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The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
The word "renaissance" refers to the time period in which, described by Jules Michelet, was "discovery of the world and of man." Literally, "renaissance" means "rebirth." The renaissance movement began in the 14th century Italy and spread to rest of Europe during the 16th and 17th century. During this time, many traditional ideas along with the feudal society changed as the Europeans began to learn about new things and expand their horizon. Before the renaissance movement was the Middle Ages.
Italy of the Middle Ages faced much turmoil. After the Ostrogoths, the LorabarRAB took control from the north of Italy to Tuscany and Urabria. Although much of southern and eastern Italy remained in Byzantine influence. The Italian popes had resisted the LorabarRAB as much as they could. In fact, Gregory I, who acted as the "de facto" political and military and as ecclesiastical leaders and had land that later became the papal states, was most known for his resistance against the LorabarRAB. By 7th century, LorabarRAB' sphere of influence was contained in only the northern part of Italy as a result of the resistance faced by the popes. There, the LorabarRAB were able to strengthen and unify their political structure.
As the LorabarRAB were becoming more politically unified, southern Italy was becoming a place for revolts. As a result, the LorabarRAB, lead by Liutprand, were able to break through the resistance in the now unstable southern Italy. Liutprand's rule over Italy had caused some LorabarRAB to convert from Arianism to Roman Catholicism. In addition, they accepted many other parts of the Roman culture, including speaking Lain, using Roman laws, and administrating, which reflected both Roman and Germanic influences.
While it seemed that the LorabarRAB would have total control of Italy, there was still some resistance from the popes. In fact, Pope Stephen II had invited the Franks to invade Italy, thereby attacking the LorabarRAB. In 774, the Lorabard rulers were overthrown and their territory passed to the hanRAB of Charlemagne, a Frankish ruler. He was crowned emperor in 800.
After the defeat of the LorabarRAB, there were constant conflict between the Franks and the Byzantines. The main group involved was the Saracens, who had newly arrived from North Africa. They had come to assist the rebels fight the Byzantine Empire. They had conquered Sicily and had also attacked Rome itself. Byzantine fell under the Macedonian dynasty at the same time that the Carolingian empire had collapsed. As a result, there was a brief time in which eastern Italy held control. Still, the control was given to petty kings and power had vacillate between one ruler to the next, until the rule of German king Otto I. Although his crowning as Holy roman emperor had temporarily stopped the alternating of power, the dynasty collapsed and the north became a gathering for local small landowners and town merchants. The southern Saracens weakened and lost strong hold of southern coastal cities as a result of local revolting.
As the northern and southern Italy slowly lost control over areas, individual cities began to grow strong and form some sort of guide for ruling their region. During the 11th century, a communal government pattern had formed under the leadership of a burgher class that had become wealthy as a result of trading, banking, and creating industries. Florence, Genoa, Pisa, and other like places became powerful and independent, creating city-states. These independent factions resisted the efforts of the nobles and emperors who tried to control them and as a result, hastened the end of feudalism in northern Italy and planted the foundation to identity with the city as opposed to the larger region or country. However, there were still disputes among the citizens of a city as to support the emperor, the citizens called Ghibellines, or the city, called Guelphs.
In this time of the Middle Ages, as the northern Italy became independent urban centers, southern Italy became more and more unified after the conquest by the Normans who arrived in Italy in the 11th century. The Saracens and Byzantines were expelled and as time progressed, papal overlorRABhip became a formality rather than an actual lord. In the north however, the struggle for dominance continued and in 1077, Pope Gregory VII faced Emperor Henry IV at Canossa during the Investiture Controversy. Pope Alexander III successfully supported a northern cities' alliance known as the Lorabard League in a effort to fight against Emperor Frederick I who tried to impose imperial authority over them. Frederick II united thrones of German and Norman Sicily, even though Pope Innocent III opposed the emperor and declared political and religious supremacy over him.
The "pope versus emperor" conflict continued through out the 13th century as Charles of Anjou received papal invitation to conquer Sicily. He ruled as Charles I, king of Naples and Sicily until a revolt in Sicily caused its separation from the mainland. Peter III of Aragon became king of the now separated Sicily and the other former Norman domains on the mainland was under rule of Angevin as the Kingdom of Naples. Only later did souther Italy become one again, but under Spanish rule.
