Hycc 100

During the 1400s and 1500s in mainly Italy there was a major change that took place in all aspects of life. This was called the Renaissance and was a movement that helped give rebirth to culture and the arts. This movement went away from the medieval times that had forced a feudalist system on its people. The Medieval times were a dark period in European history that saw a major decline in arts and government. This declining can be attributed to a number of different reasons. One of which was the Bubonic Plague that spread throughout Europe and Asia and killed millions of its inhabitants. This was the final nail in the medieval coffin. Throughout these times the major focus for government and the arts were all religion oriented. The Black Death killed with no discrimination and took the lives of priest and thieves alike. This caused many to question their religion. After all, how could one preach that good people will be held in high regards with their lord when they can die from the same vicious disease as hookers or evil people? The Black Death was also somewhat of a cleansing for many societies. Although it was a horrible epidemic it took care of the rapid population expansion and just like a with brush clear-cut the undergrowth to allow for more growth to occur. This in fact did happen and after the Plague has resided new ideas and policies grew from it. There were now more areas that people could be skilled in and housing and work were in great need which caused and economic boom. With this prosperity allowed more time for positive thinking and this thinking lead people to go back and study their humanity and to see how they could improve themselves.

The rebirth started in northern Italy and gave rise to many great improvements in the world. Feudalism was in the past and they now lived in a more equal society where free thinking was encouraged rather than looked down upon. Many of these advancements came in the form of the arts and theology as well as politics. The arts went retro so to speak and focused more on the humanity of its subject rather than a rough interpretation of what the artist saw. The subject of the art was given a sense of personality and realism. This had not been seen since Greek and Roman art so it was heavily inspired by these societies. Arts became vivid and celebrated and beautiful works of art started to arise and amazing artist such as Michelangelo and DiVinci. In medieval time's arts was primarily for cathedrals and other religious needs and the worked seemed to lack spirit but when the Renaissance began art became an expression of the world around it. Just looking at this art you can see the vivid differences and mood of the artist that created these masterpieces. The ability to think outside the box heavily influenced these artists and had they been alive in a feudalistic society many of these works would never have been created.

Another vast improvement that the Renaissance saw was in the form of architecture. This art form went through the peak of its craft during this time and can be seen by looking at these amazing achievements that we still have today. Much like art, the idea of architecture went back towards a classical view of interpretation. It was heavily influenced by the Greeks and Romans and was a huge advancement from building techniques of the medieval times. Looking at Renaissance architecture such as the amazing cathedrals and buildings that they created you can see that many of these structures go back to classical lines and use classic methods such as dome ceilings and simplicity in design. Medieval architecture is thought to be over thought but yet effective. When one thinks about medieval architecture gothic cathedrals come to mind. These huge structures had much advancement in engineering such as flying buttresses and spires. Unfortunately this is where the beauty of this craft stopped. Although many beautiful castles were created out of this time these structures were for the good of only the nobility and upper class. In the Renaissance everyone was taken into account and public buildings became works of art which never would have been seen in medieval times. Also, housing for the common person was much improved from the past. Shacks were no longer the residence of these people and a more modern approach to housing was taken. This was a main example of how individuals were seen as such and treated much better than in previous times.

The economy went through a hard time during Middle and Dark Ages and this effect could be seen throughout the world. Since feudalism was the main system of rule, many worked as a serf which was basically an indentured servant. This lead to little or no pay and land was only given to people in nobility. After the Medieval Era had ended many that were left from the devastation of the plague were able to advance their social standing. This was done due to the massive amounts of skilled workers needed. Since many were needed getting a job was easy and it took little time to become a master at a craft. One would think that this would lead to a lack in quality in items but this proved to be false. The filling of jobs and little unemployment helped the economy to boom during the Renaissance. Many now found themselves with more money which led to more spending. This spending also lead to the advancement of businesses where people began to work for themselves rather than a lord or nobleman. The Renaissance helped the economy of Europe boom and the effects of this can still