Exam Practice Essay

Analyze the ways in which European monarchs used both the arts and the sciences to
enhance state power in the period circa 1500–1800.


       Throughout the 1500's and well in the 1800's the arts and sciences of Europe expanded rapidly. Some of these achievements were accepted while others were condemned. European monarchs saw the arts and sciences as tools that could be used to change the way their states functioned. Some used the knowledge to get ahead, while others tried to stop the spread of the arts and sciences, lest they meet their end. European monarchs used the arts and sciences to give themselves fame, and to advance the way of thinking of their state; but others did not use the arts or sciences to their advantage. 
       One of the most notable families that patronized the arts for their own needs were the Medici. The Medici were a banking family who rose to power and helped others such as the Pope rise to power  because of their interest in the arts. The Medici hired Brunelleschi to construct the Dome of the Florence Cathedral. They gained much fame for this act, and were well on their way to achieving their goals of attaining power. The Medici also had a hand in the Renaissance with their patronage of the arts and artists such as Michelangelo. Artists, sculptors, and architects gained fame and wealth because of the Medici family. 
       Many monarchs of the 16th through the 19th centuries saw the arts and sciences as a way to advance their cities and states. It was thought that if the arts and sciences could advance rapidly, then a city utilizing those arts and sciences could also advance rapidly. Medicine was being practiced more often because of the people's awareness of what cause sickness. The arts were accepted because people saw them as divine creations that could help them reach their bliss. Monarchs wanted their people to unite, and they tried to achieve this unity though the arts and sciences. 
       Not every monarch wanted to use the arts and sciences to their advantage. Some saw them as opponents, as different ways of thinking that would not be tolerated. The Bonfire of the Vanities was held so that artists would realize that the king did not accept their new ways of thinking about themselves. The ruler at the time felt as though the arts would have detrimental repercussions if they had not been stopped. Leonardo da Vinci also faced this problem while trying to advance the sciences. He found that people, especially powerful rulers, would not accept his views. A few rulers thought that for their kingdom to be a peaceful one, the arts and sciences should not be used. 
       The arts and sciences of the 16th through 18th centuries experienced a time of expansion. To many monarchs and powerful people, this meant that they could gain even more power and enhance their empires. To others, this expansion was seen as a burden and did not belong in their states. The arts and sciences helped some rulers gain more power and more followers, while they unsettled other monarchs. The arts and sciences were very influential in the European Renaissance.      
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 Analyze the various Protestant views of the relationship between church and state in
the period circa 1500–1700.
     
  The Protestant community wanted there to be a separation of church and state so that power struggles would not occur, the church would stay true to its goal of achieving spiritual enlightenment, and neither power could influence the other.