The Middle Ages And The Renaissance

Renaissance is a time period that starts a transitional cultural movement in Europe between medieval times and modern times. It means rebirth and begins in 14th century and lasts into the 17th century. Through out this time, many aspects were influenced by this cultural movement, such as art, music, science, religion and politics. Renaissance was marked by the humanistic revival, and people in Europe used this method in study, in order to searched for realism and human themselves in art. There are three stages within this time, called early Renaissance, high Renaissance and the late Renaissance. In history, the last two stages were very noticeable, although they both belongs to the Renaissance, there are many differences between

The shift between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was characterized by great socio-economic, political, and religious changes. Politically, the feudal system of the Middle Ages was exchanged for a more stable centralized republic/monarchy system that gave the people more freedom and input. Religiously, secularism became more important as stability gave people a chance to concern themselves with the “here and now” rather than simply the “hereafter.” Socially, there was a shift from dogma and unshakeable belief to humanism and the ability to interpret things for oneself. The Middle Ages began around 400 CE and lasted until 1400 CE while the Renaissance began around 1200 and continued until 1600. The 200 years that overlap between

The Renaissance period is known for the revival of the classical art and intellect born in ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance is also a time that is marked by growth, exploration, and rebirth. The Italian Renaissance started in Florence and progressively made its way into Venice and then into the great city of Rome. During the Renaissance, Rome was home to some of the most renowned works of art and the finest architectural masterpieces in the world - too many that still holds true today. Along with the delicate architecture and grand artistry, Rome was also home to a mixture of people and cultures. It is in this cultural context and through the book A Street Life in Renaissance Rome: A Brief History with Documents, that understanding how men, woman, and specifically Jews and Christians lived in Rome becomes important to better understand this period of renewal.

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

(H) For the world to change, people need to change. This is exactly what happened from AD 1400-AD 1600, which we now call the Renaissance. (O)The fall of the Roman Empire lead to the 'Dark Ages' where people began to decline any new changes. Then, in the beginning of the fifteenth century, people began to change their outlook and look toward the Ancient world of Greece and Rome with admiration. This lead to a 'rebirth' of greatness, the Renaissance. (T)The Renaissance brought a brand-new way of thinking, new inventions and art based off of ancient designs, and major developments in the science, math and technology world.

When talking about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, many would consider them to be separate eras. Although, some have argued that the Renaissance should be classified as a continuation of the Middle Ages. However, based on evidence found in several documents, it should be concluded that the Renaissance was its own time period because new cultural ideas and developments occurred, the significance of humanism flourished, and the corruption of the church was eliminated.

The Medieval Ages and Renaissance were periods of distinct cultural and worldviews within the continent of Europe. Both the Medieval Ages and Renaissance had the presence of a social organization and had artwork centered on religion. However, during the Renaissance architecture was influenced by Greco-Roman styles, had the existence of towns, questioned the power of the Catholic Church, and had an educated public.

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 Middle Ages and Renaissance were two very different periods of time. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was believed that God was the ruler, and almost everything in life was based around religion. Illiteracy was also very widespread, unless one was a religious figure. For example, priests and monks were basically the only literate people during the Middle Ages, and they were the ones that would do all the reading, and writing from the Bible. One of the main reasons for illiteracy was the lack of technology. The only way for copies of books to be made was with handwritten books, which made it hard to get hands on a book, because the quantity was so scarce. Another reason for the illiteracy was that many people were called serfs, which are

In the Middle Ages, art was centered around the Church. The purpose of art was to glorify the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Altshuler, 2009, p. 127). Art was not made to produce a feeling it was made simply to tell a story. Artists were usually sanctioned by the church to complete specific works. All artists were male with the exception of some women who did embroideries (Altshuler, 2009, p. 127). Many different types of media was used during this time including; paint, embroidery, stain glass, relief statues and more.

After the Middle Ages, or during the Renaissance, many changes in people’s everyday lives were made, which made these two periods of time differ drastically. Most of the transformations that occurred happened in three different parts of a society. In politics, people went from living in Manors ruled by a lord loyal to the King, and suffocated in feudalism, to having more freedom, as well as a growing middle class. Also, during the Renaissance new ideas about how rulers should control their power appeared, coming from great thinkers like Niccolo Machiavelli. Another aspect that changed was how people viewed religion. During the Middle Ages, religion

The Middle Ages were not known for their choice in government, ways of living, or their views on the Church. Rather, they were known for making the best of what was given to the, which was music. During the early Middle Ages, peasants stayed bound to the land they were given, but had to depend on landlords for protection. Also, many social bonds were ties of kinship, which lead to the emergence of feudalism among the warrior aristocracy ("The Middle Ages: Feudal Life", 2013).

Renaissance is a generally accepted name for the era of great change in culture, art, and architecture which took place in the fifteenth-and sixteenth-century Italy, and then left its mark on the culture of the whole of Europe. During the Renaissance there was a significant shift of universally recognized values. They began to appreciate and recognize the creative possibilities of a human mind, which entailed a lot of consequences. One of them was the spectacular development of the architecture, and the new role of architecture and the architect in society. New forms of secular buildings such as villas, palaces, houses and town halls were exemplified, but most of building activity was centered on sacred buildings like the famed Tempietto by Donatano Bramante. Tempietto is a prime example of Renaissance architecture because not only it represents key characteristics like the simplicity of the composition, symmetry within structure, but it also resurrects precedents of Christian and pagan origin which were a baseline for many designs during that period.

During the European renaissance, humanist philosophers started to take a new approach on education though reconnecting with ancient European civilization. They stressed a change from irrational, traditional thought, to good logical arguments, studying from religious texts and Aristotle (medieval scholasticism). This new education, however, was to be for a purpose. They were to not only be contemplators, but also “public men”, or being in service to the public. So, they spread their ideas to the people by using the printing press, and within only a couple of days their thoughts were spread throughout Europe. They were often punished by the Catholic Church, which brought about famous works like The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli, as referred

The Renaissance was a period of cultural evolution that marked the end of the Medieval Era in Europe. During this time, many European nations experienced significant advancements in art, literature, science and technology. Ideas derived from Greek and Roman origin were introduced and modified in European countries, including Spain, France, Italy, and The Netherlands. The Renaissance was characterized mainly by the development of new ideas that remain prevalent in our world today. This age of knowledge and profound innovation originated in Florence, Italy, primarily because it was considered the cultural center of Europe. The exchange of ideas between Italy and other Asian countries was made possible by the Silk Road. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that extended from Western Europe to East Asia. Italian city-states benefited from the Silk Road by gaining wealth and knowledge from powerful Asian nations, such as China and Japan. Essentially, the Renaissance was a blend of a diverse range of cultures with different traditions and customs. Humanism is a term that exemplifies the shared belief of most Renaissance leaders. Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the study of worldly issues rather than religious issues. During the Middle Ages, religion was the central cause of many wars. This slowed economic productivity and exploration of different civilizations. Early Renaissance humanists attempted to break the tradition of blind worship that ultimately