About 1280 C.E. a new distinct era, the Renaissance, arose and replaced the turbulent and dark Middle Ages. This new era brought unique ideas and a rebirth of Greek and Roman cultures. Universities and schools were founded for learning, Renaissance people were well rounded in studies, and enlightenment thinkers of the time held strong beliefs that there was a Renaissance. From its beginnings in Italy, the Renaissance spread throughout Europe, and furthermore differencing Renaissance Europeans from the religious medieval people. Many were disappointed in the education offered to only the ones within the church and high social class, which led to the numerous universities founded during the Renaissance. Italians started this new wave of founding …show more content…
8). In Life and Letter of Erasmus by A. J. Froude, readers are able to envision life during the Renaissance according to Erasmus. Erasmus was a Dutch humanist who was very unhappy with the change in the church during the Middle Ages. According to Erasmus, the church was once a center of learning, but now only cares for corrupt practices to make money. He believes there is a change coming in learning and education where students of any social class will be provided for. Erasmus states, “The world is waking out of a long deep sleep…. Time was when learning was only found in the religious orders. The religious orders nowadays care only for money and sensuality, while learning has passed to secular princes and peers and courtiers.” (Doc. 5) Provided with education, people during the Renaissance were able study math, science, and other subjects. Leonardo da Vinci was not only a famous artist, but was also very interested in human anatomy. This is proven by sketches of human …show more content…
According to Wassace K. Ferguson, there was a Renaissance and he stated in The Renaissance, “The idea that there was a great revival or rebirth of literature and the arts, after a thousand years of cultural sterility, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries originated with the Italian writers of the Renaissance themselves.…they turned for inspiration to the civilization of Roman and Greek antiquity.” (Doc. 1). While living during the Renaissance, Ferguson recognized the change initiated by the Italians that revived the Roman and Greek classics. However, Ferguson was not the only one because Petrarch, a humanist, also observed this shift in life and thinking. Petrarch states in Petrarch’s Secret, “Therefore, as I think, it is in the true order that mortal men should first care for mortal things….” (Doc. 4). Being one of the earliest humanists, Petrarch focused on the value of the human being and is shown through his quote. The way of life differs from medieval thinking because medieval men believed in being ruled by the church. Renaissance people knew life had changed and saw great prosperity during this time of