Math Essay, Research Paper

How the Renaissance had an

effect on western Europe

By: Patrick Bryant

E-mail: [email protected]

The Renaissance was significant on the development of Western Europe and

the Impact it had was immense. The Renaissance not only influenced the

worlds of art, music, and literature, but also the worlds of politics, religion,

and society. During the Renaissance, advancements were made in several

areas of technology and in thought. The Renaissance was a key in the

development of Western Civilization. The Renaissance is a term that was

coined in the 19th century to describe a period in which art and literature

flourished in Europe, but there were so many significant changes during this

time period that the term Renaissance began to mean all the developments

during this time period. The time frame of the Renaissance occurs over

several centuries. It began in Italy in the 14th century, and in the 15th century,

the period flourished. The 16th century brought an end to the Renaissance

with the coming of a crisis in Italy which spread throughout the European

Continent(Lurier). Between the fall of the Roman Empire and the

Renaissance, Europe was in a period of decline. Eventually, Europe, for the

most part, had adopted a feudal 2. society. There were knights and lords in

this period, as well as vassals and serfs. Cities of the great Roman Empire

were slums for the most part, and in the country, estates with feudal lords

offered protection to local villagers from attack (it is for this that villages

developed close to feudal estates). Life was generally hard and not too

stable. The Renaissance was a result of this life, almost retaliation more than

reaction(Michelet). As stated above, the Renaissance started in Italy, to get

technical, it actually started in the town of Florence. A reason why the

Renaissance started in Italy perhaps relates to the fact that Italian city-states

survived in Italy perhaps relates to the fact that Italian city-states survived the

middle ages for various reasons (the were located strategically, and they were

important places of trade). Northern Europe did not fair as well as the Italian

city-states(Kagan). Although the opposite would be true in The sixteenth and

seventeenth centures, The city-states of Italy survived the Century and a half

between 1300 and 1450 Better than the territorial states of Northern Europe.

This was due to Italy’s Strategic location between East and West And its

lucrative Eurasian trade. Great Wealth gave rulers and merchants the Ability

to work their will on both society And culture. They became patrons of

government, Education, and the arts, always as much for Self-aggrandizement

as out of benevolence, for Whether a patron was a family, a firm, a 3.

Government, or the church, their endowments Enhanced their reputation and

power. The Result of such patronage was a cultural Renaissance in Italian

cities unmatched Elsewhere(Kagan,Ozment, and Turner 333-334). The

advantage of Italian city-states can be linked to trade. Some cities such as

Venice traded without interruption through the middle ages. During this time,

economic factors made it possible for traders of these cities to learn

applications such as banking and book keeping which, in time would spread

all over Europe. The Merchants of the city-states also learned such tactics as

creating monopolies. Bankers, such as the Medici family became extremely

affluent, and modern banking practices come directly from them. In fact, at

one point, the Italian bankers became the bankers of choice for all

Europe(Kagan). The Wealth of the city-states greatly influenced the

Renaissance. In the city-states of Italy there was a major influence in power,

and how to attain it. Eventually, for the most part, the Merchants controlled

the politics of the city-states, and the wealth grew (as did the size of the

city-states). For a period, Florence was ruled by a council of six men (later it

was made up of eight men) who were elected. This was not democracy, but

at least there 4. were elections. Constitutions were held by some city-states,

thus, the city-states that held constitutions had a constitutional government.

This is a development in politics for the time because Kings and Princes ruled

most of Europe(Andrea). Humanism came out of the Italian Renaissance.

There are several types of humanism, but the best one of the Renaissance

was the one that followed the belief of man being unique; that is to say that

everyone is different, and should be treated with dignity. This brought on a

growth in education and the arts. Humanism of the Renaissance came mostly

from the people who were not of the clergy, and wanted to learn the liberal

arts. Writing and poetry became important again, as did art and thought; all of

the liberal arts, it was thought, contributed to the achievement of the human

race, and its dignity. Humanists studied directly from the original sources.

They learned Latin and Greek to do so. In doing this they did not have to rely

on what others thought of classical works, which meant that they could come

up with their own views on the subjects. The humanists were not only

scholars, they were teachers as well; which furthered education in the Italian

City States. Some humanist believed the original Latin was 5. far better than

the vernacular (or language of the area one is native too), while others felt the

exact opposite. Humanists were interested in politics and civic life(Perry).

During the Renaissance, politics also developed greatly. In fact, one of the

greatest political works ever written came from this time period. This work

was written by Machiavelli, and he called his work The Prince. This work is

still used today in the world of politics. It is a model for ideal leadership of a

nation, and gives an insight into the thinking involved to rule

successfully(Andrea). In terms of art and culture, the Renaissance was a time

when art became more realistic, and nature was looked at as art. Various

technological advances made painting better; one such advancement was oil

paints. Also, during this time period, linear perspective was developed.

