Middle Ages vs Renaissance

Many people cannot agree on whether the European Middle Ages were “Dark Ages” or an “Early Renaissance”. A Dark Age is a time during which a civilization undergoes a decline, while a Renaissance is a new period of growth or activity. Even though there is an equal amount of evidence for both the Dark Ages and the Early Renaissance, some pieces were more effective than others. The European Middle Ages was an Early Renaissance because citizens started to begin new lives as different roles, the feudal system was slowly being forgotten, and the Magna Carta was published.

Christian art and iconography began, about two hundred years after the birth of Christ. Western Christian art and religious iconography was based on the classical art styles and imagery by the Ancient Romans. Medieval art iconography began to relate more to text of the Bible. Religious Christian art was created in the form of illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, and fresco paintings adorned churches. The colors of art were generally muted except those used in manuscripts and stained glass windows. Figures varied in sizes in relation their importance. Unlike artists in the Byzantine period who avoided making sculptures at all costs, Romanesque artists made sculptures which were often large, made of stone, and

This book shows that life in the Middle Ages was difficult and demanding, but it seems a little bit peaceful and serene, too. The main occupations were farming and raising sheep or goats, and there were tradesman in the villages who worked for a

No, I do not believe that the Renaissance was a distinct break or period from the Middle Ages for many reason. For example, One can not date the Renaissance back to a certain year because what some might believe to be the high Middle Ages others consider to be the early Renaissance. One only needs to look at the works of Ghiberti, Brunelleschi,Donatello, and even Petrarch, one of the first humanists, to see that it is extended to the beginning of the 15th century yet has no clear breaking point.

Villages made up most of the populace of medieval times; Only a small percentage of people actually lived in large, metropolitan cities. In Britain, “most people preferred to live in homesteads: a house, perhaps a barn, and sometimes a surrounding wall, far from their neighbors.” (Towns). People had to fend and provide for themselves. So, families would- try, at least- to live alone together whenever they could, and used villages as places to sell goods to each other and purchase basic needs. People not wanting to live in large cities can also be attributed to the notion that living in cities was expensive, dirty, and the norm required you to be rich or a worker for the rich. Villagers usually farmed or maintained crops for themselves or their employer. Villagers also had a different “outlook on society could be very different from that of city dwellers” (Towns), as their needs were far

The middle ages were regarded as a dark and desolate time period in history. Society during this time has no social progress, incessant wars, extreme violence, and no improvement to intellect or education. The Renaissance marked the end of the middle ages lasting roughly from the early 1400s to the 17th century. The Renaissance was exceptionally different from the Dark Ages because of many evolutions to the human intellect, social climate, and the beliefs of Renaissance men. During the bridge between the middle ages and present times the Renaissance innovated art, architecture, philosophy, science, and literature. Also, there was s shift from heavily relying on the church to a focus on humanism. William Manchester author of A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age discusses the concept of the medieval mind, the culture of the Renaissance, and significant changes during these time periods. According to Manchester the end of the middle ages and the beginning of the Renaissance is referred to as ‘The Shattering.’ ‘The Shattering’ is the destruction of the medieval world view, “the implications of the Renaissance appear to be obvious. It was astonishing that no one saw where is was leading” (Manchester, 26). The previous medieval mindset was challenged frequently by religious shifts and numerous prominent historical individuals. ‘The Shattering’ occurred because of a shift in mindset and worldview caused by changes in the church and

The idea of the “Dark Ages” came from historians who were seriously biased toward ancient Rome. This negative opinion of the so-called “Dark Ages” became widespread because most of the printed records of this time had a dominant Rome unfairness. The term refers to the lack of cultural improvement in Europe. Honestly, living in the Early Middle Ages was not really that much darker or more vicious in comparison to any other eras. The era that followed was just as dark with no great leaders appearing, no scientific accomplishments being made, and no great art being produced; therefore, the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the Renaissance should not be considered “The Dark Ages.”

In the middle ages there were two main groups peasants, and nobles. Peasants made up 90% of the population and took up most of the jobs from farmers and blacksmiths, to tavern owners. Peasants had very harsh lives with where they lived, what they ate, and their childhood.

People overall became richer. Because of the mass loss of life from the Bubonic Plague there was definitely enough land to go around for all the survivors, making a smaller or at least wealthier peasant class. Also the renaissance brought on the invention of the printing press in europe (this came much earlier in China) which created a more educated middle class, making the middle class much more powerful than in the middle ages. The Merchant class also flourished because of new banking techniques (the church had discouraged banking in the middle ages) which also created a more wealthy middle class. The church, although still important in the lives of the European people, lost considerable power. The institution that had once held as much as

The Middle ages were more intense than The Mall with a buy one get one free sale!

Medieval times were very similar to current times. There were the rich and the poor. The poor families (families not related to the lord) would live in the village and work on the farms. The farming land was split into three different fields and then split among the different families in the village. Many of the families owned one ox but that was not enough to pull the plow, so the different families had different jobs for each month of the year. When the farmers came home from long days in the fields, their meals were not very plentiful. To have meat in the house was considered a luxury. The dinner would often consist of bread, cheese, and sometimes pottage. Pottage was a mixture of grain, hot water, and when available meat or fish.

Hi Adam, I agree, I have a new found respect for the art. I've always been somewhat interested, but not because of its history. It's really enlightening when you are able to start from the beginning and go through all of the movements, and its history. That's when I was able to get a better understanding of the humanities. At first I thought that the neoclassical movement was my favorite, but once I started doing research on the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, I'm not sure which one I like best. The Middle Ages is about the rise and fall of cities and it's economy, the rise of nations, kings, and nobles losing power. France and England in a war for 100 years and because of it, government trade was disrupted. The church has weakened due to

The trademark trait of humanity is curiosity: it is what drives us as a race of individuals to create and innovate, to question and conclude. The Ancient Greeks developed as a culture due to the curiosity of many great thinkers, making strides in the fields of philosophy and math and raising a civilization with lasting influence on every empire to come. Sculptors studied the human form and philosophers attempted to understand man’s place in the universe. The Middle Ages, however, lacked this metaphysical approach to life: people were not comfortable questioning their surroundings and therefore made little room for cultural innovation. The Renaissance as we know it saw a revival of the classical thought of the ancient Greeks and Romans, paving

Life in the middle ages of social life were crushed. The Feudle system of government came from an old german term of power for attending cattle, goats and sheep. Man in the dark ages felt alone in the world bcause of his limitation and had no control to fend for himself. The population was small in isolated areas without communication. The population was approximately 10 million and life in the medieval times was regulated with the farming of crops. Bad weather contributed to hunger in the community and the community had to protect each other. The lords were the owners of the land and where the peasants and vassles lived. Middle age cities were protected by walls and castles,and castles was a symbol of social, financial, and political power.

1) What are some similarities and differences between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages that are mentioned in this section of the text?