Causes of Renaissance - Essay Example

Causes of Renaissance The early 1300s saw considerable cultural and social changes that marked the intellectual rebirth after the centuries of Middle Ages. This period entered the history as Renaissance. It originated in Italy and soon spread throughout the Europe, brining advancements in all spheres of life. Looking back at the factors that caused the beginning of the period, it would be impossible to single out the most influential one. Rather, it developed as a combination of social and political forces that together created a fertile ground for its onset and enhancement. Consequently, the aim of the following paper is to give an account of the causes of Renaissance and analyze connections between them. The rise of the Renaissance became possible due to the new ideas and thoughts being discovered during the Crusades. These were the wars between the Muslim and Christian worlds that resulted in Europeans making an insight into the peculiarities of the Eastern life, which was characterized by the high development of civilization and science at that time. Under such circumstances, western scholars received an opportunity to learn new ideas and spread them throughout the Europe, encouraging the population to widen mental horizons. As a whole, the Crusades stimulated more geographic studies and discoveries that produced the need in certain social and ideological changes because the old conventions could not satisfy the new intellectual demands of the population. The flow of new ideas brought a renewed interest in the classical texts of ancient Rome and Greece. Although the Roman Empire saw its fall in the fifth century, achievements of its culture were not forgotten, but continued existence in churches, courts and monasteries in a form of manuscripts and classical texts. The need of changes triggered a reborn interest in discovering texts of the ancient culture that were previously ignored by secular readers and scholars. (McCannon 129-132) Subsequently, the ancient texts were read and spread and became more available than during the previous centuries. Simultaneously, architects and artists turned their attention to classical forms and orders that included such elements as columns, arches, pilasters, domes, and other details that defined classical interpretation of beauty. ("Helbrun Timeline of Art History ") Apart from that, urbanization of cities and growth of commerce provided a suitable background for the rise of Renaissance. Before the twelve century, Italy was mostly rural with only several small urban centers. However, the established trade relationships with Byzantine and Muslims guaranteed the flow of money and goods that added to the development of commerce and, subsequently, to the wealth of the country as a whole. (Mantin 62-63)The following, in its turn, led to the growth of individual and self-governed cities-states with their own banking and political systems. Consequently, by the time the central and northern European cities were still ruled by monarchs, cities in Italy enjoyed high levels of autonomy that penetrated into various aspects of life. The atmosphere of prosperity and freedom was established and appeared to be quite conductive for the beginning of Renaissance. Furthermore, decentralization of power weakened the influence of church and its strict doctrines on people as well as contributed to prosperity of people in Italy. The medieval society was totally subdued by the dominant rule of a church. It made impossible social development and did not allow any intellectual or economic advancement, viewing them as contradictory to Christian doctrines. The situation changed in the thirteen century when the power and prestige of the Pope was questioned. At that time, monarchs and common people started to challenge the overwhelming influence of the church with its constant proclamations of asceticism. Under the new economic and social opportunities they were not viewed as desirable anymore. However, it would be wrong to deny that the church itself played a role for the development of Renaissance as far as artists and craftsmen polished their skills while working on religious buildings as well. (Mantin 62-63)Many sculptures and paintings continued expressing religious subjects. At the same time, the growth of wealth and commerce encouraged the rise of the new powerful social classes that supported artists and scholars in their work. Previously, the power and money were accumulated in hands of the nobility, but the development of trade and financial relationships between counties led to the appearance of wealthy merchants, bankers, manufacturers, and traders who wanted to declare personal influence and display power. (McCannon 129-132) The opportunity was found in patronage of artists, who were given material security and encouraged to develop creative talent to give birth to the outstanding works of art. Artworks became demanded and highly rewarded since people could afford spending sums of money on making the life more luxury and refined – the one it was during the Classical period. The medieval themes of art with its focus on god, heaven, and hell were no longer interesting for people. Moreover, another influential factor that enhanced the rise of Renaissance can be considered the fall of Constantinople. For years Constantinople served as the main Christian city and a capital of the Byzantine Empire. The city was a home of numerous scholars and contained rich libraries with precious texts and manuscripts of the ancient Rome and Greece. When Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Empire in the middle of the fifteen century, the literary works it contained as well as scholars working there moved to Italy and other parts of the Europe. In this way, Europe received an opportunity to become acquainted with the ancient texts and started learning Greek and Latin. Simultaneously, the scholars searched for more ancient literature and discovered works that were abandoned for years. (Estep 95-97) They managed to collected many classical writings and gave them the second life by rewriting and reprinting them. Consequently, the fall of Constantinople contributed to the massive study of the Greek heritage that received a systematic and widespread character. Apart from that, the crucial influence on the enhancement of Renaissance played the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg. The event became a hallmark of the intellectual growth printing enabled to “bridge a gap that separated the scholar and thinker from practitioner”. (Eisenstein) The ancestor of the typing machine was invented by John Gutenberg near the year 1450 and soon the printing press was setup in England by Caxton. This invention considerably increased the availability of literature for the general population since both their price become affordable for many and the variety of books increased. Their large quantities and popularity served as strong incentives to Renaissance by means of bringing it into the homes of the masses of people. Since then, the knowledge was no longer available for the elite but spread around and stimulated intellectual development of the population. Therefore, the need to blindly follow the doctrines and teachings of the church decreased significantly and gave the place for intellectual awareness and self-governance. In addition, it has to be mentioned that scientific discoveries and voyages are also important factors that helped to shape the period of Renaissance. The fall of Constantinople created an impetus for further travelling and explorations. (Estep 95-97) This was the time when geographical discoveries took place. The sun was named the center of the universe and the Earth recognized as a round body. Due to it, the power of the church and its superstitions extremely weakened in comparison to the medieval times. In contrast, ideas of humanism, rationality and intellectual progress were proclaimed values to be cherished. Moreover, the invention of the marine compass made long voyages possible by providing the exact direction. Subsequently, people felt the need for discoveries and enhancing knowledge and had the means of reaching their goals without the church or lack of resources being obstacles to success. To sum up, Renaissance was the consequence of the complex of social and political changes that made a profound influence on the intellectual life in Europe. The Crusades prepared the ground for the rise of the interest in discoveries and learning the new ideas, different from those ruling during the Middle Age. Moreover, the establishment of trade routes between the countries made it possible to accumulate wealth and enhance economic well-being, needed for breaking with superstitions and conventions of the church that prevented intellectual development. Simultaneously, the widening of the horizons causes a renewed interest into classical forms, ideas and texts of the Ancient Greece and Rome. With their humanistic approach to life and proclaimed high value of art, beauty, and scientific advancement, they formed the foundation of Renaissance and encouraged people to become more educated and civilized. Works cited "Architecture in Renaissance Italy." Helbrun Timeline of Art History . n.d. n. page. Web. 9 Jul. 2015. . Eisenstein, Elizabeth. The printing press as an agent of change : communications and cultural transformations in early-modern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1980. Print. Read More