Renaissance Period Characteristics - Essay Example

Some of the greatest painters, artists, scholars and scientists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, Copernicus, Galileo, etc had graced this era with their landmark work in the specified area. The individual fame and development of trade and commerce became the main force that changed political thinking and consequently the political history of Europe.

Renaissance period had sprung from Italy and had rapidly spread to other parts of Europe. Europe’s political scenario had undergone a tremendous transformation during the period with revolutionary ideas that led to the separation of power from the Roman Catholic Church which was the single uniting factor of the time. ‘Renaissance had brought an end for the most part to feudalism, the medieval form of political organization’ (Renaissance). The period saw dramatic changes in the political, social and cultural environment of Europe that were based on scientific and cultural interpretation rather than religious orthodoxy.

The renaissance is also known as an age of enlightenment because of the rebirth of the cultural and literary supremacy of Europe. Indeed, in Carolingian Renaissance, Charlemagne became the main propagator of change and brought together the three major instruments of society; the peasants, nobility and clergy to evolve a new society that is ruled by knowledge, learning and application of the same in their life. Carolingian renaissance is known for uniformity of Christian religion, well-defined administration and revival of learning. He helped streamline the administration by introducing military governors and dividing his kingdom into administrative units but was not much concerned with the broader aspect of art and culture as a whole.

The changes in the political, social, and cultural environment were based on scientific and cultural interpretation rather than religious orthodoxy. The Carolingian, Macedonian and Islamic renaissance promoted transformation through wider application of learning. The most distinguishing feature of the renaissance was the emphasis on learning and preserving history by translating major manuscripts into English. Grammar, syntax and lowercase letters were introduced and used in the translation of all biblical manuscripts into English. Thus, the Carolingian renaissance contributed hugely towards the refinement of the English language and the translation of religious texts into English.

The emergence of scholastic institutions was primarily dominated by the theological curricula promoted by the Church to promote religion and ethical values amongst the masses. Initially known as studia or studia generalia, they were institutions of higher education which are today called universities. The curricula in the universities covered wide-ranging subjects like music, geometry, arithmetic, grammar, logic, cosmology, metaphysics, etc. (Henkins, 2007). Thus, the rise of universities contributed to the intellectual advancements of society and helped liberate people from the constraints of the medieval period. Read More