Renaissance in Europe

During a time period from approximately 1375 to 1527, an event known as the Renaissance took place in Europe. This was the establishment of an entirely new way of life; there was a vast rebirth of knowledge and arts which changed Europe completely. Due to events such as the rediscovery of classical works, the Black Death, the invention of the printing press, and the development of humanism, the Renaissance greatly influenced Europe on many levels. Europe gained more wealth, which led to the progression of a new focus on art and learning. From a political perspective, the Renaissance created a division and a competitive nature between the European countries, along with the formation and expansion of the mercantile system.

The rediscovery of ancient Greek works, especially those of Plato, were a great encouragement to the Renaissance. The foundation was laid for the revival of Greek works in 1397 when the city of Florence invited Manuel Chrysoloras, a well-known scholar from Constantinople, to come and promote Greek learning. Through his years of teaching, he greatly spread Greek learning and knowledge. In 1439, this revival was continued by the Council of Ferrara-Florence, which met to negotiate the reuniting of the Eastern and Western churches. This connection brought many other Greek scholars and manuscripts to the West, adding to the spreading of knowledge. Furthermore, the Florentine Academy promoted this rebirth of knowledge. The “Florentine Academy” was not actually a formal school; rather, it was an unofficial gathering of humanists, determined on bringing back the works of Plato and other ancient scholars.

The Black Death, although an immense tragedy, was another great contributor to the Renaissance. Prior to the Black ...

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...edge, constantly searching for new sources of information.

Due to the intense search for knowledge and wealth, a rift was created between European countries. This not only unquestionably defined the boundaries of the countries, but it also created a need for competition between them. Countries tried harder than ever to discover and learn new things that their competitors had not yet realized, trying to get one step ahead in the ongoing race to knowledge and riches.

The Renaissance also helped cause the beginning of mercantilism. This was an economic system in which the government closely monitored and controlled the economy in an attempt to take advantage of exports and gather as many precious metals as possible. This would enable countries to be more self-sufficient and assisted the country in being better able to defend itself both politically and economically.