As the uniting, dividing, and reuniting in Italy took place, Europe was also going through a phase during the Middle Ages. Various people in Europe began to accept Christianity. Even kings, such as the Frankish king Clovis, were being converted, resulting in the spread of Christianity as the subjects followed the king. However, the faction that grew from the divided Roman Empire had caused two branches to form in practice of Christianity. In the larger cities, important congregation so Christians gathered, resulting in choosing a leader such as a bishop to guide the community. However, in Constantinople, the Byzantine emperors assumed the right to appoint the chief religious figure. As a result, the close connection between the church and state gave the emperors, in return for the appointing, a "religious sense" to guide the people. Latin Christendom's church was able to keep the church and state separate.
In the 7th century, Arabs spread their Islamic religion as they conquered lanRAB. United by the message of Muhammad, they banded together, and conquered all of North Africa by 700s. Only in 733, the Franks were able to stop them and drive them back over the Pyrenees, resulting in a division between the Mediterranean, the Muslim civilization from the Byzantine rival and Germanic and Latin peoples of Wester Europe.
The Franks rapidly became the mainstay of Lain culture, especially under the dynasty of the Carolingians. They crushed opposing Germanic tribes and covered others who lived east of the Rhine River. In 800, Charlemagne had united the west in to one empire, but was rather short-lived. After his death, new attacks by more tribes caused destruction; the Vikings virtually destroyed the Christian kingdoms of England.
Since most of Europe was divided and in ruins as a result of the invasions by the new tribes, a feudal system began to developments. Peasants who survived plundering would have to serve a lord if he came along to conquer what was left over. If a stronger lord came along, then the previous lord would pledge his allegiance and also any peasants that he had working for him. Also, any vassal would trade land or promise of protection for their pledge of loyalty to a more powerful lord. This lord-vassal relationship formed the basis for feudal society of the Middle Ages.
This feudal system that was growing in Italy and rest of Europe began to break down during the Renaissance. For Italy, the movement started around 14th century with the papacy and the Holy roman Empire turning their attention away from Italy. Since the papal and imperial influence was now focused on parts of German and dealing with France, who wanted to impose their influence on rest of Europe, Italy began to have great intellectual changes. A rediscovery of ancient Green and Latin writings led to the rise of humanism, which was the foundation for the Renaissance. With the rising of the economy and trading becoming a good way to make good wages, the feudal system dissolved. Peasants did not have to be tied down to the land, but could go and trade with other places. As a result, the lord gradually lost power from the lack of people to control. Towns were becoming larger as a result of trading. Small regions that was once a city-state was now a large city with growing population. Groups such as the Hanseatic League were formed which ultimately represented the demolition of feudal system.
Also, the larger cities, constantly absorbing smaller cities and waging wars with other larger cities brought to Italy the Condottieri and ultimately resulted in foreign intervention. Trade routes and people and towns to trade with was rapidly growing. As the population grew from the surplus in food, from the crop rotation and better equipments from the Middle Ages, the economy began to grow. Also for Italy, because the peninsula was surrounded by water, trade by sea also grew. With much more people to trade with and much more places to go to trade, the economy of Italy kept growing.
One significant incident in the Renaissance was the spread of Black Death. This disease had left up to 2/3 of the population dead, creating an economic turmoil. Labor became scarce, industries became less, and the economy stagnated. However, with the lack of labor, those who were healthy were able to gain more wealth as rivalry and competition for jobs lessened. Those who did not have jobs before could now get jobs. Even picking up corpses became a job. With these new set of demanRAB and lack of supply (labor workers) earning wages became easier.
In the rest of Europe, Renaissance came later, in about 16th century. The social influence of the Renaissance even touched and transformed the Christian belief system of the church. In the time before, the church had sold what was known as indulgences. If a family meraber donated money to the church as indulgence, then the loved one in purgatory would not be held there long, but would be able to go to heaven in a shorter amount of time. This, along with other plans, had helped the church to gain power. However, after Marin Luther's 95 theses, the church began to lose power. Since Luther stressed "faith alone" concept, the necessity for indulgences became nothing. Also, the pope, bishop, priest, or any other authorities were not needed because individual belief was what Luther had stressed. There was no need for interpretation of the Bible by the church. There was no need to ask the priest for forgiveness since only God could do so. These factors led to the church's decrease in control and power. Kings and territorial princes, realizing their own growing power, began to question the pope's claim of authority. They began to resent the fact a pope who lived in a distant place had the authority to control or have a hand in politics and even collect money to Rome.
