Italian Theatrical Renaissance Gets Going

Italian Theatrical Renaissance Gets Going

1485 - Italian rulers begin to finance the production of Roman (or imitation Roman) plays as part of their efforts to bring culture to Italy, but they are still done in Latin. The first tragedy by Seneca* is staged in Rome by the humanists and the first comedy by Plautus* is done in Ferrara by the Duke.

Even more influential is the printing of Vitruvius'* Ten Books on Architecture* which will provide graphic architectural information for the shape of the Renaissance stage.

1485 - Meanwhile, in England largely pantomimic Mummings* and Disguisings* are very popular with Henry VII* (he reigns 1485-1509.)

Disguisings* are amateur productions, using masks and costumes, put on by the royal household and its resident nobility, usually in honor of some royal guest. In England the Master of the Chapel Royal* choirboys is often responsible for these entertainments. The form of Disguisings* comes, in part, from the Mummers' Play*. As the Masque* develops, Disguisings* gradually merge into that form and disappear as a separate entertainment. Mummings* tend to make more use of dance and characters from their folk festival origins, the Mummers' Plays*. These may be produced by trained groups rather than done by court participants.

1486 - In Ferrara they've got one of those academies for reviving classical learning, the Roman Academy*. They give the first performance of an ancient play. In order to do this sort of production, they need the original theatre (whcich, of course, they don't have). Under the leadership of a guy named Pomponius Laetus* (1424-1498) they get busy trying to figure out how to reconstruct the important points of a Roman Theatre by using the architectural information from Vitruvius* as a how-to guide. People come from all over Europe to study with Laetus* so they can take all this production stuff back home.

1491 - In France the Miracle of Pentecost is the subject of Jean Michel's* Mystere de la Resurrection*.

1492 - In England we finally find a professionsl English acting troupe, the Earl of Oxford's Men*. This doesn't mean the troupe performs just for him. This is patronage and provides the troupe with legal status and protection so they aren't imprisoned as "masterless men."

1492 In Spain in January, the last Moslems in Spain (in Granada*) give up. This surrender marks the end of centuries of Islamic rule. The event is followed by a crusade against the large Jewish minority in Spain. Under the Inquisitor-General, Torquemada*, the Jews and Moslems have three months to either leave or be baptized. The Spanish Catholics are really a zealous bunch. In April the King and Queen finally give Columbus* the OK for his trip west. They give him two ships and he finances a third. On August 3 he sails away in the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. On October 12 Christopher Columbus* makes landfall on San Salvador 1492 In Spain in January, the last Moslems in Spain (in Granada*) give up. This surrender marks the end of centuries of Islamic rule. The event is followed by a crusade against the large Jewish minority in Spain. Under the Inquisitor-General, Torquemada*, the Jews and Moslems have three months to either leave or be baptized. The Spanish Catholics are really a zealous bunch. In April the King and Queen finally give Columbus* the OK for his trip west. They give him two ships and he finances a third. On August 3 he sails away in the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria. On October 12 Christopher Columbus* makes landfall on San Salvador

1493 What with all this zealous exploration by the Spanish and the Portuguese they get Pope Alexander VI* to issue a Bull dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.

1493 Maximilian I* (-1519) becomes the Holy Roman Emperor*. One of his first acts is to give Lodovico Sforza* the Duchy of Milan. Sforza* is into encouraging art and classical studies, just like the other Italian leaders.

In April Columbus* returns to the Spanish court with six aboriginal "Indians" and various examples of gold, pearls and exotic flora and fauna. The Age of Discovery is now up and running. The Spanish take European diseases, Christianity, sheep and horses to the new world and bring back gold, silver and probably syphilis (at least this disease begins to ravage Europe as men return from the Americas.)

1494 - France is very busy with more morality plays. At Tours* they are doing L'homme Pecheur* (Man the Sinner.)

1494 Interesting side observation: the first known lottery is held in Germany. It's a Goods Lottery. Apparently the idea catches on. We'll see more later.

1495 The French King, Charles VIII*, invades Italy and Florence. He Takes Naples. All this warfare in Italy doesn't seem to slow the artists. Da Vinci* is busy painting "The Last Supper"

(-1498.) A syphilis epidemic sweeps from Naples all over Europe. It is widely reported that syphilis is brought back from the New World by the Spanish soldiers. Since the Spanish held Naples when the French invaded, it seems that it is spread into Europe by these invading French soldiers.

That terrific illustrator and producer of woodcuts, Albrecht Durer* (1471-1528), opens his own studio in Nuremberg and travels to Italy. He will produce a phenomenal amount of visual material over his lifetime.

1495 - (or perhaps 1509) we get the English Everyman*, the most enduring and popular of all morality plays. This one is often still performed.

