Man’s view of the world changed greatly in a blink of an eye during the Renaissance, and for good reasons. The Middle Ages (which stretched from about 500 CE to 1350 CE), were a time of little schools, widespread illiteracy, and the Catholic Church ruling everything in Europe, meaning almost everyone had to look up to them to explain the world. During this time period, many of the population were peasant farmers named serfs under the rule of a lord who they worked for. However, At the backend of this period, the world started to change. Improved farming methods meant serfs depended less on their lords, meaning they could gain freedom and migrate to different towns to do different jobs such as being a banker or merchant.
In the years of 1509 through 1547 England was changing drastically due to their ruler King Henry VIII. There was dived in England between Protestant against Catholics. At this time in England the Catholic Church was the supreme religious authority meaning it controlled everything. Kings were only allowing to rule with the blessing from the Pope. Rulers were also not allowed to make drastic decisions without the counsel of the Church.
The year, was 1350. Things in Florence Italy began to change. People began to become more and more self-sufficient, and started to become educated. The population was made up of about 85% serfs. But, some of the freed srefs began to migrate and pick up activities such as trade.
Jeramie Jones Dr. Hermann History 101 Right before the 16th century, there were huge changes in the way people started to think. One major movement that influenced this was the wave of humanist thought, which understood the importance of the study of classical text to emphasize a larger value of the individual, to which the Protestant Reformation owed a lot to. This basis of thought is a huge reason people began to critique the teachings of, and even question the theological foundation of the Catholic Church. The main reason for which religion was so divisive in the 16th century was that people finally began to think for themselves. Despite Roman Catholicism being the dominant in Europe all before the 16th century, a new wave of Protestantism
Religion and its various ideologies played a key role in advancing the authority of the Ottoman and Catholic Europe; it also influenced the way they confronted outside powers and people from other religions. The Ottomans where an Islamic ruled empire which brought about a certain ideology that gave them the God given rights to the earth. Catholic Europe also had this ideology from where God gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven and endowed upon them earth as well (Matt 16: 19). The catholic church in Europe seemed to have their hands in the cookie jar of European Medieval Government and some what controlled the kings and nobles.
During this period the Renaissance Popes failed to fulfill the churches spiritual needs, and they were often involved in worldly concerns such as Pope Julius II who was a “warrior pope” leading armies into battle. Christians were disgusted, they viewed the Pope as their spiritual leader, someone to lead them spiritually not into battle with the enemy. The church failed as many of the church officials were ignorant of their spiritual duties and more concerned with accumulating more wealth, and the use of their position within the church offices to their advantage to further advance their careers and fortunes. (Duiker, World History, 421) While the spiritual leaders of the church were failing their responsibilities many of the people were looking for some sort of meaningful religious expression and most importantly salvation after death.
Europe in the Middle Ages was built around Christianity. The Catholic Church had a lot of power and control, being the largest landowner in Europe and owning vast amounts of wealth. However, the Church was negatively affected by the Black Plague. The quality of the clergy declined as a vast number had perished in the pandemic.
Prior to the 16th century all of Europe was Catholic. Because of the Protestant Reformation during the 16th, 17th, and 18th century, more religious minorities came about throughout Europe. This led to the French Wars of religion and to the topic of religious toleration, how much religious freedom the religious minorities should have. Some people had arguments and performed practices, both for and against religious toleration, some did it for personal gain and others for the concern of society.
Differences in religion and beliefs could be witnessed across Europe. For example, the Spanish were Catholics, where most of the northern countries were Protestant, and between them was the Holy Roman Empire. This was a place of conflict due to it containing both Protestant and Catholic kingdoms (Source 1). One important political event which occurred was the creation of the Church of England. King Henry VIII removed Catholic church power and introduced such bills as the Submission of the Clergy in 1532 and Act of Supremacy in 1534.
Before the Reformation, the Church was one of the most influential and controlling powers in Europe. However, the Reformation managed to distance the Church from the government which allowed new developments to be made. The government was distanced from the Church, as more secular rulers converted to Protestantism, decreasing the Church’s authority over government. The uneasy political situation in Europe at the time allowed for the Reformation to spread further over Europe. The rise of new secular ideas made civilians more aware of political situations as they could now read political texts and form their own ideas.
On top of this, scholars were not the only ones with ideas regarding religious reform; laypeople began relying on individual relationships with God and mystical experiences rather than looking to the church for guidance. The Great Schism did not contribute to the decline of the Middle Ages because it destroyed religion but because it influenced people to explore new religious practices and move away from the broken state the Church was in. The exploration of different ideas led to the beginning of a new, more modern time period and the end of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church was so important to the Middle Ages because it influenced numerous aspects of European life, having the ability to make and unmake kings, isolate through excommunication, and even execute.
Religion was more powerful than the government in the time period 1000-1500 AD / CE because everything revolved around the church. From the people's income to the people who rule your country was based on if the church supports them. The political, economic, and religious aspects of the middle ages were mainly based on the church Religion was more powerful than the government in 1000-1500 AD / CE for a multitude of reasons but the political aspects are very interesting. The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe in the early middle ages. The Catholic Church is the largest Christian Church ever and has baptized over 1.3 billion people.
Renaissance was described by the flourished market; increased of materialism and range of consumer goods. Urban wealth’s large portion had been allotted to durable good with artistic content and buildings. The objects of arts provided another symbolism in the era, as it had become a trade commodity and not just with religious linkages. This phenomenon was not only related to the phenomenon of collecting but mainly aimed to demonstrate a particular reputation, social status, appearances of power. This demonstration of power had not only the purpose to stand out and show the taste for the arts, but also had financial and economic benefits.
The Renaissance era was noted to be an era of discoveries, wealth and great fortune. Most of Italy’s cities became wealthy through trade accessed through waterways around the country. The wealth of these merchants clearly influenced as well as supported new artist, writers, and philosophers. Among these wealthy merchant families was the Medici Family, whose wealth was in banking. During the early period of Renaissance Era the Medici Family’s wealth/contributions and support establish them as one of the most influential patrons of the arts/literature and intellectual learning.
History Essay – Renaissance Was the ‘long’ 16th century rather an age of exploration or an age of colonization? The 16th century in Europe – the early Renaissance - was a rich period that saw extensive cultural and scientific exploration and resurgence. This was a time where unknown lands were being discovered and colonized by Europeans, as they were trying to find more expeditious trade routes by sea.
