Renaissance monarchy pertains to the monarchical institutions which adapted the cultural and governmental practices brought about by the Renaissance period in the 14th-17th century. The renaissance period literally means the period of ‘rebirth’, and was the period where there was a revolution in terms of the arts, education, and governance.
Part of the renaissance monarchy were ruling monarchs who adapted this system. Renaissance monarchy took a more secular approach when it came to social governance, making the first moves to challenge the church and separate the church and the state, and to an extent that’s never been done before, challenging the influence of the pope. Intellectually, return to the classical sources as a means of learning as well as challenging or questioning the basis of knowledge (as opposed to religion’s approach of non-questioning) was also gradually made the norm.
The noted monarchs who made a significant contribution during this era include English king Henry VIII, who broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England, a move that would have been unthinkable before the renaissance. Catherine de Medici, originally from Florence, Italy and married to the son of King Francis I, goes on to mother and mentor three Kings. She was the regent when Gallicanism (resistance to papal authority) was restored in France, when she was acting for the then ten year old King Charles IX. King Louis XIV was also adamant about the church having no place in French Monarchy.
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