The Renaissance was a period in European history that was marked by its new form of art, architecture, science, literature, and new religious and political ideas. The Renaissance was a time of rebirth and rediscovery that came after the Medieval or Dark Ages. The Medieval Age came after the fall of the Western Roman Empire around 476 AD. It marked a time of a lack of knowledge and documented events, a time in history that went dark. There was widespread illiteracy, intellectual decline, feudalism (land ownership and service in exchange for protection), and a corrupted, scandalous Catholic Church in control that hurt many people financially.
The Renaissance began during the 14th century in the Republic of Florence Italy. It was sparked by the movement called “Humanism”. Humanism focused primarily on reviving the study of ancient Greece and Roma. It placed emphasis on an individual’s potential, dignity, and capability for achievement. During this time we saw an increase in exploring science and technology. Great discoveries happened during this time, such as Galileo Galilei discovering what the solar system really looks like and Leonardo da Vinci discovered flight and studied human anatomy and we still use his findings to this day.
Even though, in today’s world we celebrate the Renaissance, back then most people weren’t really aware of the cultural movement. The Renaissance was often experienced by the wealthy and elite members of society. Even though the Renaissance was a tell of intellectual growth, commoners still had low literacy rates because they couldn’t afford an education, so they couldn’t read about or discuss the Renaissance. Although information about the Renaissance was able to spread throughout Europe fast thanks to the invention of the printing press, it took much longer to reach England because of their political instability that was caused by the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
The Renaissance ultimately came to an end in 1527 with the “Sack of Rome. Armies of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V destroyed cities, declining artistic and cultural achievements at the time. During this time, the ongoing Italian War, a series of battles where Spain and France tried to take over Italian territories. The Renaissance still has its influence to this day. It encouraged the study of science which has helped discover medicine that has saved many lives and machinery that has helped make life easier, such as cars and airplanes. Various styles of artwork emerged from this time that we still use today. We still celebrate the Renaissance with the annual Renaissance fair even though it isn’t entirely accurate to what the Renaissance era was actually like. People continue to appreciate the Renaissance and the impact it has had on today’s life.
