Sally Beeson, Crystal Knappenberger, Lauren Thompson

Dr. Martin

English 208

3 December 2009

Renaissance in Europe

            The Renaissance in Europe began in Italy around 1350 and spread throughout Europe until 1600. It describes the history from the first Italian Renaissance all the way to the Enlightenment (Hooker ,Idea of the Renaissance).

            According to luminarium.org, Renaissance is often thought of the “rebirth” of the classical world, mainly of Greek and Roman literature, art, and philosophy in Europe (1). Thinkquest.org states that the artists of this time were focused with individualism and were more concerned with what the individual could achieve during their lifetime than in the afterlife. (1) Some of the major artists were Pierre Lescot, a French artist, and Donatello, Davinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, all Italian artists.

According to discoverfrance.org and lifeinitaly.com, Lescot is famous for designing the Louvre. Donatello painted “David” in Florence, Italy, and was one of the earliest artists to work with the idea of perspective (5 and 3). Davinci painted many famous works, of them including the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” He was detailed in his work; he painted human anatomy, drew up plans for a tank and helicopter, and even came up with ideas for multi-level canals and roads. He is said to be a true Renaissance man because he excelled in art and science. (2). Michelangelo painted frescoes, or full paintings done on walls or ceilings, that resemble the Sistine Chapel, and also created two of the world’s greatest statues, Pieta and David. (4).  Raphael decorated papal apartments for Julius II and Leo X and revolutionized portrait painting (4).

Literature in the Renaissance was revolutionized.  The invention of the printing press by Gutenberg made literature more widely available. During this time, authors started to write in vernacular, rather than in Greek and Latin classical languages. Dramas and the sonnet started to pop up, including the English sonnet by Shakespeare and the Italian sonnet by Petrarch. Once again, luminarium.org states that humanism, a technique of rational philosophy based on belief in the dignity of human beings. (2). The Norton Anthology of World Literature mentions that writers during this time portrayed their characters with the social classes they belonged in, and followed examples set by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales (Lawall and Mack 2465). The writers of this time had to translate the texts of old and imitate the moral codes into their Christian works (Brooklyn College).

            Education changed during this period as well. Individual education, of course, was emphasized, as well as the knowledge of one’s physical being. Wrestling and swordsmanship were taught, but what an individual was taught depended on their sex and status. Upper middle class girls were taught either at home or in a convent, while poor girls were only taught to sew, cook, and be a housewife (thinkquest.org, 3).                     

In Italy, women were controlled by their fathers in childhood until they were married off at thirteen to a man they did not choose. If they did not marry, they often entered into convents (Women and the Renaissance). A married woman’s duty was to be a housewife. Peasant woman worked in the field with their husbands while working in the home. Middle class wives helped their husbands run shops; and some of the highest ranking class sewed, cooked, and entertained quests (Women in the Renaissance). They had no political rights in Italy (Kent).

In France, peasant women ran the home, sewed, cooked, and more. They bore and raised children and educated their daughters. Court women enjoyed many liberties, such as hunting with men, attending parties and dancing, having multiple lovers, and had the opportunity to have an education and political power. There were female architects, poets, philosophers and even advisors to the king. Ladies of the court were also allowed to accompany the king and his soldiers on their trsavels, and they travelled as hard as the men. (Sichel, 19-33).

              Italy had four social classes in the city of Florence: the nobles, merchants, middle and lower classes. The nobles owned much of the land, lived on large estates outside the city and disrespected the merchants. The merchants were considered newly rich and the rising class. They gained wealth in industries, sought to gain influence through marriage into noble families and patronage of the arts. The middle class was mostly shopkeepers and merchants. The lower class held laborers, had no job security, was dependent on employers, and the people could easily be discharged or their wages could be withheld. (Dowling).

            In France, the social classes were divided into three estates. The first estate was the Catholic clergy and the people employed in the church service.  The second estate was the nobles, who were wealthy, educated men from old families that fought for the crown when necessary.  The third estate was everybody else.  The merchant class was starting to rise during the Renaissance, and forwarded themselves at court by marrying into noble families and boosting their wealth through trade and industry (Mimm).

