Renissance and Reformation

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The arrival of the Renaissance in Europe brought many developments that led to an entirely new political, economic, and social structure. During the 1400s and 1500s, there was a major change that took place in all aspects of life in Italy. The Renaissance period of the 1500s was a time of artistic wonders of inspiration that emphasized individual achievements, which gave individuals their own ideals to follow.

Inspiration from the ancient Greek and Roman people led to humanist beliefs and encouraged men to have achievements in many areas. Recovery from disasters of the fourteenth century such as the plague, political instability, and a decline in Church power led to interests in ancient culture. As interests grew, Renaissance arose in Italy for three reasons. First, Italy had several important cities, whereas most of northern Europe was still rural. Second, these cities included a class of wealthy and powerful merchants and bankers. Third, the ruined buildings and other reminders of classical Rome inspired Italian artists and scholars. The society also divided into three estates, or social classes. First estate was clergy, second was nobility, and third was commoners, which were peasants and townspeople. Also, marriages were arranged to strengthen political ties, and the humanism, new interest in the classical part, led to an important value in Renaissance. The ideals of the people changed. Italian writers, Machiavelli and Castiglione, began to create plays and other pieces of writing that did not hold back their true beliefs. Art, literature, math, and science greatly progressed due to humanism, and artworks became more realistic. Techniques such as fresco, developed by Masaccio, enabled the illusion of depth. Many other te...

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... chief pillars were the Jesuits founded by the Ignatius of Loyola, reform of the papacy that happened in part to Protestantism, and Council of Trent that was a Reform Commission appointed in 1537 to determine Church’s ills and affirm traditional Catholic teachings. Then, Protestantism spread more the further it got from Rome.

The arrival of the Renaissance in Europe brought many developments that led to an entirely new political, economic, and social structure, but it also brought a corruption in the Church. Inspiration from the ancient Greek and Roman people led to humanist beliefs and encouraged men to have achievements in many areas. The Church was no longer the center of life for many people, but it was still an important aspect. When it was brought to serious questions and political concerns, the Reformation caused Catholic responses in many areas of Europe.

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