Some Aspects of the Transformation of Society & Economy of Modern

Europe, 15th-18th Century

Module 1

General Introduction

FAQs

1. What is understood by the term Renaissance?

Scholars and historians mark the era spanning two centuries from the 1330s
to the 1530s as the period of rebirth or Renaissance of European civilization.
It was a rebirth from the disorder and conflict of the semi-barbaric middle
ages marked by oppressive feudalism, bigotry of the church, the prolonged
crusade of the cross against the crescent and the competitions of power and
supremacy between the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope. The name is
traditionally bestowed upon the remarkable outpouring of intellectual and
artistic energy and talent that accompanied the transition of Europe from the
middle ages to the modern epoch.

2. What was the first Crusade about?

The first Crusade was a military expedition to regain the Holy Lands taken in
the Muslim conquest of the Levant. It started in 1095 AD as a response to an
appeal from the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnemos, who requested the
help of Pope Urban II to gather volunteers who would go to his aid to help
him repel the invading Seljuq Turks from Anatolia.

3. Who were the chief patrons of the artists, architects and painters of the
Renaissance?
The Renaissance flourished due to the patronage of the Popes, princes,
cardinals and merchants. Italy in the fifteenth century was rich enough to
support an extravagant and self-indulgent merchant aristocracy, who
 extended their patronage to the artists, architects and painters of the
Renaissance.

4. What role did religion play in the Renaissance?

Religion occupied an important place in the Renaissance, as is revealed by
the numerous portrayals like the Pietas, Madonnas, Crucifixion and the
innumerable saints portrayed in Renaissance art. This shows that the
traditional faith of most artists remained Christianity.

5. Will it be correct to call the Renaissance an urban elitist phenomenon?

Medieval Italy was a land of cities. The urban imprint of the Roman times had
never totally erased during the five hundred years of barbarian invasion and
settlement. It began to re-assert itself in the 10th century when new towns
came up and old ones were newly revived, brimming with new energy. These
cities became independent states dominated by the bourgeois and the
merchant bankers, who had amassed wealth through a vibrant trade with
Asia. The thoughts of this new class turned from religion to more worldly
things. These rich urban classes were the patrons who nurtured the
Renaissance. It was indeed an urban elitist phenomenon.

6. Who was Machiavelli?

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was
an Italian philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during
the Renaissance. He was one of the main founders of modern political
science.[1] He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil
servant of the Florentine Republic. Niccolò Machiavelli in his best-known
book, Il Principe, stated that in order to retain power, the hereditary prince
must carefully maintain the socio-political institutions, but should be willing to
 act immorally, and exercise brute force and deceit if the situation so
demanded.

7. Why is the Renaissance not called a movement?

The Renaissance was actually not so much a particular movement as a
concrete expression of changing mentalities in a new world. A movement
implies a definite period of activity with a precise beginning and end. The
Renaissance had neither.

8. How significant was the glorious antiquity of Rome in the Renaissance?

One of the reasons as to why the Renaissance was Italian in origin was the
continuous reminder of her great past provided by the ruins of temples and
villas especially in the city of Rome. From the 15 th century a new appreciation
of these classical ruins appeared and the Renaissance Popes ordered their
preservation and encouraged their excavation. Pope and princes competed
with each other in making collections of ancient objects. The interest in Greek
thought and literature, among those who discovered and collected ancient
manuscripts, was also stimulated by contacts with the Byzantine Empire
through Venetian and Genoese traders.

9. Why did art and architecture flourish so much during the Renaissance?
The princes and republics of the Renaissance lived in dangerous and unsafe
times but they desired fame, which could be expressed in something more
concrete and permanent than war, such as buildings, arts, pageants and
patronage. They all tried to immortalize their greatness by constructing
buildings and encouraging painting and sculpture. There was a deep rooted
tradition of early Christian Europe that buildings were a part of Christian life.
So the wealthy founded and patronized monasteries, nunneries and
cathedrals. It was also a custom for the princes to adorn their palaces, which
 provided an impetus to the crafts of metal work, jewellery, tapestries and
frescoes.

10. Who was considered a gentleman in Renaissance society?

In order to be considered a gentleman, a soldier, statesman, priest or a
merchant, one had to possess a knowledge of the ancient classics and the
ability to appreciate art, literature, and music, as well as the art of
conversation.