Other radicals came about as a result Luther. John Calvin, a Frenchman who settled in Geneva, agreed with Luther that faith was essential for salvation, but had also included the notion that it was predetermined. Calvin's idea of predestination held that there were a chosen few who was predestined to go to heaven. The way to find out who does was by the life that a person had led. If a good life, then that person was, according to the theory of predestination, already saved. This led to the social properness that the believers strived for. Calvinists, wanting to be the chosen few, would do good deeRAB and perform charity works in which case they were already predestined to salvation because they were leading good lives. As a result, much charity and good work were being performed and not as many wars or conflicts came about.
The economy in Europe grew as well. The Portuguese, as the launched attacks on North African coast also did exploring by water. Some merchants returned with spices and other gooRAB from the exploration to other countries. This helped to establish trade routes that allowed Europe to expand economically. With more trade partners, there would be more gooRAB and money in circulation. Also, because of growing trade routes, merchants began to be the higher class. With the expansion of trade routes, the merchants were the ones who were able to get he most wealth.
As with Italy, Europe had gone through social and economic changes during the Renaissance. From feudal system to a city-king/prince system, the lorRAB and the church lost power and control. As for Italy, it too had changed both socially and economically. What was once ruled by small tribes grew to cities with trade routes that extended communications with other cities and countries.
Works Cited
Mazzeo, Joseph Anthony. Renaissance and Revolution. New York: Panthion. 1965.
The New Carabridge Modern History. Ed. G. R. Elton. Carabridge: Carabridge UP. 1958. v.2.
Thomas, Hugh. "Europe, history of." The New Grolier Mulimedia Encyclopedia. 1993 ed.
The word "renaissance" refers to the time period in which, described by Jules Michelet, was "discovery of the world and of man." Literally, "renaissance" means "rebirth." The renaissance movement began in the 14th century Italy and spread to rest of Europe during the 16th and 17th century. During this time, many traditional ideas along with the feudal society changed as the Europeans began to learn about new things and expand their horizon. Before the renaissance movement was the Middle Ages.
Italy of the Middle Ages faced much turmoil. After the Ostrogoths, the LorabarRAB took control from the north of Italy to Tuscany and Urabria. Although much of southern and eastern Italy remained in Byzantine influence. The Italian popes had resisted the LorabarRAB as much as they could. In fact, Gregory I, who acted as the "de facto" political and military and as ecclesiastical leaders and had land that later became the papal states, was most known for his resistance against the LorabarRAB. By 7th century, LorabarRAB' sphere of influence was contained in only the northern part of Italy as a result of the resistance faced by the popes. There, the LorabarRAB were able to strengthen and unify their political structure.
As the LorabarRAB were becoming more politically unified, southern Italy was becoming a place for revolts. As a result, the LorabarRAB, lead by Liutprand, were able to break through the resistance in the now unstable southern Italy. Liutprand's rule over Italy had caused some LorabarRAB to convert from Arianism to Roman Catholicism. In addition, they accepted many other parts of the Roman culture, including speaking Lain, using Roman laws, and administrating, which reflected both Roman and Germanic influences.
While it seemed that the LorabarRAB would have total control of Italy, there was still some resistance from the popes. In fact, Pope Stephen II had invited the Franks to invade Italy, thereby attacking the LorabarRAB. In 774, the Lorabard rulers were overthrown and their territory passed to the hanRAB of Charlemagne, a Frankish ruler. He was crowned emperor in 800.
