Life During The Renaissance In Early Modern Europe

The term Renaissance is used to refer to the cultural rebirth that occurred in Europe from circa 14th century to the middle of the 17th century. It is a valid concept for a distinct period in Early Modern European History because of the changes and reforms that occurred during the time period. During the Renaissance, knowledge spread like wildfire and opened up opportunities for everyone. Also, politics took a major turn for the better and the worse. Lastly, the arts took on a totally new perspective that changed the Renaissance as a whole.
In the medieval period of Europe, not many people were educated. Scribes were the only ones who knew how to read and write so, stories had to be passed down orally. This meant that information was lost every time the story was
Now, stories could be passed down manually, in books, tablets and other written material. Also, the general public started to read works of famous philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle. By reading those works, common people started to question the universe, do they really need the church or can they just read the Holy Bible at home? Questions like this made life during the Renaissance very humanistic. Humanism was one of the biggest philosophies at the time. The humanist movement did not eliminate religion but made it less powerful. Now, humans believed that they had the power to control their own lives. By reading the bible they can educate their own kids without the church and praise God without the church. These actions made the church go from the most powerful and wealthy building in all of Europe, to a lesser non-spiritual housing area. Humanism attached importance to human beings rather than divine or supernatural matters. The first humanists were orators and poets who wrote original literature in both the classical and vernacular language. Humanism was also the start of many other philosophies like scholasticism and Platonism. The works of Plato and Aristotle also opened people’s eyes