Without simply repeating the lecture notes explain why Versailles Palace and Gardens were built, and the role they played during the rule of King Louis XIV?

Background

Originally intended as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII, Versailles was transformed during the rein of Louis XIV, the Sun King, into one of the grandest examples of a royal palace and gardens. From a young age, Louis XIV had a wariness of rebellion, as there had been many instances of such leading up to his official reign as king. Because of this wariness, Louis XIV had a distrust of Paris, and preferred to spend his time elsewhere, prompting his interest in Versailles as a new central location for his rule.

A young Louis XIV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV_of_France

Politics

The relative remoteness of Versailles also offered the added benefit of forcing nobles to stay at the palace when visiting the King of business, rendering them dependent on him, and preventing them from building up regional alliances while visiting. Versailles was also viewed as an elaborate “cage” where nobles were, out of necessity, forced to live, allowing the king to keep them close and prevent any ascendancy in rank that may have threatened him.

Hall of Mirrors, Versailles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Mirrors

Power

The elaborate design of the palace and surrounding gardens was used as a means for displaying the king’s achievements and power, from the overall grandeur to particular features such as the famed Hall of Mirrors, depicting a narrative of the king’s aspirations of power. The mere fact that per Louis XIV’s insistence Versailles was built on a marshland is a display of his power in overcoming nature. Furthermore, the creation of the gardens of Versailles, commissioned to Andrè le Nôtre, including steps such as the uprooting and addition of fully-grown trees from other areas in France, a feat of its own that demonstrated Louis XIV’s overarching influence and wealth. Elaborate and highly innovative water features, as well as continuing allusions to the god Apollo further cemented the gardens’ intended use as a depiction of immense power.

Gardens at Versailles
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/France/North/Ile-de-France/Versailles/photo753814.htm

For more information on the history of Versailles and Louis XIV:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/louis_xiv.shtml

http://www.livescience.com/38903-palace-of-versailles-facts-history.html

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/gardens-and-park-of-the-chateau-

Draw similarities and differences between Mary gardens of the Medieval period and the gardens of the Elizabethan Emblematic period.

Despite rising in popularity during different time periods, Mary gardens and Elizabethan Emblematic gardens exhibit some distinct similarities, as well as several distinct characteristics that set them apart. 

Figure of Interest

The Mary gardens, or hortus conclusus, of the Medieval era, were religiously inspired by the Virgin Mary, with the entire symbolism and structure of the garden stemming from symbolism surrounding her. Similarly, gardens during the Elizabethan Emblematic period were inspired by historical woman figure, although they focused on Queen Elizabeth I, the “Virgin Queen”. In both instances, the woman, whether Mary or Queen Elizabeth, symbolically becomes the garden, and vice versa.

An Elizabethan Emblematic garden
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elizabethan_Gardens_-_sunken_garden_02.jpg

Concept

The original concept of the Mary gardens was derived from the Biblical verse “A garden locked is my sister, my bride; a garden locked, a fountain sealed” (4:12). Elizabethan Emblematic gardens were, in turn, inspired by the concept of Mary gardens, although while losing the accompanying religious symbolism. Structurally, the enclosed settings of the gardens were used to symbolize the purity and virginity of the women they represented. Mary gardens were typically present in monasteries, whereas gardens inspired by the so-called “Virgin Queen” were present throughout England during the time.

Hortus conclusus, a Mary garden
http://www.gardenhistorysociety.org/post/agenda/the-hortus-conclusus-at-little-sparta/

Symbolism

In both cases, symbolism within the garden was used to highlight various characteristics of the women, whether Mary or Elizabeth. In Mary gardens, white lilies were used to represent purity, while yellow dianthus stood for a glowing soul.  In Elizabethan Emblematic gardens, eglantines represented the queen’s virginity, and the red rose illustrated her authority and was the flower of the Tudor house. In these gardens, the elaborate plant choices were meant to depict Queen Elizabeth’s realm as an earthly paradise. While Mary gardens and Elizabethan Emblematic gardens were all closed in structure, Mary gardens were more informally ornamental on the interior, whereas Elizabethan Emblematic gardens typically remained highly structured and formal throughout.

Eglantines, symbolic of the queen's virginity
http://www.lemasdeseglantines.com/fr/fotogalerij.asp

For more information on the background of Elizabethan gardens, an interesting article is available at http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.dk/2012/03/elizabethan-gardening-craze.html

Explain, with examples, the ways in which the Renaissance spirit of a rediscovery of the classics and the new Humanist ways of thinking were expressed in the design and content of the Italian Renaissance garden.

The Renaissance era, particularly in Italy, brought about major changes in thought that influenced garden design. The two major components of the Renaissance school of thought were a rediscovery of classical texts and philosophies, and the humanist reevaluation of man’s relationship with God and nature (accompanied by the thought that nature was essential, but could be improved upon through human ordering and cultivation). These new emphases led to an age of human focus, and an increase in studies of the arts and sciences. 

The focus on man rather than the divine led to an opening of the garden, moving away from closed gardens of the Medieval era. Gardens became more expansive and outwardly directed, enabling open enjoyment by people. Additionally, gardens lost their separation from the home, instead becoming a much more integral and noticeable feature.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/your-marlborough/home-and-garden/christo-saggers/4066844/Romantic-renaissance

New developments in math and science were reflected in the sequential, geometric array of garden form, giving gardens of the Italian Renaissance a very structured appearance, with a return of axial alignment and mirrored sides. Similarly, advances in technology led to an increase in elaborate water features in gardens, demonstrating the power and innovation of mankind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance_garden#mediaviewer/File:Villa_d_Este1.jpg

The villa became a key feature of Italian Renaissance gardens, with the purpose of leisure, taking inspiration from the classics, “otium,” or creative pursuits. The villa was meant to be a central feature; both something to be admired and a place from which to admire gardens. Villas and their corresponding gardens were elaborate, meant as a show of wealth and power, further emphasizing human rather than religious motives. Within these gardens, family symbols, through statuary, water features, or other design, were another showing of status.

http://www.honeysucklelife.com/2012/03/05/image-gallery-formal-gardens/olympus-digital-camera-2/

The following link contains information about several well-known examples of Italian Renaissance garden art: 

http://www.gardenvisit.com/history_theory/library_online_ebooks/ml_gothein_history_garden_art_design/early_baroque_gardens_italy