The Renaissance Time Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Renaissance Time Period - Essay Example As such, the Renaissance was reflected in many forms. It was played out in art, architecture, design, literature, as well as contributed a vast amount of influence in politics and economics. In this paper, the fundamental features of the Renaissance will be explored – from its beginnings in Italy to its expansion to the rest of Europe. Also, an examination of life during the Renaissance will feature economic context of the period, its influence in religion and philosophy, as well as its role of science and medicine. Lastly, the Renaissance life will also be tackled by featuring the food, drinks, and architecture during the period. A. Renaissance and its Origin The word Renaissance means rebirth and with this comes the renewed interest in ancient ideals of Greek and Roman language and culture. As a cultural movement, the Renaissance traces back its origin in Italy where city-states were flourishing amidst the backdrop of wars and conflict with their enemies (Britannica Educatio nal Publishing, 2011). In particular, the northern Italian city-states had, through the middle ages, established close trading links with the Eastern Mediterranean. With it came the renewed cultural ties between Europe and the East, which created a tremendous interest in antiquity and had, since then, culminated in Italy in the 1400s and later spread to other European countries. Moreover, during this period, Italian cities adopted an intellectual movement known as humanism. For Italian humanists, what is fundamental is the sight of man, which is considered to be a universal genius, who could take responsibility for themselves. Another feature of the early Renaissance is the emphasis of learning classical literature of the ancient Greeks and Romans whose areas of studies included literature, politics, history, and language, which are now collectively known as the humanities. With the fruition of humanism in northern Italy during the 13th and 14th century, the Renaissance brought with it a new attitude to life and a new outlook in learning and ideas, which later spread through continental Europe and England. B. Economy and trade During the Renaissance period, Italy was composed of city-states that were strategically located to profit from the renewed trade that was developing because of the Crusades. According to Romano (2010), northern Italian city-states, particularly the Republic of Genoa, the Republic of Florence, the Duchy of Milan, the Venetian Republic, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of Naples, became the intermediary areas in Europe’s flourishing trade with the East. As a result, these independent northern city-states became the thriving capital for international transactions and trade. The renaissance economy of Italy in particular depended on the production of wool and silk as well as banking transactions and international trade (Salisbury & Sherman, 2007). Because of the flourishing economy brought about by the expanding trade between Europe and the East, merchants were able to their affluence to gain economic and political control. They were able to give out loans to Kings and maintain various businesses ventures that were vital for economic growth all over Europe. Aside from these, merchants became the leading patrons of the arts as they used their money to sponsor creative undertaking of artists during the Renaissance period (Kelmer and Woods, 1999). For instance, wealthy traders such as