Linear perspective gave feeling of proportion to paintings, thereby, offer

continuity of subjects in a painting. This is still very important to paintings

today (with some exceptions)(Perry). The rest of Europe during this time also

was experiencing a rebirth. Most of the changes in Northern 6. Europe

concerned the building of nations, and religion. This time period saw rulers

unifying areas of land into nations. Instead of several different feudal lords,

each one controlling only his estates (as some did have more that one), there

was now a tendency to unite peoples under one ruler, and thus, a country

was born(Lurier). In the North of Europe, the Humanist movement

concentrated on problems with the church. The humanists of the North were

not interested in imitating the life of antiquity but learning from it. This was

especially true of the operations of the early church for the Northern

Humanists. "There, scholars and mystics studied the past not to imitate, but to

learn. The desire to reform was a profound as the need. But to reform the

church and society one had to know their original form(Lurier 274)." A main

concern came with the invention of the printing press (which is still an

important device today). The printing press started a tradition in Northern

Europe based upon printing works in the native tongue of the land (the

vernacular). Before the printing press, works were written and copied by

scholars in either Latin or Greek; this was the age of the manuscripts. The

printing press brought some to write in vernacular and be read by many. A

main 7. concern was over the translation of the bible into the vernacular. This

was an idea of the Protestant reformation. Martin Luther is considered not

only to be a reformer (and a founding father of Protestantism), but also a

humanist(Perry). All in all, the Renaissance in Southern Europe was brilliant.

In Northern Europe, the Renaissance was very introspective; it was about

asking and answering questions, of finding the truth from the past. Also, in

Europe, the Renaissance became a vehicle for exploration. With the spice

trade in full swing, people were looking to find cheaper ways to conduct

expeditions to the East. This meant finding an all water route. Some men

sailed around the tip of South Africa. Columbus came up with the notion that

it was shorter to sail in the opposite direction to get to Asia than to sail

around the continent of Africa. He received support for the Queen of Spain,

and had stumbled quite accidentally upon a new land. This resulted in the

Spanish becoming an Empire. To the North, England also started building an

empire, as well as countries such as Portugal. With all the interest in sailing

there were also technological advances in sailing, 8. navigation, and map

making; which furthered the science of sailing(Michelet). Other innovations

during the Renaissance came from science. Many people furthered Science,

and in this age there were several scientific advancements in this time period.

Some of the advancements during the Renaissance came from Leonardo Da’

Vinci. Not only was he a great inventor, but he also was an artist, painting

such works as the Mona Lisa(Kagan). There was also advancement in the art

of warfare in the Renaissance. "Military innovations- primary cannons, new

infantry tactics, and the royal standing armies combined to reduce the

traditional dominance of the mounted feudal Knights(Andrea 427)." The

Cannon proved useful at sea, especially for protection of the vessels from

hostile sources. Knights were no longer important, as now there were armies.

Kings had larger forces to attack and defend their kingdoms with armies they

had(Andrea). The Renaissance was a time of rebirth in terms of civilization in

Europe. This stems from advancements in art, literature, science, politics,

reforms of the church, 9. trade, new military tactics, expansion in to the New

World, etc. The Renaissance was the first step in the start of the Modern

period in European history. The impact and significance of the Renaissance

on Europe is a direct result of all the advancements made during the

renaissance. The Renaissance politically and economically set Europe up for

a return to being an influencing force in the world. Cities were beginning to

boom again, and there was a shift from being an agricultural society, to some

places having market capital economies. The return to humanism to thought

set up many principals that would be further developed as history progressed.

Some of the most significant accomplishments in European history during the

Renaissance came in the form of banking practices and politics. The

Renaissance and all the changes it brought had a great impact on Europe, and

were the only way to cross from the Middle Ages into the Modern era.

Bibliography

10.

Andrea, Alfred J. The Medieval Record: Sources of

Medieval History. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1997 Kagan, Donald;

Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Frank M. The Western Heritage: Volume I to

1715. (Sixth Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Lurier,

Harold E. The Emergence of the Western World. Dubuque, Iowa:

Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1994. Michelet, Jules. "The Renaissance

and the Discovery of the World and Man." The Renaissance Debate. Ed. By

Denys Hay. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1965. 22-28. Perry,

Marvin; Chase, Jacob, Jacob, Von Laue. Western Civilization: Ideas,

Politics, and Society. Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996.

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