Education - Early Humanists, Renaissance, Reformation | Britannica

education

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
Education in primitive and early civilized cultures
- Prehistoric and primitive cultures
- Education in the earliest civilizations
  - The Old World civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North China
    - Egypt
    - Mesopotamia
    - North China
  - The New World civilizations of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas
    - The Maya
    - The Aztecs
    - The Incas
Education in classical cultures
- Ancient India
  - The Hindu tradition
  - The introduction of Buddhist influences
  - Classical India
  - Indian influences on Asia
- Ancient China
  - The Zhou period
    - Xi (Western) Zhou (1046–771 bce)
    - Dong (Eastern) Zhou (770–256 bce)
  - The Qin–Han period
    - Qin autocracy (221–206 bce)
    - Scholarship under the Han (206 bce–220 ce)
    - Introduction of Buddhism
- Ancient Hebrews
- Ancient Greeks
  - Origins
  - Sparta
  - Athens
    - Education of youth
    - Higher education
  - The Hellenistic Age
    - The institutions
    - Physical education
    - The primary school
    - Secondary education
    - Higher education
- Ancient Romans
  - Early Roman education
  - Roman adoption of Hellenistic education
    - Roman modifications
    - Education of youth
    - Higher education
  - Education in the later Roman Empire
Education in Persian, Byzantine, early Russian, and Islamic civilizations
- Ancient Persia
- The Byzantine Empire
  - Stages of education
    - Elementary education
    - Secondary education
    - Higher education
  - Professional education
- Early Russian education: Kiev and Muscovy
- The Islamic Era
  - Influences on Muslim education and culture
  - Aims and purposes of Muslim education
  - Organization of education
  - Major periods of Muslim education and learning
  - Influence of Islamic learning on the West
Europe in the Middle Ages
- The background of early Christian education
  - From the beginnings to the 4th century
  - From the 5th to the 8th century
  - The Irish and English revivals
- The Carolingian renaissance and its aftermath
  - The cultural revival under Charlemagne and his successors
  - Influences of the Carolingian renaissance abroad
  - Education of the laity in the 9th and 10th centuries
- The medieval renaissance
  - Changes in the schools and philosophies
    - Monastic schools
    - Urban schools
    - New curricula and philosophies
    - Thomist philosophy
  - The development of the universities
    - The Italian universities
    - The French universities
    - The English universities
    - Universities elsewhere in Europe
    - General characteristics of medieval universities
  - Lay education and the lower schools
Education in Asian civilizations: c. 700 to the eve of Western influence
- India
  - The foundations of Muslim education
  - The Mughal period
- China
  - The Tang dynasty (618–907 ce)
  - The Song (960–1279)
  - The Mongol period (1206–1368)
  - The Ming period (1368–1644)
  - The Manchu period (1644–1911/12)
- Japan
  - The ancient period to the 12th century
  - The feudal period (1192–1867)
    - Education of the warriors
    - Education in the Tokugawa era
    - Effect of early Western contacts
European Renaissance and Reformation
- The channels of development in Renaissance education
  - The Muslim influence
  - The secular influence
- The humanistic tradition in Italy
  - Early influences
  - Emergence of the new gymnasium
  - Nonscholastic traditions
- The humanistic tradition of northern and western Europe
  - Dutch humanism
  - Juan Luis Vives
  - The early English humanists
- Education in the Reformation and Counter-Reformation
  - Luther and the German Reformation
  - The English Reformation
  - The French Reformation
  - The Calvinist Reformation
  - The Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation
  - The legacy of the Reformation
European education in the 17th and 18th centuries
- The social and historical setting
  - The new scientism and rationalism
  - The Protestant demand for universal elementary education
- Education in 17th-century Europe
  - Central European theories and practices
    - The pedagogy of Ratke
    - The pedagogy of Comenius
    - The schools of Gotha
  - French theories and practices
    - Courtly education
    - The teaching congregations
    - Female education
  - English theories and practices
    - The Puritan reformers
    - Royalist education
  - The academies
- Education in 18th-century Europe
  - Education during the Enlightenment
    - John Locke’s empiricism and education as conduct
    - Giambattista Vico, critic of Cartesianism
    - The condition of the schools and universities
  - The background and influence of Pietism
    - August Hermann Francke
    - Johann Julius Hecker
  - The background and influence of naturalism
    - The Sensationists
    - The Rousseauists
  - The influence of nationalism
    - France
    - National education under enlightened rulers
    - England
- European offshoots in the New World
  - Spanish and Portuguese America
  - French Québec
  - British America
    - New England
    - The new academies
    - The middle colonies
    - The Southern colonies
    - Newfoundland and the Maritime Provinces.
Western education in the 19th century
- The social and historical setting
- The early reform movement: the new educational philosophers
  - Pestalozzi
    - The pedagogy of Pestalozzi
    - The influence of Pestalozzi
  - Froebel and the kindergarten movement
    - The pedagogy of Froebel
    - The kindergarten movement
  - Herbart
    - The psychology and pedagogy of Herbart
    - The Herbartians
  - Other German theorists
  - French theorists
  - Spencer’s scientism
- Development of national systems of education
  - Germany
    - Humboldt’s reforms
    - Developments after 1815
    - Girls’ schools
    - The new German universities
  - France
    - Development of state education
    - Secondary education
  - England
    - Elementary Education Act
    - Secondary and higher education
  - Russia
  - The United States
    - The educational awakening
    - Secondary education
    - Education for females
    - Higher education
  - The British dominions
    - Canada
    - Australia
    - New Zealand
- The spread of Western educational practices to Asian countries
  - India
    - Education under the East India Company
    - Indian universities
  - Japan
    - The Meiji Restoration and the assimilation of Western civilization
    - Establishment of a national system of education
    - The conservative reaction
    - Establishment of nationalistic education systems
    - Promotion of industrial education
Education in the 20th century
- Social and historical background
- Major intellectual movements
  - Influence of psychology and other fields on education
  - Traditional movements
  - New foundations
    - Progressive education
    - Child-centred education
    - Scientific-realist education
    - Social-reconstructionist education
- Major trends and problems
- Western patterns of education
  - The United Kingdom
    - Early 19th to early 20th century
    - Education Act of 1944
    - The comprehensive movement
    - Further education
  - Germany
    - Imperial Germany
    - Weimar Republic
    - Nazi Germany
    - Changes after World War II
  - France
    - The Third Republic
    - Changes after World War II
  - Other European countries
    - Italy
    - The Netherlands
    - Switzerland
    - Sweden
  - The United States
    - Expansion of American education
    - Curriculum reforms
    - Federal involvement in local education
    - Changes in higher education
    - Professional organizations
  - Canada
    - Canadian educational reforms
    - The administration of public education
  - Australia and New Zealand
    - Australia
    - New Zealand
Revolutionary patterns of education
- Russia: from tsarism to communism
  - Before 1917
  - 1917–30
  - The Stalinist years, 1931–53
  - The Khrushchev reforms
  - From Brezhnev to Gorbachev
  - Perestroika and education
- China: from Confucianism to communism
  - The modernization movement
  - Education in the republic
  - Education under the Nationalist government
  - Education under communism
  - Post-Mao education
  - Communism and the intellectuals
Patterns of education in non-Western or developing countries
- Japan
  - Education at the beginning of the century
  - Education to 1940
  - Education changes during World War II
  - Education after World War II
- South Asia
  - Pre-independence period
  - The postindependence period in India
  - The postindependence period in Pakistan
  - The postindependence period in Bangladesh
  - The postindependence period in Sri Lanka
- Africa
  - Ethiopia
  - Liberia
  - South Africa
  - General influences and policies of the colonial powers
  - Education in Portuguese colonies and former colonies
  - German educational policy in Africa
  - Education in British colonies and former colonies
  - Education in French colonies and former colonies
  - Education in Belgian colonies and former colonies
  - Problems and tasks of African education in the late 20th century
- The Middle East
  - Colonialism and its consequences
  - The second half of the 20th century
  - The Islamic revival
  - Migration and the brain drain
- Latin America
  - The heritage of independence
  - Administration
  - Primary education and literacy
  - Secondary education
  - Higher education
  - Reform trends
- Southeast Asia
  - Myanmar
  - Malaysia and Singapore
  - Indonesia
  - Philippines
  - Thailand
  - Cambodia
  - Laos
  - Vietnam
Global trends in education
- The development and growth of national education systems
  - Education and social cohesion
  - Education and social conflict
  - Education and personal growth
  - Education and civil society
  - Education and economic development
- Global enrollment trends since the mid-20th century
  - Primary-level school enrollments
  - Secondary-level school enrollments
  - Tertiary-level school enrollments
  - Other developments in formal education
  - Literacy as a measure of success
- Global commitments to education and equality of opportunity
  - Access to education
  - Implications for socioeconomic status
  - Social consequences of education in developing countries
  - The role of the state
  - Social and family interaction
  - Alternative forms of education

