Renaissance

A Humanist Revolution

By the 1300’s the Middle Ages, which had lasted for over 800 years, came to an end.  This period was characterized by deep inequality, little change and the oppression of the majority of society (the serfs) by the King and the feudal lords with the help of the Catholic Church and its teachings.  After the Crusades and the plague, Europe’s population recovered and became richer and more sophisticated giving rise to the Renaissance period and humanism.  These new developments affected the economics, culture and politics of Europe and led to a whole new society.

Change began with the slow improvement of the economic conditions of both serfs in the countryside, and merchants and artisans in towns.  Better agricultural techniques allowed a few peasants to earn enough to buy their freedom from the feudal lords, acquire small plots of land and become wealthy peasants, beginning with the few small strip fields of a single peasant by the end of the Middle Ages (Document # 1, A Typical Manor.)  As families grew, the younger children had to leave the fields and move to towns where they became traders and artisans; making the towns richer due to the trade taxes they paid (Document # 7, Distribution of the Financial Income in Percentage of the City-State of Florence in 1338).  This portion of the population could then use their wealth and free time to dedicate to culture.

The Renaissance period brought cultural changes to society that came to affect all aspects of people´s lives.  During Medieval times, an illiterate society was ruled by the Catholic Church´s teachings focused on religion, which it used to control society. The Church stated that friendship, happiness, strength, pleasure, and beauty were temporary, and would disappear eventually.  People should not deviate from the Church´s teachings because their sins would be judged by the “Heaven King” (God) (Document # 4, Everyman).  The Catholic Church promoted a fear of death in society, so that people would focus on the afterlife rather than on Earth, making them easier to control.  On the contrary, the Renaissance evolved around humanism, a philosophy that began in Italy, affirming the worth and potential of all individuals, and that man is a model of perfection, who reasons, has many faculties, and is the paragon of all animals (Document # 2 Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2).  The art of each period reflected these differences.  Medieval art had religious themes, biblical characters, flat and sad human figures, with little expression.  Renaissance art was a celebration of life, beauty and pleasure, with three-dimensional and well-proportioned figures.  This new way of thinking became evident in all cultural aspects.

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