Renaissance and its effects in Europe - Essay Example

Due Renaissance and Its Effects in Europe Renaissance, a term that literally means re-birth, refers to a cultural and intellectual reawakening from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning right from the heart of Florence, Italy spreading to the rest of Europe with a transformative spirit. At the core of renaissance was a renewed interest in science and experimentation along the lines of the classical knowledge [knowledge from the ancient Greek and Rome] (Hunt, et al. 427-430). Setting the stage for the movement were a series of wars and plagues, particularly the Black Death- a pandemic that wiped out between 75 to 200 million people out of the earth surface, peaking in Europe, at around 1348—50 CE (Hays 23).

With a background largely limited to formulaic religious iconography, those lucky to survive the hard times begun to seek for life with a new meaning [based on human spirit/humanism/realism], questioning the institutions of the Middle Ages, which in essence, were vague in every sense and hollow in terms of the needed answers (Hunt, et al. 441). A foundational cornerstone of life as it was, the church with its Christian Principles that taught and emphasized enduring of suffering for rewards in heaven became untenable as writers and artists began to critically question every aspect of life to provide reasonable arguments that befits the Christian faith and the nonspiritual activities (Spielvogel 373).

As a result of fresh thinking with the hope of bringing back to life the culture of classical Greece and Rome, the educated men and women of Italy followed by the rest in the entire Europe discovered that religion was limited in many ways. Accordingly, a new sense of nationalism (increased pride from the days of early Rome) that ensued combined with the Crusades (religious conflicts sanctioned by the Latin Catholic Church) as well as expanded trade networks to bring about reform never witnessed in history (Spielvogel 225-227).

At the helm of leadership beginning in Italy were “new men” with newly acquired wealth, leading a sizeable number of hard-times survivors with inherited wealth. The result was but greater social mobility with quite a number eager to demonstrate the power of wealth in challenging for anything for more discoveries, including the power structure through political messages. Due to the limited number of laborers, with the few survivors demanding higher wages, the pursuit of art became an opportunity in its own right, with support plenty in supply from patrons [merchants] ready to further such activities to their conclusive ends.

Through studies of classical techniques and textual criticism from texts, some of which were sourced as far as the Islamic worlds, Europe managed to break away from bondage of Christianity to explore the world with deeper thoughts aided by scientific developments, ultimately inspiring the principles of sound governance in and out of the church. As a result of the exploratory adventure both in classical studies and the world as it is, new trading mechanisms that include new ocean navigation developed, boosting trade with the far east.

The development of the printing press, allowing the dissemination of Renaissance texts, aroused even more curiosity, ultimately leading to even more discoveries. Religion was never spared either. With leveraged thinking influencing every of aspect of the society, people begun expecting higher standards of conduct from priests and those in service to the church (Hunt, et al. 312-14). Martin Luther’s stand against the actions of the church in the 1500s [catholic, at the time], particularly the conduct of the Pope Alexander VI, who admittedly fathered several children, the selling of indulgences [pardons] in support of the church projects, among many more issues, ignited more pressure for religious reforms, ultimately culminating into the founding of Christian churches with separate beliefs away from the pope’s authority.

The expression of the new spirit of experimentation with different styles right from northern Italy greatly changed how Europeans saw themselves and the world in its entirety henceforth. Supported by patrons such as Isabella d’Este, dozens of artists worked to advance artistic styles within the realms of reality, projecting paintings, for instance, in three dimensions on a flat surface. Through religious, social, and political effects, the Renaissance principles set the stage for the modern world.

The hitherto uniting faith [Christianity] forever changed course, leaving behind a culturally divided Europe. The Church lost a great deal of moral leadership as [political] authority shifted towards individual monarchs and the power of the nation-state as entity. By and large, the age of Enlightenment that would later sweep Europe in the late 18th century finds its origins in the 14th-17th century renaissance. Work cited Hays, Jo. (2005). Epidemics and Pandemics: Their Impacts on Human History.

Santa Barbara: ABC Clio, 2005. Print. Hunt, Lynn, et al. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print. Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization: Volume I: To 1715. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.