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What Happened During The Renaissance?

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What Happened During The Renaissance?
After the Middle Ages, the Renaissance began in Italy. The Renaissance period started in Italy because this was the core of the former Roman empire and it was a convenient location for trade. Because of this, it was a time in which wealthy merchants would sponsor people to create art in different forms. The ideas of humanism, the belief in being secular, and the development of urban cities were main aspects of the Renaissance. These ideas were expressed through artwork, music, literature, and scientific studies. Although people were happy with the way they were able to express themselves during this time, they were unhappy with the Church because they thought it was becoming corrupt. Along with other ideas the Church enforced, Martin Luther …show more content…
Humanism was the belief in human potential and the concept of enjoying the present rather than solely worrying about death and going to heaven. Believers in humanism also studied Greco-Roman ideas. Secularism was another new way of thinking in which people believed in doing things completely separate from the Church. While people still needed the Church in some ways, there was an overall withdrawal from the Church because people felt it was becoming corrupt. Lastly, urban development was one way people of that time classified cities. In an urban city, there was a lot of culture because people wanted to enjoy life, not just live to survive daily. Some urban areas included Florence, Rome, and Venice. In these areas, there was an abundance of artwork, music, literature, and …show more content…
Luther was strongly against the corrupt practice of selling indulgences because he was committed to the idea that salvation could only be reached through faith and by divine grace. Because of his firm belief, Luther wrote “The 95 Theses,” a list stating his questions and propositions for the Church that he felt should be changed. He then nailed a copy of this list to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, which resulted in the Church holding the Diet of Worms. In this meeting, the Church insisted that Luther retract his 95 Theses, but Luther refused to be silenced by the Church, saying, “I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen." (www.cmalliance.org) Because Luther refused to recant, Pope Leo excommunicated Martin Luther from the Catholic Church on January 3, 1521. This was just the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which was continued after Martin Luther’s ideas made an impact on the people. Many of the corrupt practices of the Church, such as the selling of indulgences and poor behaviors, were changed because of the Protestant
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