1496 England tries to get into the exploration of the New World. Henry VII* sends John Cabot* and his son Sebastian* west, out into the North Atlantic, to find a new route to Asia.

1497 - In England the oldest extant English interlude appears. Henry Medwall* writes a satire, Fulgens and Lucrece*. These interludes are performed in a neutral space before a facade at schools, colleges, law student's Inns of Court and, most usually, at noble's residences. They are ideal for a professional traveling troupe because these plays have a small cast, usually no more than eight characters.

1497 The English Cabot expedition reaches the coast of North America. Meanwhile the Portuguese expedition under Vasca Da Gama* finds a sea route (around the southern tip of Africa) to India and arrives there.

1499 Amerigo Vespucci* sails to South America. His later descriptive writings will lead Europe to call the Americas by his name. The Swiss are busy establishing their independence.

The Venetian fleet is defeated by the Turks. One of the results of the Spanish Inquisition* and the zeal of Archbishop Cisneros* is another

book burning he leads in the magnificent libraries of Granada. He burns all Arabic volumes

he can lay his hands on. This marks the end of Arabic scholarship in Spain and makes a lot of knowledge disappear.

1500 The first commercial colleges are founded in Venice.

A General note on the Portuguese and the new world - The Portuguese made a deal with the Spanish (approved by the Spanish pope)

to divide the new world between them on a line of longitude which turns out to give them Brazil which the Portuguese sailors discover in 1500. There isn't much gold there so they import a red dyewood (called brazil) which gives the colony its name.

A General note on the Spanish and the new world - The Spanish gradually land on, claim, establish settlements, enslave, baptize,

spread diseases (especially small-pox) and, in the face of any opposition, kill off the local inhabitants on the islands, Hispanolo and then Panama. In 1504 Cortez takes Cuba, 1519 he lands on the eastern coast of Mexico. After a while the Spanish begin to realize they have not reached the east and turn their attention to exploiting the new world. They hit pay dirt in Mexico where the Aztecs* suspect the Spanish may be their god (Quetzalcoatl*) returning to claim his nation. Anyway the Aztecs* have a lot of civil wars of their own and

a good bit of gold and silver. The Spanish minor gentry (hidalgos) flock to this new trade of being conquistadors (conquerors). By 1526 Pizarro has crossed the isthmus of Panama to find the Pacific and sails south along the Pacific coast to discover the other major American power, the Incas* (in 1531.) The Incas* have tons of gold and the Spanish are well on their way to becoming the richest and most powerful nation in Europe. In their settlements the Spanish use the natives as forced labor but these have a tendency to die off so, by 1549, with the help of the Portuguese (who have been busy looting Africa) the Spanish start importing African slaves to work sugar cane plantations.

A Note on Social Stability Through Intermarriage - With the beginning of the Renaissance the rulers and leaders of various

countries find that marrying their children to the heirs of other countries is a productive substitute for going to war. This can be seen in the Spanish ruling countries find that marrying their children to the heirs of other countries is a productive substitute for going to war. This can be seen in the Spanish ruling

The alliances brought about through descendants of Ferdinand and Isabella:

1- Daughter Isabella marries King Emanuel I of Portugal (she dies in 1491 and

he marries Maria (see #4).)

2- Son John marries Margaret of Austria daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor*

Maximilian I*.

3- Daughter Juana marries Philip the Handsome, Archduke of Austria son of the

Holy Roman Emperor* Maximilian I*. They have a son, Charles V*, who will

be the next Holy Roman Emperor.*

4- Daughter Maria (see #1) marries King Emanuel I of Portugal when he is widowed.

5- Catherine of Aragon* marries the English Prince of Wales, Arthur, who dies in 1502. She then marries Henry VIII* and, eventually, produces the future Mary I*, Queen of England.

1500 - The influence of rising interest in Greece and Rome shows up in Henry Medwall*'s morality play Nature*, which is mainly informative, philosophical and educational.

By this time almost every town in the Low Countries (Netherlands, etc.) has a organization, some specific "society" concerned with poetry, music, drama, and performing these plays.

1501 That French army in Italy is still on the move and they enter Rome. Michelangelo* is busy sculpting "David."

1501 - Europe rediscovers Hroswitha*'s plays. [You might remember that in 959 Hroswitha*,

a Benedictine abbess of Gandershiem in Saxony, writes six original prose Latin comedies in imitation of Terence*. The subjects are Christian history and morality. It seems likely that they were actually performed.]

- A number of the Mystery Cycles leave prompt books which are invaluable in providing information about the productions. One such comes from this date for the production at Mons*, France.

- A Royal entry* of Katherine of Aragon into London is produced. These are very popular combination of a triumphal parade, musical entertainment and, sometimes, play performances (very short plays), all done for the populous of the city. This one is financed by the city council and the trade unions. No doubt an early advertising effort assisted by the Chamber of Commerce, good for trade.

