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What
Made the Renaissance Tick?
The royal court was the primary driving force behind the Renaissance
in Scotland. Through marriage to foreign queens and profitable trading
connections the court brought continental ideas back to Scotland
from, in particular, France, Burgundy and Flanders.
Education also brought access to new ideas. Through Latin, the lingua
franca of Europe, new ideas were transmitted to and from Scotland.
Across the land classical learning was released through Latin Grammar
Schools and the founding of the Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow
and Aberdeen.
The printing press (pictured above) was one of the most revolutionary
developments of the age. Until the late 15th century, manuscripts
could only be copied by hand in monastic scriptoriums. To read one
of them could involve a long journey, often to the continent, but,
with the invention of the printing press the whole process was reversed.
Mass produced in one location, books and pamphlets were easily transported
across Europe for sale. Although, initially, books were very expensive
and still the privilege of the elite, by the early 17th century
even books like the Bible became relatively affordable.
The
Dangers of Print
Print had a profound effect on the nation, as knowledge
was now released to anyone who could read. Despite
state censorship, books which weren’t officially
approved still flowed across the North Sea, bringing
in their wake dangerous theological disputes like
Protestantism
A
Scots Renaissance
The Scottish Kings also harnessed the power of print.
They issued a licence to Scotland’s first printers,
Chapman and Myllar of Edinburgh, to embark on a patriotic
programme of publishing in the Scots language. The
poetry of the Scots Makars: Robert Henryson, William
Dunbar and David Lyndsay was brought to a new and
wider audience. Whilst Gavin Douglas and Hector Boece
translated Latin classics, like the Virgil’s
Aenead and Livy’s History, into the vernacular.
Many
of the great Makars (poets), and especially William
Dunbar, served in the court of James IV (pictured
right) and vied for the attention of the king with
other artists, musicians and even alchemists.
Sir David Lindsay went on to redefine the nation in
broad terms in his allegorical drama, ‘The Three
Estaits’: emphasising the changes the Renaissance
had brought about through the concept of the 'commonweal'
(commonwealth), and promoting the ideal that kings
shouldn't rule simply for the benefit of the elite
but for the common good.
Historical studies were also included in learned revival,
as Hector Boece’s ‘Cronikil of Scotland’:
a Latin history of Scotland written in the style of
Livy, was translated into Scots at the command of
King James V.
The
Renaissance was quite simply permeating through every
art, craft and discipline in Scotland. In painting,
contacts with the low countries effectively started
Scotland’s painting tradition. In architecture,
defensive castles were abandoned for palaces built
in the style of French chateaux. In religion, the
area which probably mattered most to the common people,
an educated population proved more demanding- placing
emphasis on a more personal faith and imitation of
Christ through the scriptures, and less emphasis on
the worship of idols and saints popular in Catholicism.
Renaissance mathematics brought about a revolution
in warfare: with more accurate cannons, bigger warships
and new, cunningly designed fortifications. Royal
power increased, as the monarchy could afford the
latest military designs-giving them access to more
firepower than any previous monarchs. The days when
a noble could defy royal authority from his castle
were over.
The
Politics of Power
The
new firepower and influx of educated professionals
provoked changes in the politics of power. The great
magnates were joined at court by men whose wealth
and status was determined by their usefulness to the
king, not merely by their birthright.
Lavish
spending was a display of power, and making an impression
became the key to success. Tournaments, feasting and ever
more spectacular events projected this image. The cult
of chivalry became popular, marking out the elite from
the masses by their manners. The crown and nobility became
entangled in a need for more money; land began to change
hands; the church was squeezed for revenue, and ever increasing
taxation became a regular fixture. This was the beginning
of the modern world.
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