Women's Roles In The Renaissance

The Renaissance took place between the years of 1300-1640, starting in Florence, Italy. It was a time of rapid change, in which the people turned from medieval values of hierarchy and authority to embrace the new ideas of individualism and realism. During the time of the Renaissance, women seemed to be marginalized. Men and women were encouraged to gain knowledge during this time of self discovery. However, women were the one’s that had to hide their education. Leonardo Bruni, an Italian humanist, argued that rhetoric “was inappropriate for women” (Sherman, 295). He felt that women could enhance their knowledge, but they couldn’t display it publicly. Although women were inferior to men, women of different social classes were “exempt from such prohibitions of public use of education” (Sherman, 295). Women of the highest class were provided the opportunity to express themselves. For example, Elizabeth I of England used her education to be a powerful
The Protestant Reformation took place as people questioned the authority of the Catholic Church and the logic behind the teachings. John Calvin was a reformer who approved of the Martin Luther’s ideas, but “added his own emphasis” (Sherman, 335). While Luther focused on individual salvation, Calvin focused on the “majesty, power, and justice of God” (Sherman, 335). The religious movement in Geneva attracted many people, including Marie Dentiere. In a letter written to Queen Marguerite of Navarre, she states, “For until now, the scriptures have been hidden from them and no one dared say a word [about it], and it seemed that women should neither read nor hear anything of holy letters…” (Marie Dentiere, 336). Here it can be seen that Marie Dentiere is showing how women were treated differently than men during the Calvinist reform. She feels that women should be able to actively participate in the reforms, but the idea of women as leaders was