Renaissance Family Life

The father’s job was to be the head of the household, with the mother as his main assistant. Under the father's authority, she took care of the house and the children. Most of the men along with their sons spent days in the fields working while younger children were in school. People who had more money could send their children to school, but the people with less money were forced to make their sons/children work. On the other hand, mothers in more rural areas (where poorer people lived) farmed with the men, while richer woman stayed home and took care of the household along with their children. No matter what social class the mothers were, they all knitted and sewed. Their husbands were chosen by their parents. Children had few toys in their homes and boys played sports with their family. During their free time the girls played with dolls. The wealthier families had enough money to buy their daughter's porcelain

They were to help at home until they were married. Women would refer to flowers as their menstrual cycle and during their wedding night they would not allow women to fertility drink. They didn’t allow this because during the wedding night they were trying to make the women pregnant. “Women did not push ahead of the men to take their offerings, did not go about the church to collect for vestry, and did not serve as sacristans” [14-15]. The men would travel all the time mostly by sea. When the men would move away from their families they probably weren’t going to inherit their parent’s property. If you had a brother or brothers you shared a house. When one of you became married then you would

They worked alot indoors and outdoors. They were expected to do housework like taking care of the infants. Athenian women also had the responsibility of maintaining the fields. Women did have some rights such as being able to divorce their husbands and remarry. The downfall of this right was that their new husband would not trust them. The women had to obey their husbands and do as they were told. “The courage of a man is seen in commanding, of a woman in obeying -Aristotle, Works, circa 350 BCE” (Doc. Q). Just as in the Athenian Empire, in Han China the women were expected to be obedient to their husbands. Their women had to be humble, must be diligent, and must be continuing the sacrifices. “There has never been a woman who had these traits and yet ruined her reputation or fell into disgrace on the other hand, if a woman lacked these traits, she will have no name to preserve and will not be able to avoid shame” (Doc. R). In this period of time most empires lived in a patriarchal society where the man was the one in charge making women seem like the lesser being. Women in both empires had their distinct ways of showing their loyalty to men but in the end they were viewed the same way.

It has been claimed by some historians that since the peasants were not able to enjoy the knowledge, luxury and arts of the renaissance due to their poorness, therefore, they did not experience it. However, that is not true; even though they did not enjoy things like art and luxury, they did experience the renaissance, but just differently than other people. At the beginning of the 14th century –which became known later as the beginning of the renaissance- life in Europe was still medieval, by working on the land of the wealthy lords and devoting their lives for them, peasants were able to find food, homes and protection there. Nevertheless, peasants’ lives were hard, they work all day, their pay was barely enough to feed them and their families,

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.

Between the 1300s and 1500s, Europe experienced a period of cultural rebirth known as the Renaissance, marking the transition from medieval times to modern times. The Renaissance brought new importance to individual expression, self-consciousness and worldly experience.

water they used was mostly unclean which lead to many illnesses and sicknesses that were passed from

They lived at the bottom of hilled areas, which were frequently flooded. The houses were unsafe and definitely not sanitary. In these families there were often eight or more children but in the parents eyes they saw it as more money to be earned for the family. Even though there were that many people in the families they still lived with many more in crowded houses that were often only 2-3 rooms. The houses that they lived in were made from iron, which is extremely hot in summer and almost unbearably cold in the winter months. Because there were so many people living in the houses, diseases were spread extremely easily. These diseases included whooping cough, tuberculosis and diphtheria. Even though today these diseases are easily curable, back in the 20th century there was limited medical knowledge and even if there were the poor wouldn’t be able to afford the

The women were expected to carry out the duties of the house without complaint and to remain diligent to her husband, as well as God. During this time, motherhood transformed from just being a child bearing figure to

Women, in general, were expected to be able to run their homes, taking care of their spouses and children in whatever form was needed at the

The Renaissance was a rebirth of Europe during the 1400s. It was a time period that came after the Middle Ages, and people started thinking differently than how they were thinking during the Middle Ages. The Bubonic Plague made many people question their lives and also the churches and their religions which were a big part of life during the Middle Ages. Instead, during the Renaissance many ideas were taken from the ancient Greeks and Romans, the laws on paintings became much more relaxed leading too many artists creating detailed paintings, the printing press was created which made the creation of books faster and increased quantity, and people became more educated in history, reading and writing. Many of these changes such as education greatly

Women cooked meals, were maids and nurses, and took care of the children during this time. Many of

Women: Women were in charge of the household. Raising children, chores, and staying in charge of husbands' businesses while they were away, etc.

Living standards as described by Blainey (2000) were bleak. Most people lived in one roomed, small stone houses, often with four or more sharing one bed. Homes often remained unheated due to scarcity of wood (Blainey 2000, p. 423). People were largely uneducated and knew little about healthcare. Sewerage was disposed of in the same rivers that were used to drink and wash from. These contaminated rivers were used to supply water to the growing crops. This had a huge impact on health, causing infection in around two out of every three people in rural areas (Blainey 2000, p. 415). Lack of hygiene and knowledge of healthcare led to shorter lifespans.

Many things changed from Medieval Times to the Renaissance. The catholic church saw it’s reign secede and individualism increase in the minds of the people of the time. Because of this, people in the Renaissance now looked at themselves in a way that was never seen before. Slowly but surely, the whole world changed. The rise in individualism and humanism signified a change in the way people thought about their purpose in life. In the Medieval Times, people believed that they were at the mercy of God, and they had no control over their own bodies or lives. From the change in Medieval Times to the Renaissance, whole fields were changed, especially art and the medical field, because of the rise of the individual and that way of life.