Changes During The Renaissance: Baldassare Castiglione

Change is a common occurrence. Everyday, someone or something is being modified, and those adjustments are usually for the better. Major events, such as the Renaissance, display many instances in where change took place. The Renaissance was mostly a product of the elite in the society that existed in the fourteenth through sixteenth century. This cultural movement helped make a significant impact on how society ran. Everything from the nobility to the lower class, and even family experienced a rebirth.
During the Renaissance, two to three percent of the population consisted of the nobility. This class dominated society. They held titles for political or military office positions. Knowledge had proved itself to be a necessary attribute. Baldassare Castiglione is
the author of The Book of the Courtier, a work that set the standard for how aristocrats were supposed to live. The three ideal traits for a courtier were that he had fundamental native endowments., meaning that he obtained great character and grace. Another trait was being able to cultivate certain achievements. Not only must he be physically fit, but also have a classic education. The final trait was that he follows a certain code of conduct. One must be modest, but who could share his list accomplishments. Ultimately, a courtier had to serve a prince in an effective and honest way. The ideals expressed by the handbook were upheld for hundreds of years after its creation. While the Renaissance had clearly made a difference on the aspects of life, the nobility remained relatively the same. One social class experienced a variety of changes throughout the Renaissance.
The life for peasants, townspeople transformed into something greater than what it had previously been. Eighty-five to ninety percent of society could be found in this group. Because of the Black Death, there was a decline in the use of the manorial system and serfdom. No longer were lords paying the serfs, they started giving land them land to take care of or raised their pay. Now that peasants could own land, they would either do farm work or transition into working in an urban society. Jobs such as shopkeepers, artisans or guild masters came into existence. Not only was there a creation of jobs, but there was also a spread of knowledge. From the nobility, education began to trickle down to the townspeople. Amongst all the improvement that came from the Renaissance, there still was some darkness that remained. Unemployment had plagued thirty to forty percent of the general population. During the middle Ages, there was a decline in the need of slaves. However, the labor shortage resulting from the Black Death led Italy to allow slavery. Cheap labor existed throughout both eras; the only thing that changed was who doing the
work.
Multiple factors contributed to how a family was raised during the Renaissance. Arranged marriage was common practice. The purpose behind it was to strengthen family ties and to move up in society. The prominent figure was the father. He was responsible for working and supporting the family. His family was nuclear, a trait that could be found during the Middle Ages. An age gap of about thirteen years was common for most families during the fourteenth century. The wife managed the household and took care of the children. Another responsibility for the wife was bearing children. Ten percent of mothers died while in childbirth and only fifty percent of children lived to be twenty years old. Even with the struggles that faced families during this period, it did not stop these trends from occurring.
The social aspects that involved the nobility, lower class society and family evolved in some way. Social changes that transpired throughout the Renaissance were not necessarily a replacement of the ideas from the Middle Ages, but instead society metamorphosed. Adjustments were made to fit the new society that was being created, and those concepts from the fourteenth century helped shape the Renaissance.