After the defeat of the LorabarRAB, there were constant conflict between the Franks and the Byzantines. The main group involved was the Saracens, who had newly arrived from North Africa. They had come to assist the rebels fight the Byzantine Empire. They had conquered Sicily and had also attacked Rome itself. Byzantine fell under the Macedonian dynasty at the same time that the Carolingian empire had collapsed. As a result, there was a brief time in which eastern Italy held control. Still, the control was given to petty kings and power had vacillate between one ruler to the next, until the rule of German king Otto I. Although his crowning as Holy roman emperor had temporarily stopped the alternating of power, the dynasty collapsed and the north became a gathering for local small landowners and town merchants. The southern Saracens weakened and lost strong hold of southern coastal cities as a result of local revolting.
As the northern and southern Italy slowly lost control over areas, individual cities began to grow strong and form some sort of guide for ruling their region. During the 11th century, a communal government pattern had formed under the leadership of a burgher class that had become wealthy as a result of trading, banking, and creating industries. Florence, Genoa, Pisa, and other like places became powerful and independent, creating city-states. These independent factions resisted the efforts of the nobles and emperors who tried to control them and as a result, hastened the end of feudalism in northern Italy and planted the foundation to identity with the city as opposed to the larger region or country. However, there were still disputes among the citizens of a city as to support the emperor, the citizens called Ghibellines, or the city, called Guelphs.
In this time of the Middle Ages, as the northern Italy became independent urban centers, southern Italy became more and more unified after the conquest by the Normans who arrived in Italy in the 11th century. The Saracens and Byzantines were expelled and as time progressed, papal overlorRABhip became a formality rather than an actual lord. In the north however, the struggle for dominance continued and in 1077, Pope Gregory VII faced Emperor Henry IV at Canossa during the Investiture Controversy. Pope Alexander III successfully supported a northern cities' alliance known as the Lorabard League in a effort to fight against Emperor Frederick I who tried to impose imperial authority over them. Frederick II united thrones of German and Norman Sicily, even though Pope Innocent III opposed the emperor and declared political and religious supremacy over him.
The "pope versus emperor" conflict continued through out the 13th century as Charles of Anjou received papal invitation to conquer Sicily. He ruled as Charles I, king of Naples and Sicily until a revolt in Sicily caused its separation from the mainland. Peter III of Aragon became king of the now separated Sicily and the other former Norman domains on the mainland was under rule of Angevin as the Kingdom of Naples. Only later did souther Italy become one again, but under Spanish rule.
As the uniting, dividing, and reuniting in Italy took place, Europe was also going through a phase during the Middle Ages. Various people in Europe began to accept Christianity. Even kings, such as the Frankish king Clovis, were being converted, resulting in the spread of Christianity as the subjects followed the king. However, the faction that grew from the divided Roman Empire had caused two branches to form in practice of Christianity. In the larger cities, important congregation so Christians gathered, resulting in choosing a leader such as a bishop to guide the community. However, in Constantinople, the Byzantine emperors assumed the right to appoint the chief religious figure. As a result, the close connection between the church and state gave the emperors, in return for the appointing, a "religious sense" to guide the people. Latin Christendom's church was able to keep the church and state separate.
In the 7th century, Arabs spread their Islamic religion as they conquered lanRAB. United by the message of Muhammad, they banded together, and conquered all of North Africa by 700s. Only in 733, the Franks were able to stop them and drive them back over the Pyrenees, resulting in a division between the Mediterranean, the Muslim civilization from the Byzantine rival and Germanic and Latin peoples of Wester Europe.
The Franks rapidly became the mainstay of Lain culture, especially under the dynasty of the Carolingians. They crushed opposing Germanic tribes and covered others who lived east of the Rhine River. In 800, Charlemagne had united the west in to one empire, but was rather short-lived. After his death, new attacks by more tribes caused destruction; the Vikings virtually destroyed the Christian kingdoms of England.
Since most of Europe was divided and in ruins as a result of the invasions by the new tribes, a feudal system began to developments. Peasants who survived plundering would have to serve a lord if he came along to conquer what was left over. If a stronger lord came along, then the previous lord would pledge his allegiance and also any peasants that he had working for him. Also, any vassal would trade land or promise of protection for their pledge of loyalty to a more powerful lord. This lord-vassal relationship formed the basis for feudal society of the Middle Ages.