1502 In Castile (the part of Spain belonging to Isabella*) the Moors* (those North African Arab Moslems who ruled Spain for the last 700 years) are required to be baptized or leave Spain (just like the Jews.)

1503 The Spanish take Naples back from the French. The fighting doesn't bother Da Vinci* who is busy painting "The Mona Lisa." In Scotland there is a step toward the eventual union with England as James IV* marries the

Tudor daughter of Henry VII*, Margaret. Another interesting personality is born, the Frenchman Nostradamus* (d. 1566), who will

become a famous doctor and Astrologer, known through the ages for his predictions. 1504 Isabella* of Castile dies and her daughter Juana is heir to Castile. Venice sends an embassy to the Sultan of Turkey proposing the construction of a Suez Canal.

This won't get off the ground for quite a while. 1505 In Spain Ferdinand* rules Castile jointly with his daughter (who is insane and married to

Philip of Austria.) She will, however, produce an heir. Maximilian I* begins reform of the Holy Roman Empire, which he regards as a Hapsburg*

monarchy. Michelangelo* (1475-1564) goes to Rome to work for the Pope (Julius II.) 1507 - In Paris the morality play Condamnation de Banquet*, by Nicolas de la Chesnaye*

appears in print (and no doubt in production, too.) Full of spirit and profanity, the play deals with mental and physical hygiene, attacking a range of evils arising from good living. The primary evil under attack is gluttony and Banquet is sentenced to be hung by Diet.

The morality plays are not restricted to any one class as can be seen in the play Les Enfants de Maintenant* (the "now-children") which deals with the sons of a baker. This was written for a student's performance.

1508 - In France, at Poitiers, a religious Cycle play is staged by Jean Bouchet* , the local public prosecutor. He is even better known to us as an excellent producer of Mystery plays. He is so good that he will still be in demand in 1532. He also writes a number of sotties and a useful document on the duties of a director, in which he advocates cultivated diction for the actors. The production expenses are shared by the Confrerie* (the producing group), the town council and the participants (guilds and merchants). The production is run by a producer, meneur de jeu*, who also speaks the prologue and other parts like that. The show is directed 1508 - In France, at Poitiers, a religious Cycle play is staged by Jean Bouchet* , the local public prosecutor. He is even better known to us as an excellent producer of Mystery plays. He is so good that he will still be in demand in 1532. He also writes a number of sotties and a useful document on the duties of a director, in which he advocates cultivated diction for the actors. The production expenses are shared by the Confrerie* (the producing group), the town council and the participants (guilds and merchants). The production is run by a producer, meneur de jeu*, who also speaks the prologue and other parts like that. The show is directed

1508 Pope Julius II* confirms that the Holy Roman Empire* automatically goes to a German King.

Working now for the Pope, Michelangelo* starts painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (he finishes in 1512.)

1508 - The use of the Italian venacular in drama begins at the court of Ferrara with the production of The Casket* (La Cassaria) by Lodovico Ariosto* (1474-1533). This comedy deals with Renaissance city life and is based on a Roman plot. The production uses that terrific perspective drawing (that the Italians began developing back in 1435) in the scenery, done by Raphael.* Ariosto's* patrons (the d'Este* family) build a temporary theatre in the classical style influenced by Virtuvius* that will be in use until 1533. The Spanish and English will translate, perform and adapt both this play and his 1509 play, I suppositi*.

We should note here that in England, under Henry VII,* there is a group of actors called the Royal Interluders* who are on the King's payroll to participate in court revels. They are also free to tour for their own profit. There are normally eight of these players, enough to perform interludes. They become defunct as the theatre changes, but they are the forerunners of later acting companies in England.

1509 Henry VII* dies and Henry VIII* (he reigns 1509-1547) comes to the throne of England. He's a great fan of entertainment of all kinds and will start to move the English into the theatrical Renaissance.

An earthquake destroys Constantinople, but since the Turks own that now nobody in Europe cares much.

They are busy persecuting Jews in Germany (between the Catholic Inquisitions* and the sorcery and witchcraft stuff, this becomes widely popular.)

This is the time when the black African slave trade starts with the Spanish. They import labor to till the sugar cane plantations in the New World.

1510 The Spanish are exploring the American coast as far north as Charleston. Henry VIII* marries his first wife, Catherine of Aragon* (his brother's widow.) 1511 Pope Julius II* gets Venice and Aragon to join in a Holy League* to drive the French

out of Italy. Since they're fighting the French, Henry VIII* joins the effort. 1512 Copernicus* comes right out and says that the earth and other planets go around the sun

(instead of everything going around the earth as the Church and the ancients believe.) Religious leaders really don't like this, it goes against their belief that everything (sun, planets, stars, and all) moves around the earth. This sort of astronomical view often leads proponents into big trouble, like being tried for heresy.