Middle Ages vs. the Renaissance Essay

19. Who is Guillaume de Machaut? 14th century poet and musician who composed the first complete polyphonic setting of the entire Ordinary of the Mass.

The Renaissance challenged the status quo of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the Church had authority over most people. These people also had limited rights. All of this changed during the Renaissance. This period of time focused on the philosophy of humanism, which embodied the idea that humans were a significant part of the world. The Renaissance changed man’s view of man through the institutions of literature, astronomy, anatomy, and art.

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that first began in Florence, Italy, and then it later spread throughout Europe. It started around 1350 and ended around 1600. Renaissance structured the educational and cultural advancements. Education became more on science than simply learning what ancient authorities said. Before the Renaissance, in the middle age, the outlook of the society was very narrow. People believed highly on superstitions and myths rather than on the truth and the scientific facts. Education was usually centered around the Church. It was based on Biblical teachings and its whole purpose was to get people ready to be leaders in the

The Renaissance was a time of change and prosperity. The decision was made depending on the difference of two eras. Unlike the Renaissance, the Middle Ages were a thousand years of ignorance and superstition. The Renaissance men were leaders in an era of rebirth and learning looked to the Ancient Greeks and Romans for models of advance. Many historians felt that the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were one era. The debate centers around whether the Renaissance was a unique age or a continuation of the Middle Ages.

WHAT! Just to think that the Dark Age turn to an age of man. Believe or not, the history goes far back, beginning in the European history. In addition, the Middle Ages or sometimes called the Dark Age was a history of tragedy. According to the Background Essay, the Middle Ages primary peoples were Roman Catholic Church and Pope.

The Middle Ages was the time between the fall of Rome and the fall of Constantinople. During this time, there were wars, famines, and diseases. The Renaissance was a time of rebirth of Greek and Roman classics and prosperity. The Renaissance people knew they were different, they learned new things, and succeeded in many different forms of art and science. The many unique advances made the Renaissance a distinct period from the Middle Ages.

Generalism was another value that changed from the Middle Ages. Generalism soon became a desirable quality during the Renaissance as more people desired to be good at everything. This was completely different during the Middle Ages, where there was barely any time for anyone to study anything other than religion. Days in the Middle Ages were spent providing for the manor, and making sure that everything a person needed to survive was obtained. “Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their own manor. By standing in the center of a plowed field, they could see their entire world at a glance...In Europe, the majority of the people were peasants. Most peasants were serfs.” (McDougal Littell, page 360) Serfs spent their days farming and providing food for their Lord and the entire manor. They were the “stabilizer” of the manor; without them everyone would starve and the manor would fall apart.“For most serfs, both men and women, life was work and more work. Their days revolved around raising crops and livestock and taking care of home and family.” (McDougal Littell, page 363). Most of the little free time that they had were used to pray. This made it practically impossible to study any other regions of education. As a result of their tedious days on the fields and the expectations of the Church, very few people, if any at all, would be considered the “ideal Renaissance person” during the Middle Ages.

The Middle Ages was a time in history where everyone was faithful to religion as well as others. Also, in the Middle Ages, people were encouraged to always try their best; they were encouraged to strive for the highest achievement possible and to never give up. The Renaissance, however, was more focused on becoming matured and finding a way to be successful at everything one does. During this era, people strived to become all-sided men, also known as; renaissance men. This means they are not only successful in one type of art but in all types of art, as well as math, science, and literature. The Renaissance was a distinct period in time that was separated from the Middle Ages and began a new era.

There are many contrasts in the beliefs and values of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was a time of great suffering, including famine and widespread disease. The Renaissance, however, was a revival of art, learning, and literature. Their views of the purpose of life in the present world and man's place in the world was, perhaps, the greatest contrast. However, their views on politics, religion, and education were very different as well.

In the course of the Renaissance, many scholars and philosophers speculated about humans and their purpose on earth. Most of the population in Eastern Europe used religion to make sense of the world. During the Renaissance, the Church had influence in several countries and the Church organized the education and what was being taught. Throughout the Renaissance, people developed a new understanding of the world which resulted to advances in mathematics, science, and art. The scientific theories proposed during the Renaissance tested the Catholic Church’s teachings, and as a result, reason became the common enemy of the Catholic Church.

The worldview of the Middle Ages was shaped by religion. The Church had an idea of the world, and others had faith that what the Church said was all true. The Church stated all of the things that they thought were possible, and that God is the only one who is perfect. In contrast to the Middle Ages, the worldview during the Renaissance was shaped by exploration and innovation. Michelangelo, Raphael, and others continued investigating because they knew that humans were capable of perfecting themselves.

“Once there was time time when all people believed in God and the church ruled,” doesn’t George Bernard Shaw make it seem like life would seem simple in the middle ages. Everyone believing in the same ideas and practices. Although, it might not be that simple, back in the middle ages everyone believed the Christianity. The church unified its people from a once corrupt world. The people would devote countless hours of their lives to give back to the church. Above all, the feudal system was controlled by the church, including the all mighty kings. Christianity brought upon an age of faith throughout the middle ages.

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance are two time periods in the history of Europe. While they are close in time, the contents of their times were drastically different. Through studying the events of these two time periods, looking at both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, you can begin to realize the difference in the government, art, and religion.

The middle ages and the renaissance have many similarities. Both had a dark period and downfall. During both periods the

As time passes, people and the way they see the world change. Accounts from the middle ages describe a way of life centered around faith whilst the renaissance emphasized individual scholarship in science and the arts. Biographies from the renaissance and medieval time periods prove that the ways of life changed over a short amount of time.