Download Summaries of Renaissance Activities

Summaries of Renaissance Activities
The modern Western worldview grew out of the Renaissance, a period stretching from
1350 CE to 1600 CE. The Renaissance or “rebirth” refers to the rediscovery of ancient Greek
and Roman thinking that had been forgotten for nearly 1000 years, in Western Europe, resulting
in the discovery of new ideas and ways of seeing the world.
From about 300 BCE, the West would exchange goods and technologies with Asian
Empires and Northern Africa via the Middle East. The multitude of goods exchanged along the
Silk Road spurred Europeans into becoming traders thus, increasing ties between societies along
the Silk Road. Along with trade goods, disease would also spread from caravan to caravan.
Ultimately, the most significant things to travel the Silk Road were ideas and knowledge that led
to the sharing of worldviews resulting in the emergence of the Renaissance from the Middle
Ages.
The Renaissance slowly emerges from the Middle Ages by increasing intercultural
contact and its corresponding exchange of knowledge and ideas. The Middle Ages had an
entrenched worldview that God was to be the centre of human existence; a view supported by
rich and poor alike. To move into the Renaissance this worldview and the power it gave the
papacy would be challenged.
Crusades were organized in Europe to recapture the Holy Land from Muslim control.
These crusades exposed the Christian armies and religious pilgrims to the Muslim way of life
that varied greatly from their own. This exposure led these travelers to return home with new
ways of thinking about their own lives and their societies.
The Middle Ages was characterized by the feudal system with its strict social and
governmental structures. With a religious worldview that had people believing their position in
life was God’s will, the society was divided into immoveable classes. The most powerful
position was the King or Monarch, then high clergy, nobles, lesser nobles and lower clergy and
finally the serfs or peasants.
An increase in social mobility developed hand in hand with the developing trade industry.
With ever increasing trade, a wealthy influential merchant class grew to challenge the thinking of
the feudal system. As new trade routes emerged they came with not only desirable goods but
different ideas and knowledge calling into question the medieval way of life. People began to
work in businesses that provided goods for those in the cities or in industry making goods to
trade. With the growth of city-states and their industries the feudal system ends.
Urbanization caused the growth of city-states that resulted in a changed political
worldview. People in the aftermath of the plague fled to cities with the hope of gaining
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employment in the trade industry. With the move of the papacy to Avignon, the abandonment of
the feudal system and its established trade network independent minded city-states developed.
Inspired by the surrounding ruins, they initially established republics but oligarchies and despots
emerge and take power.
Using the wealth gained through trade and being the papacy’s bank, the onetime republic,
Florence, flourished under the Medici oligarchy. As patrons of the arts, the Medici family
supported artists, architects and scholars leading to a city rich in works of art, architectural
marvels and scholarly thought. Likewise, the popolo grasso (wealthy merchant class) saw it as
their responsibility to carry out positive civic (public) works. These efforts led Florence to
become a major center of Renaissance culture.
Venice, like Florence, found itself creating a better earthly life with its social institution
of the scuole. They emphasized supporting those citizens in need and the beautification of their
city. It became a major centre for art, architecture and learning; all of which added to its general
appeal.
Genoa found itself at the crossroads of Western Europe and the Mediterranean. They
gained control of Black Sea trade with their conquest of Constantinople. Their interests often
conflict with Venice, but with the Peace of Turin both were able to concentrate on expanding
trade interests. Genoa, strength came from its low rate loans from their banks allowing industries
to grow. With the loss of Constantinople to the Ottomans, Genoa once proud society found itself
ruled by Milan and France at various times. In 1528, Andrea Doria, reclaims Genoa and it begins
to reestablish itself as a leader of Renaissance Europe.
Initially, the Renaissance was slower to spread throughout Europe than in Italy because
of its well established feudal system, the Hundred Year’s War and the Roman Catholic Church’s
move to Avignon. These three events worked together to maintain the status quo and actively
prevented the spread of humanism. It wasn’t until the conclusion of the Hundred Year’s War that
the Renaissance began to pick up speed. At the conclusion of the war, people began to travel in
an effort to find work in the cities or to escape the Plague. This urban upheaval allowed the
Monarchs to establish control over their kingdoms and ushered in a time of new ideas in the arts,
sciences and philosophy. With the institution of humanistic ideas and a powerful monarchy, the
Church’s authority was beginning to be challenged as people sought to reach their secular
potential.
Scholars through their classical studies led them to believe that life on earth had
value(secularism). They still maintained a belief in the afterlife but, saw the great potential
individuals had at creating a better society through art, philosophy and government.
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Scholars based in Muslim Spain began to travel to northern European universities, like
the University of Paris, to study and teach. Inspired by these traveling scholars, students set out
in search of furthering their humanistic education, many chose to visit Italian universities. Upon
their return, they brought back a strong sense of civic responsibility and curiosity about their
world that motivated the nobles to spread these ideals amongst their courts. Having the power to
change their societies, the upper classes saw to it the growth of humanism happened in
conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church’s religious issues. Therefore, great efforts were
made to study not only the classics in their original Greek and Hebrew but also the Bible as well.
During the Renaissance, artists became more interested in the secular world around them.
They became inspired by not only religious themes but by Islamic, Roman and Greek writing,
art, and architecture. They began to experiment with styles, techniques and materials leading to
more lifelike portrayals. Wealthy patrons supported artists as their works became desirable
commodities. In return artist began painting and signing portraits.
Science was slow to progress during the Renaissance for numerous reasons. The biggest
reason may have been that arts had many patrons whereas science did not. Any progress that was
made came from the growing humanist ideas that had Europeans willing to build, expand on and
share knowledge with each other. Science in this time looked to reasoning and observation to
explain nature not supernatural powers. The Renaissance was characterized by scientific
curiosity not advancement but, it did lay the groundwork for the scientific advancements of the
1700s.
