The Rennaisance

The Renaissance was the rebirth of classical society for most of Europe. Renaissance is French for “Rebirth” and certainly was that, many people that lived during the Renaissance believed that they were witnessing the rebirth of classical antiquity, in other words, the world of the Greek’s and Romans. But it wasn’t only seen as a time of rebirth, it was also viewed as an age of recovery from the various setbacks that occurred during the Middle Ages including the Black Death, political disarray, and even an economic dilemma that stemmed from the brutal Hundred Years’ War that took place over the span of the Middle Ages between England and France. The birthplace of the Renaissance is most notably Italy but the idea quickly spread throughout Europe to France, Spain, and even England. The Renaissance was a huge change of pace from the Middle Ages for most of the European culture and brought forth a transformation socially, intellectually, and politically as well as played a vital role in setting the foundation for how European society and culture grew and developed after the Middle Ages.

Society in the Renaissance era differed greatly from society during the Middle Ages. Society during the Renaissance Era was divided into 3 different groups or, estates. The first estate was comprised of the clergy. The clergy made up roughly 5-8% of the European population. The second estate consisted of nobility, this section made up approximately 2-3% of the European population during the Renaissance Era. Nobles were made up largely of landowners and differed drastically from the nobles of the Middle Ages mainly because of the changes in education. In the Middle Ages, nobles were expected to be trained in military and to grow up and become a Knigh...

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...mense progression and development into the modern world for the continent of Europe. It allowed them to grow socially, intellectually, and politically into what their modern counterparts are today. The Middle Ages were a time of confusion and war-minded, power hungry kings that just wanted more all the time. The Renaissance Era was definitely a time of growing up and maturing, allowing the monarchies and normal population to move on from their primitive aggressive spirit into something more cultural and diplomatic. The people of the Renaissance were more concerned with art and the sciences whilst the Medieval people weren’t. It is pretty safe to say that had it not been for the Renaissance Era, the world as a whole would be a few steps back on the intellectual timeline. It provided an opportunity for Europe to grow up and establish itself as an international power.