The Renaissance was a time of great change in Europe, and especially Italy. Literally meaning “rebirth,” this was a time in
which people began to remember that life is more about just getting by, and tried to focus on bringing more beauty and joy into
the world. The Renaissance can be organized into three main characteristics.
First, the Renaissance led to an increase in wealth. As Feudalism ended, trade was able to strengthen in Europe,
especially in Italy. Cities like Venice and Florence became extravagantly wealthy from selling and trading valuable goods. This
wealth centered in these beautiful new cities led to people seeking out new ways to spend their money, giving more purpose to
material possessions. People began to spend their lavish wealth hiring painters and sculptors to create beautiful works of art that
were reminiscent of ancient Greece and Rome.
Second, the Renaissance was ultimately seen as a time of recovery. This word recovery had two meanings for the
Renaissance. First, people were finally starting to recover from major disasters like the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War.
The second meaning of this word has to do with recovering the ancient past of the Greeks and the Romans. Italian scholars and
leaders began to look back to before Feudalism – to their ancient ancestors from over a thousand years before them. They began
to remember a time before survival in which these Greeks and Romans created beautiful buildings, statues made of marble, and
wrote beautiful works of poetry, music, and scripts for plays. A lot of the ideas of having more beauty in everyday life was not
new, since these ideas were over 1000 years old, but they certainly felt new to the people of the Renaissance.
Finally, the Renaissance created a new view of human beings and their ability. Although most people were very close to their
Christian faith, the power of the church began to weaken, and Europe started to become more secular. As this shift from
emphasis on religion turned to an emphasis on humans, people in the Italian Renaissance began to emphasize individual ability.
As Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian from the 1400’s said, “Men can do all things if they have the willingness to do so.” A high regard
for human worth and a realization of what humans could achieve created new social values and outlooks. The new idea of success
was seen in people like Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a successful painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, and mathematician.
The Renaissance was a time of great change in Europe, and especially Italy. Literally meaning “rebirth,” this was a time in
which people began to remember that life is more about just getting by, and tried to focus on bringing more beauty and joy into
the world. The Renaissance can be organized into three main characteristics.
First, the Renaissance led to an increase in wealth. As Feudalism ended, trade was able to strengthen in Europe,
especially in Italy. Cities like Venice and Florence became extravagantly wealthy from selling and trading valuable goods. This
wealth centered in these beautiful new cities led to people seeking out new ways to spend their money, giving more purpose to
material possessions. People began to spend their lavish wealth hiring painters and sculptors to create beautiful works of art that
were reminiscent of ancient Greece and Rome.
Second, the Renaissance was ultimately seen as a time of recovery. This word recovery had two meanings for the
Renaissance. First, people were finally starting to recover from major disasters like the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War.
The second meaning of this word has to do with recovering the ancient past of the Greeks and the Romans. Italian scholars and
leaders began to look back to before Feudalism – to their ancient ancestors from over a thousand years before them. They began
to remember a time before survival in which these Greeks and Romans created beautiful buildings, statues made of marble, and
wrote beautiful works of poetry, music, and scripts for plays. A lot of the ideas of having more beauty in everyday life was not
new, since these ideas were over 1000 years old, but they certainly felt new to the people of the Renaissance.
Finally, the Renaissance created a new view of human beings and their ability. Although most people were very close to
their Christian faith, the power of the church began to weaken, and Europe started to become more secular. As this shift from
emphasis on religion turned to an emphasis on humans, people in the Italian Renaissance began to emphasize individual ability.
As Leon Battista Alberti, an Italian from the 1400’s said, “Men can do all things if they have the willingness to do so.” A high
regard for human worth and a realization of what humans could achieve created new social values and outlooks. The new idea of
success was seen in people like Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a successful painter, sculptor, inventor, architect, and
mathematician.