With the collapse of feudalism in Europe and increasing urbanization, the Renaissance
was characterized by changing economic and social systems. Increased urban trade led to the
adoption of capitalist system based on money and profit. This capitalist system demanded a
worker who could read, write and do arithmetic. Those with these skills became socially mobile
and were able to enjoy the emerging secular society. Given the vast wealth gained, the merchant
class (middle class) sponsored construction of public building and became patrons of the arts.
Moreover, they gained leisure time that allowed them to pursue reading and the study of music
and art.
The Renaissance family was an extended patrilineal family. Marriages were often
arranged to improve one’s family status outside of the lower classes. There was little to no
childhood as children were thought to be miniature adults.
Few women during the Renaissance became accomplished. Women only received a
proper education if their fathers were accomplished in a particular talent or were wealthy. This
led women to be highly dependent on their husbands or fathers. Those that did receive an
education were expected to stop their studies once they were married.
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The Renaissance built upon the Middle Age Roman Catholic education with its emphasis
on grammar, rhetoric, logic and religious studies by adding humanism to it. Renaissance
education stressed the value of human life and personal potential. It sought to create citizens that
would take the lead on civic work and build better communities. Ultimately, it created a world
whereby people began to ask questions and seek answers instead of blindly accepting the
traditional explanations.
Given the ever expanding influence of humanism, religion had developed two distinctive
viewpoints. On the one hand, there was a belief that individuals should follow the rules and
teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. On the other hand, there was a conflicting belief that
held individuals should question and respond to the Bible personally. As these viewpoints
became more entrenched, wars and new religious ideas developed and formed the basis of
Protestantism. Protestantism was further spread through the use of the printing press.
Nations begin in the Renaissance. Because of the growth of cities, rulers make laws that
let a middle class develop. As this middle class grew in numbers, the Monarch’s tax base became
bigger letting them hire soldiers and buy Chinese gunpowder. As the ruler’s land holdings grew,
the printing press began to print the land’s shared histories that helped to unite the people of an
area. Continuing on this theme of expansion, Monarch’s backed more overseas exploration.
National pride grew from the gaining of new territory and with each new discovery.
Because of the wealth trade made, European rulers wanted more trade routes. Improving
technology and economic competition starts the “Age of Exploration” or the “Age of
Discovery”. This expansionism would spread to all continents.
The Silk Road couldn’t meet the needs of Europeans. With a desire to make a profit
companies sought out new trade routes that would allow them to bypass the Mediterranean
middlemen. With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the flow of goods through the Black Sea
from Asia was nearly stopped. This resulted in a need to find a direct sea route to India and
China.
Thought to be flat like a dish, Earth showed little westward exploration for fear of falling
off the edge. Using Ptolemy’s spherical world and proof collected by Islamic and European
scientists, explorers sailed westward into open oceans.
Humanism got people to question and to explore their world by looking at old geographic
beliefs. Also, travel writers urged interest in trade and exploration. Likewise, improving
technology in ship building and navigation let explorers sail the open seas and discover the New
World.
In the 1400s, Portugal tries to find new sea routes to the Far East; they made one around
Africa to India and China. Da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, was the first European to return to
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Portugal with ships full of jewels and spices. Portugal, after beating Arab strongholds, set up
trading post from Africa to India making Lisbon the centre of European trade.
With Portugal’s success, Spain sends its own explorers west to find routes to the Far East.
The Pope had already given the coasts of Africa and India to Portugal. Columbus convinced
Spain’s Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to pay for his voyage to sail west to find east only to
discover a New World to Europeans in 1492. Magellan would then become the first to sail
around the globe proving once and for all that the earth was round.
At war with either England or Italy until the second half of the 16th century, France sets
out on its expansionist policy. After Spain beat the French in Florida, France started to look
further north and west. In 1534, Jacques Cartier claims lands along the St. Lawrence permitting
future colonization.
England sent Giovanni Caboto out to claim territory in 1497. He claimed Newfoundland.
Given the wealth that Spain and Portugal had gained, Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century
wanted to grow England’s land holdings. Britain founded the most colonies along the North
American coast and wanted to find the Northwest Passage to the Far East.
Europeans believed their societies were better to those of the rest of the world. This
ethnocentric viewpoint led Europeans to set up colonies in an effort to gain control of lands and
people. These colonies had harmful effects on the original inhabitants. Viewed as barbarous by
the so-called ‘civilized’ Europeans, the indigenous people saw Europeans replace existing
political, economic and social structures. Europeans would change existing government, enslave
people, convert the population and widespread disease.
The exchange of products and goods during the ‘Age of Discovery’ changed the way
people lived throughout the world. Europeans gained the most from this trade as they got food
like beans, corn and potatoes. All of these crops became basic to European diets. The indigenous
populations of the Americas may have benefitted from gaining draught animals and advanced
metal technologies but paid an ultimate price as they were confronted with epidemic disease that
wiped out nearly 90% of the inhabitants.
Imperialism led Europeans to question their political beliefs. Ideas about freedom and
democracy, gained by contact with North America’s indigenous populations, became part of the
Western worldview. These beliefs were written into law at the end of the American and French
revolutions. Also, many Europeans saw colonies as leading to new chances to live free lives
mainly in the area of religious beliefs. This belief of religious freedom has been included in both
the Canadian and U.S. constitutions.
As wealth grew in gold and silver from the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, European
economies were seeing rising prices. With little need to grow a manufacturing industry, Spain
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and Portugal relied on trade with England, Germany and the Netherlands. By the end of the 17 th
century, the economic balance of power was beginning to shift to these industrial countries.
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