The government in Italy was a collection of largely autonomous city states, or regions that were ruled by a city, like Florence. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor fought for control of these states and their struggles allowed the city-states to become autonomous powers in their own right. There were five major city-states: Papal States, ruled by the Pope, the republics of Firenze (Florence) and Venezia (Venice), the kingdom of Napoli, a standard monarchy, and the duchy of Milano, which ruled itself (Hooker, Backgrounds). 

              Government in France was called Absolutism, and was based on the idea that monarchs have divine rights and answer only to God. They did not need to heed the advice of parliament, and even took steps to limit the powers of the nobles. Monarchs had jurisdiction over every aspect of the citizens’ lives and were able to regulate trade, taxes, and maintain standing armies (Brown, Overview).

              Faith in Europe during the Renaissance was changing due to thoughts that the Roman Catholic Church was not teaching faith and salvation like the Bible taught. A website titled “The Eras of Elegance” dedicated to eras like the Renaissance, states that Martin Luther wrote the “Ninety-Five Theses,” which detailed what Luther thought the Pope and the church were doing wrong in the teachings, and nailed it to one of the doors on the Wittenberg Castle Church in 1517. This sparked the break off from the Catholic Church and created the Lutheran Church. After this, other churches and religions began to break off from the church, including the Reformists who believed in baptizing again, the Church of England and the Jesuit Order (Eras of Elegance).

              While all of these changes were happening in Europe, Italy itself was facing some wars. According to The Miniatures Page, an online website dedicated to the European Renaissance, Italy had a weak militia, and was unfortunately placed by countries and states who had strong ones. Spain and France, who were among the strongest, became allies at one point and split Italy. Italy lost its independence and was dominated by Spain and did not become a unified state again until 1861 (Miniatures). 

Works Cited

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Brown, Lorri. “Renaissance Fashion: Historical Costumes and Clothing of Renaissance Women.” Suite101.com. N.p. 2007. Web. December 1, 2009.

Camping in Italy http://www.alanrogers.com/lib/img/maps/italy.gif, 2 Dec. 2009

Dante Alighieri01 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Dante_Alighieri01.jpg, 12 Oct 2005

 “Discover France.”.Renaissance Era. Web. 1 December 2009.

Dowling, Mike. “Italian Social Classes in the Renaissance.” MrDowling.com. N.p. 2009. Web. December 1, 2009.

Europe in the Renaissance  http://homepage.smc.edu/ness_brenda/Renaissance_Europe.jpg,  1 Dec. 2009 

Geoffrey Chaucer http://images.filedby.com/images/creators/Geoffrey_Chaucer_small.jpg,  2 Dec. 2009

Hooker, Richard.  Backgrounds of the Italian Renaissance. N.p. 1999. Web December 1, 2009.

Hooker, Richard. The Idea of the Renaissance. N.p. 1999. Web. December 1, 2009.

Kent, Dale. Women in Renaissance Florence. N.p. 2001. Web. December 1, 2009.

Kreis, Steven. “Renaissance Humanism.” The History Guide. History Guide, 07 November 2008. Web. 1 December 2009.

Lawall, Sarah and Maynard Mack, eds. “The Renaissance in Europe.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature Vol. C.  New York, NY: W.W Norton and Company Inc., 2002. Print

Lego: Martin Luther  http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Histo-Sci/Minifigs/FCContest/martinluther_text_a.jpg ,2008

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“Luminarium.” Sixteenth Century Renaissance Literature and Learning. Web. 1 December 2009.

Mimm, Amy. “The Three Estates of the Feudal System of France.” Factoidz.com. N.d. Web. December 1, 2009.

N.p. “Renaissance.” Introduction to Renaissance. Brooklyn College, 29 March 2009. Web. 2 December 2009.

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Scribner, Charles. “Aristocracy.” Novelguide.com. Visual Education Corporation. 2004. Web. December 1, 2009.

Sichel, Edith. Women and Men of the French Renaissance. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1901. Print.

 “The Renaissance Era.” Eras of Elegance. Eras of Elegance, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2009

“Thinkquest:  Education Foundation.” Italian Renaissance. Web. 1 December 2009.

 “Women and the Renaissance.” V&A.com. V&A Museums. N.d. Web. December 1, 2009.

 “Women in the Renaissance.” Sparknotes.com. N.p. 2009. Web. December 1, 2009.