Renaissance and Reformation

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The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation. As previously stated, the renaissance was the rebirth of society. What led to this was a decrease in faith because of the great schism, a conflict between two popes, where both said they were the pope. People were starting to take a secular view compared to what the church told them to believe. Society was changing to where individual viewpoints mattered. With politics starting to matter, and a better economy, places were beginning to be city centered, specifically city states, which are urban societies that have taken secular views. Some of the main economic powers of the renaissance were Italian city states. The first, Milan, was in northern Italy. Milan, the center of trade and money with a large tax, was ruled by Visconti and was later taken over by Sforza. Next was Venice, which was the link of Asia and the western world. Venice was a republic with a doge, or an elected leader, and was ruled by merchants and aristocrats. Lastly, was Florence which became the cul... ... middle of paper ... ...y the catholic leaders held meetings in Trent for 18 years and examined catholic religion. The only real change that they actually made was indulgences were no longer for sale but were given. The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. If you examined both the renaissance and the reformation there were many differences and similarities from both. One of the main contrasts was that the reformation was all about the way to reform the church, and the renaissance had a much more secular view. Some of the similarities were that they both were about accepting new ideas whether artistic or religious, and they both had leaders who were corrupt. There were many changes that came about during these times and I believe that our world today would be completely different without them.

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