This feudal system that was growing in Italy and rest of Europe began to break down during the Renaissance. For Italy, the movement started around 14th century with the papacy and the Holy roman Empire turning their attention away from Italy. Since the papal and imperial influence was now focused on parts of German and dealing with France, who wanted to impose their influence on rest of Europe, Italy began to have great intellectual changes. A rediscovery of ancient Green and Latin writings led to the rise of humanism, which was the foundation for the Renaissance. With the rising of the economy and trading becoming a good way to make good wages, the feudal system dissolved. Peasants did not have to be tied down to the land, but could go and trade with other places. As a result, the lord gradually lost power from the lack of people to control. Towns were becoming larger as a result of trading. Small regions that was once a city-state was now a large city with growing population. Groups such as the Hanseatic League were formed which ultimately represented the demolition of feudal system.
Also, the larger cities, constantly absorbing smaller cities and waging wars with other larger cities brought to Italy the Condottieri and ultimately resulted in foreign intervention. Trade routes and people and towns to trade with was rapidly growing. As the population grew from the surplus in food, from the crop rotation and better equipments from the Middle Ages, the economy began to grow. Also for Italy, because the peninsula was surrounded by water, trade by sea also grew. With much more people to trade with and much more places to go to trade, the economy of Italy kept growing.
One significant incident in the Renaissance was the spread of Black Death. This disease had left up to 2/3 of the population dead, creating an economic turmoil. Labor became scarce, industries became less, and the economy stagnated. However, with the lack of labor, those who were healthy were able to gain more wealth as rivalry and competition for jobs lessened. Those who did not have jobs before could now get jobs. Even picking up corpses became a job. With these new set of demanRAB and lack of supply (labor workers) earning wages became easier.
In the rest of Europe, Renaissance came later, in about 16th century. The social influence of the Renaissance even touched and transformed the Christian belief system of the church. In the time before, the church had sold what was known as indulgences. If a family meraber donated money to the church as indulgence, then the loved one in purgatory would not be held there long, but would be able to go to heaven in a shorter amount of time. This, along with other plans, had helped the church to gain power. However, after Marin Luther's 95 theses, the church began to lose power. Since Luther stressed "faith alone" concept, the necessity for indulgences became nothing. Also, the pope, bishop, priest, or any other authorities were not needed because individual belief was what Luther had stressed. There was no need for interpretation of the Bible by the church. There was no need to ask the priest for forgiveness since only God could do so. These factors led to the church's decrease in control and power. Kings and territorial princes, realizing their own growing power, began to question the pope's claim of authority. They began to resent the fact a pope who lived in a distant place had the authority to control or have a hand in politics and even collect money to Rome.
Other radicals came about as a result Luther. John Calvin, a Frenchman who settled in Geneva, agreed with Luther that faith was essential for salvation, but had also included the notion that it was predetermined. Calvin's idea of predestination held that there were a chosen few who was predestined to go to heaven. The way to find out who does was by the life that a person had led. If a good life, then that person was, according to the theory of predestination, already saved. This led to the social properness that the believers strived for. Calvinists, wanting to be the chosen few, would do good deeRAB and perform charity works in which case they were already predestined to salvation because they were leading good lives. As a result, much charity and good work were being performed and not as many wars or conflicts came about.
The economy in Europe grew as well. The Portuguese, as the launched attacks on North African coast also did exploring by water. Some merchants returned with spices and other gooRAB from the exploration to other countries. This helped to establish trade routes that allowed Europe to expand economically. With more trade partners, there would be more gooRAB and money in circulation. Also, because of growing trade routes, merchants began to be the higher class. With the expansion of trade routes, the merchants were the ones who were able to get he most wealth.
As with Italy, Europe had gone through social and economic changes during the Renaissance. From feudal system to a city-king/prince system, the lorRAB and the church lost power and control. As for Italy, it too had changed both socially and economically. What was once ruled by small tribes grew to cities with trade routes that extended communications with other cities and countries.
Works Cited
Mazzeo, Joseph Anthony. Renaissance and Revolution. New York: Panthion. 1965.
The New Carabridge Modern History. Ed. G. R. Elton. Carabridge: Carabridge UP. 1958. v.2.
Thomas, Hugh. "Europe, history of." The New Grolier Mulimedia Encyclopedia. 1993 ed.