
Renaissance/Reformation/Enlightenment
Debate Topics:
- Joan of Arc: heroine / heretic
- Isabella I: defender of the Catholic faith / persecutors
- Hernando Cortes (Cortez): brave explorer for Spain / murdering conqueror of Aztecs
- Galileo: scientist / heretic
- John Locke: enlightened defender of natural rights / threat to divine right of the monarchy
- Mary Wollstonecraft: defender of women’s rights / threat to social order
- Leonardo da Vinci: artist / scientist
- Mary I (Mary Tudor): loyal queen/murderer
Use NoodleTools to cite your resources as a group: Open your email. Find NoodleTools in your waffle dropdown under “more.” One group member creates a project named with your Renaissance person and that student shares with the rest of the group using the NoodleTools dashboard.
To find information on these significant people, consider using the following research strategies and resources:
To find information about people, search for
- the person’s name (Usually an index will list people by last name, but during the Renaissance, some people were known by their first name such as Leonardo.)
- the person’s occupation (Painters, scientists, religious leaders, etc., may appear in collected biographies.)
- time period in which the person lived (chronologies, books on Renaissance, Reformation)
- groups person is a member of (women, scientists, Italians)
- geography (Where is this person from? Italy, England)
Encyclopedias
General
Special Encyclopedias
- Print: Renaissance (940.2), Art (700s), Science (500’s), Middle Ages (940.1)
Books:
- Biographies & collected biographies (Check OPAC.)
- Reference books: science (500s), history (900s), quotations (808.88, art (700), music (780s, literature (800)
- General collection: esp. 940.2 (Also check OPAC)
Subscription Databases:
Websites:
Find some preselected websites below, or do a more careful search in Sweet Search by adding site:org or site: edu after your person’s name.
Checking for Accuracy and Credibility: Use this guide when independently searching the web for resources.
To further investigate debate topics, check out the following websites:
Joan of Arc links:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm the Catholic Encyclopedia information on Joan
http://www.stjoan-center.com/ The links listed under “History” will probably be most helpful (trial transcripts, biography, timeline). Otherwise, the St. Joan Center appears to be a labor of love put together by a devotee.
Cortes links:
Don’t forget to use Cortez and Cortes. Better yet, “Hernan Cortes” seems to work the best.
http://www.pbs.org/conquistadors/cortes/cortes_a02.html (a good starting place)
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1520cortes.html (part of a letter written by Cortes to Charles V)
Galileo links:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06342b.htm (Here’s the Catholic Encyclopedia version of Galileo’s story.)
Isabella I Links:
Also research the Inquisition.
Inquisitive About the Inquisition (A website for Catholic educators. Note point of view.)The Spanish Expulsion (Jewish perspective: the Jewish Virtual Library. Note point of view.)
Mary Wollstonecraft Links:
BBC History “British History in depth: Mary Wollstonecraft: A Speculative and Dissenting Spirit http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/wollstonecraft_01.shtml
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Mary Wollstonecraft http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/
Mary Wollstonecraft on Education http://www.infed.org/thinkers/wollstonecraft.htm
John Locke Links:
The Galileo Project: Locke, John
http://galileo.rice.edu/Catalog/NewFiles/locke.html
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: John Locke
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/
Locke’s Political Philosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-political/
Bloody Mary; Mary I or Mary Tudor:
Tutor History: Mary I (Mary Tudor)
https://tudorhistory.org/mary/
What Inspired Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Gruesome Nickname?
(Alternatives, if more groups needed)
- Henry VIII: loyal king of England or tyrant?
- Martin Luther: good Christian or heretic
- Pope Urban: crusader or invader
- Queen Elizabeth: strong female leader or misandrist (hater of men)
- Vasco da Gama: brave explorer for Portugal / threat to Africa and India
- Mary Queen of Scots: first and loyal Queen of England / murderer
Queen Mary Tudor
https://sites.duke.edu/project_refeurope/england/mary-tudor/
Mary, Queen of Scots Links:
Mary, Queen of Scots http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/
Women in History of Scots Descent http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/wih17.htm
Urban II links:
Also search the Crusades.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1k.html (comprehensive list of links, including Urban’s speech, info on each crusade)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15210a.htm (Catholic Encyclopedia version)
Henry VIII Links:
Henry VIII – (Catholic Encyclopedia information on Henry VIII)
The jousting accident that turned Henry VIII into a tyrant
Martin Luther links:
Last update 4/27/22