Desperate Times for the Monarchy in England.....

Henry's Love Letters to Anne:

I never actually dove into Henry VIII actual love letters to Anne while studying the Renaissance. I was more focused on studying his policies and his history. These letters are new to me so, I can't provide a good history on them... Everyone knows at the end what happens to Anne, which was basically off with her head. When reading these letters it seemed a little out of place, the first thing I noticed are these letters some what not in chronological order? They don't have any dates on them. Another striking problem is, we don't see Anne's response to each of these letters and maybe we'll never know, but would be quite interesting to see how she responded. After looking at these letters I come up some ideas. O' Henry is very in love with Anne, desperately trying to seduce her. Henry in the back of his mind needed a new legitimate wife for hopes she could bare him a male heir to the throne, Everyone knows this is the reason today. I'm sure Henry would write these types of letters his other wives to be later on.

The Courtier

The Courtier is a interesting book, it brings a better understanding to court life. I'm continuing research that I've conducted last semester on Renaissance Monarchy and what defines them as "new monarchs". Since I was focused on the political aspects of these "new monarchs", I never looked at from maybe a court prospective. I must remember that I'm reading the Courtier that's set in a nobles court and not a king's court. Maybe there are similarities between this court talked about in the Courtier and what kind of courts the monarchs had during the Renaissance.

The readings I've come to realize... More of the Courtier

It's weird all the books that I've read that have pertained to the Renaissance seem to be like guides to how things ought to be. I'll list a few Ive read.

1. The Prince... By Niccolo Machiavelli (Good Political Philosophy)
2. The Praise of Folly... By Desiderius Erasmus (Smartest man in Europe during the Renaissance, Enjoyed the book, pokes fun towards the Church.)
3. Utopia... By Sir Thomas More (Enjoyed, another good Political Philosophy)
4. The Courtier... By Baldesar Catiglione (Not finished reading, I'm some what familiar with this subject.)

I've come to realize these books are guidelines, but are dedicated to specific person. Like The Prince dedicates the book to the Medici family, The Praise of Folly to Sir Thomas More. The Prince shows us the guidelines on how the Prince should rule his realm, control his army, and act towards the citizens. The Praise of Folly pokes fun at the Catholic Church and points out the current corrupted practices the church is in involved with. Erasmus will give us his research to the actual teachings of what the bible was intended for. I think The Courtier will help me understand the Renaissance Court and the way business was conducted. Ive done research on Renaissance Monarchies, what are they. Ive done research on the governments of: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain; Francis I, King of France; and Henry VIII. Courts were very important to these monarchs...(going to add more)

The Courtier.... Sprezzatura (Sounds like a drink)

What is a Courtier? Simple definition, A person that associated within the court of the prince or king. A courtier did not have to a noble to be associated, they could be businessman, clergy, lawyers, artist, and philosophers. It was a great honor to be part of the court. What goes on in this court? I think The Courtier gives us pretty good interpretation of what a Renaissance court is like and how a courtier should behave.

In the reading, this word sprezzatura pops up, its defined as nonchalance. In the Preface, the author points out that the practice of sprezzatura has "to disguise artful effort so that it seems natural, spontaneous, effortless."(Castiglione, X) So these courtiers have to be entertainers too as an act to maybe please the court or prince. Reading the Preface will probably help you understand how the court functioned.

What!, More of Utopia and the ideals... The Historical Implications!

Utopia was interesting read for me, I enjoyed the imagery used to describe the society of Utopia. This book was publish around the time when Europe was engaged with Age of Discovery. Utopia wants to be the perfect society. Towards the end of Book 2, Pride is brought up. The Utopian society wouldn't fit in the European society, pride being the reason why.

Utopia to me sounds like the early makings of the ideological meaning of communism. Utopia is a classless society and common ownership, these are the terms that describe communism. I believe Marx and Lenin many have been influenced by Utopia and may used those ideals in their movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. Utopia was looked on as satire to the people in the Renaissance, but wouldn't be until later on that the meaning of Utopia and it's ideals would be important to Marx, Lenin, and other communist thinkers of that time. Thats what I got out of Utopia with a little historical perspective.