongside many other playwrights. These artists performed both for the court and nobility in private performances and for a very wide public in theatres.
Why did visual arts develop slowly in England compared to Italy?
England was very slow to produce visual arts in Renaissance styles because the English Reformation produced a huge programme of iconoclasm that destroyed almost all medieval religious art. This process effectively ended the skill of painting in England for centuries to come until foreign artists like Hans Holbein worked there.
How did madrigal music become popular in England after 1588?
In 1588 Nicholas Yonge published Musica transalpina which began a vogue of madrigal in England through an instantaneous adoption of Italian ideas adapted to local aesthetics. English poetry forms such as the sonnet were uniquely adapted to setting as madrigals allowing this transplantation to occur successfully.