Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603) succeeded Queen “Bloody Mary” Tudor to the throne. Unlike her two siblings, Queen Mary and King Edward VI, she adopted religious agnosticism. Under both of their leaderships, she had conformed to be politically accepted. Under Edward’s reign, she acted Protestant; under Mary, Catholic. Some argue that her faith was disingenuous. … More Religious Policy of Elizabeth I
Throughout the 16th century, France was tattered with religious wars; wars to squash religious pluralism in the country. The Protestant Huguenots were growing in numbers. By 1560, 10 percent of the nation was Protestant. The monarchy tried to mitigate this growth by launching repressive measures against the Huguenots, but those decrees were ignored. Nobles sided … More Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
Under Philip II’s reign as the king of Spain, 7 northern provinces declared their independence as the Dutch Republic. The conflict between Spain and the 7 provinces is commonly known as the Dutch Revolt. As king, Philip adopted militant Catholicism. All the citizens of Spain were forced to participate in religious conformity, including Protestants and … More The Dutch Revolt
The Spanish Revolt was a series of riots that broke out across Spain during Charles V’s coronation as Holy Roman Emperor in 1519. During that era, there was immense segregation between people of the Low Countries and Spain. Typically, citizens in the Low Countries perceived themselves as more educated and higher class, meanwhile looking down … More The Spanish Revolt
Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer who joined the Narvaez Expedition (1527) to explore the Americas. The most intriguing aspect of the book is Cabeza de Vaca’s portrayal of the Indians. … More Cabeza de Vaca’s Adventures of America
As I prepared to write my first essay for Dr. Gary North’s class on American literature, he reminded me to create a page with all of the essays I wrote the previous literature class I took. Here is a link to every essay I wrote while taking his class on Western literature: “Renaissance Literature: A … More Western Literature Essays
Asher K. Sisneros Western Civilization From 1493 Dr. Thomas E. Woods Jr. August 19, 2024 Not long after Luther pinned the 95 Theses, Protestant doctrine spread across Europe like a plague. Only a few dissidents in England believed in Protestant theology, but by King Henry VIII’s rule, it became politically advantageous to oppose Catholicism—and more … More The English Reformation and Its Political Roots
The Black Death marked the beginning of the decline in the cultural assurance of God’s sovereignty over history, at least in the West. People began doubting His providence, and that manifested itself in The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales. Instead of describing events as providentially ordained, both writers describe a world governed by whimsical chance, without any sense of ethical causation. … More Renaissance Literature: A Rebirth of What?
Asher Sisneros 