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Trenholm 1
How Northern Humanism Differed From Italian Humanism
David TrenholmDecember 4th, 2006HIST 2103 X1Dr. Gerry Gerrits
 
Trenholm 2The era of history known as the Renaissance contributed largely to the evolutionof mankind in a variety of venues: art, architecture, literature and philosophy, to name afew. One aspect of the Renaissance that had a significant impact on many spheres of change was the concept and practice of humanism, a movement of intellectual thoughtand philosophy that spawned out of the city of Florence in the late fourteenth century.
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Due to stronger literacy in northern Italy, as well as a larger and wealthier bourgeoisie,Italian humanists were far more widespread and common than their counterparts acrossthe Alps in the north. Northern humanists were few, and were often isolated. Apart fromsize and scale, both types of humanism differed significantly in practice and in theory—  but that is not to say they did not have great similarities; indeed, they both shared a strongClassical background. Italian humanism was largely secular with a focus on humanitythat tended to exclude the larger religious realities of the era, while northern humanismtended to incorporate broader themes of Christianity and religion—a intellectualmovement with strong “religious overtones”
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. It is hardly a surprise, then, when manynorthern humanists are often dubbed, “Christian humanists”. These Christian humanistswere very interested in reforming educational institutions of their region—such asuniversities and grammar schools—and in an effort to encourage classical themes in theteaching of Christianity they had introduced the study of Greek and Hebrew.
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ChristianHumanists were also interested in church reform, combining classical studies with patristic studies in an effort to improve and reform the church. It is no wonder, then, thatMartin Luther shook the face of Christendom with the great division of the church that
1
Kenneth R. Bartlett and Margaret McGlynn,
 Humanism and the Northern Renaissance
. (Toronto:Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc., 2000) xvii.
2
De Lamar Jensen,
 Renaissance Europe: Age of Recovery and Reconciliation.
(Lexington: DC Heath andCompany, 1992) 366.
3
Jensen, 366.
 
Trenholm 3had occurred during the Reformation.The Italian humanism of the Renaissance in northern Italy was quite different thanthe later and less developed northern humanism as seen across the Alps, and indeed it waseven quite different from region to region in the north. Unlike the wealthy and strong“bourgeoisie” of northern Italy, the strong upper class that fostered and encouraged thegrowth of the Renaissance and the ideals of humanism, the northern Renaissance greatlylacked such a class.
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With a smaller wealthy class, there were fewer patrons to supportnorthern humanists, unlike those of the Italian Renaissance. Lewis W. Spitz writes in hisLuther and German Humanism that, “Most of the leading Italian humanists werefinancially well off, either members of wealthy families or through their positions asnotaries and chancellors…” and goes on to add that, “Their social function was related tothe rise of the bourgeoisie in the city-states, a class from which many leading humanistscame.”
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 Renaissance humanists of Germany, though they did receive patronage, were notas wealthy and could not afford a lifestyle that did not include work, “Most, even thosewho accorded themselves the lofty title of ‘poet’, had to work for a living.”
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Manyhumanists had distinguished careers as universities professors, doctors, lawyers or clergymen.
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Northern European cities were smaller than the great city-states of Italy, suchas Florence, Venice and Milan. This resulted in a smaller, more isolated group of northernhumanists.
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 Due to these smaller groups of humanists, the expansion of northernhumanism was informal and slow, and when compared to the lively and active humanistsof northern Italy, they had made less of an impact on the international stage. The
4
Roy Porter and Mikuláš Teich, eds.,
The Renaissance in national context.
(New York: CambridgeUniversity Press, 1992) 103.
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Lewis W. Spitz,
 Luther and German Humanism.
(Aldershot: VARIORUM, 1996) 4.
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Porter and Teich, 104.
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Porter and Teich, 104.
8
Dr. Gerry Gerrits. “Northern Humanism.” HIST 2103 X1, Acadia University, November 20
th
, 2006.
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