The Renaissance

By: Daryn Hill

In Europe , the Middle Ages came to an end in the 1300s. Shortly after
there was a new period called the Renaissance. The Renaissance (means rebirth)
had many key features of new spirit. They were the rebirth of society, humanism,
and classical culture. There were also many things that happened in the Middle
Ages that caused the Renaissance. The Renaissance was caused by feudalism ,
political turmoil, and the bubonic plague. Lastly the Renaissance also broke away
from medieval ideas drastically. The Renaissance had a dominating leadership
change, a huge breakthrough in the art community , and large advancements in
worldly pleasures.
The Renaissance was a time in history where Europe had a second chance
at a new society. It was is said to have been the rebirth of Europe since scholars
wanted the people to go back to learning Greek and Roman teachings. The
Renaissance lasted about 200 years as an artistic movement.1 During this time of
rebirth, the study of text led to humanism. Humanism is a Renaissance intellectual
movement, in which thinkers studied classical text and focused on human
potential and achievements. The renaissance also had a very classical culture.
Artist like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael showed true Renaissance
spirit. Since the three artist captured the Renaissance spirit, it helped the artist
demonstrate their interest in classical culture.
The Renaissance was caused by political turmoil, feudalism, and the black
plague. Political turmoil is the way power is achieved in a country or society. In
Europe the political turmoil and constant warfare, led to the rise of European
feudalism. Feudalism is a political system in which nobles are granted the use of
lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military
service, and protection of the people who live on the land. Feudalism created
divisions amongst the people of Europe. That was due to the feudal pyramid .
The feudal pyramid classified the people based on wealth. The majority of the
people were peasants, the lowest class in the feudal pyramid .In the 1300s, the
1
Humanism, 2009, p1
bubonic plague hit the cities of Europe hard, killing up to 60 percent of the
population.2 Peasants were more likely to contract the plague since they were
immensely poor. Due to the plague there were some economic changes as well.
The plague gave those who survived a chance to pursue any job they wanted.
These are the major reasons why the middle ages ended and the Renaissance
began.
The Renaissance had a huge break away from medieval ideas due
leadership change, the huge breakthrough of art in Europe, and the large
advancements of worldly pleasures. Before the Renaissance Europe had a
Republican form of government . It was at this time that Florence went under the
ruling of a powerful family called the Medici family. In 1434 Cosimo de Medici, the
wealthiest European of his time, won power over Florences government. The
Medici family ruled for a long time. Also during the Renaissance there was a large
breakout of art. Since the plague wiped out so much of Europes population, the
survivors demanded more money. With that this gave merchants a chance to
pursue anything they wanted. Florence became the great center of quattrocento
(15th-century) art and art theory.3 Art just so happened to be a huge deal during
the Renaissance. Most churches became more fond of art and wanted it in their
churches. The renaissance had a major change in worldly pleasures. During the
middle ages, people threw their garbage and waste into the street. They also
didn't bathe, and as a result, they had fleas and lice. They ate plain foods and
wore rough clothing. They did these things since they felt they would offend God.
Although during the Renaissance the people enjoyed material luxuries, good
music, and fine foods. Even though they enjoyed life they still remained devout
Catholics.
In conclusion the renaissance was the best thing that could have
happened to Europe. After the plague hit, Europe could have fell completely, but
they stayed strong and came back even harder than before. Without the
renaissance there wouldn't be a Europe today.

2
ibook
3
Renaissance art and architecture