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

a classroom in Brazil

Peter I the Great

University of Heidelberg

courtyard of the madrasah of Sultan Ḥasan

Read Next

Empty classroom, school

Pro and Con: School Vouchers

Father helping his son with his homework. Parent child student little boy

Pro and Con: Homework

Girl student writing in her notebook in classroom in school.

10 Common Questions Kids Have About School, Life, and Being a Student

Standardized test. Multiple choice exam sheet with pencil

Pro and Con: Standardized Tests

Discover

VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.

What Is an Aftershock?

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist

The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

After a perfect launch, spectators try to catch a last glimpse of Space Shuttle Columbia, barely visible at the top end of the twisted column of smoke.

7 Accidents and Disasters in Spaceflight History

Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.

10 Important Dates in Pluto History

Black widow spider

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

At the end of the 15th century, there was a flowering in England of both humanistic studies and educational institutions, enabling a rapid transition from the medieval tradition to the Renaissance. The English humanists prepared excellent texts for studying the Classical languages, and they started a new type of grammar school, long to be a model. Most important were John Colet and Thomas More. Thomas Linacre, author of De emendata structura Latini sermonis libri sex (1524; “Six Books on the Flawless Structure of the Latin Language”), should also be remembered, as well as William Lily, author of a Latin syntax, ...(100 of 117691 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.