Middle_Ages_vs._Renaissance

Middle Ages vs. Renaissance For a millennium, the medieval mind dominated European civilization. In the wake of the Black Death that devastated much of the continent, a new age arose from the ashes of the Middle Ages. This age, known famously as the Renaissance, was an era of economic recovery, revival of classical ideas, flowering of European culture especially in the arts, decline of papal power, and ultimately, the birth of the modern world. After the last Roman Emperor was deposed in 476 A.D., classical antiquity came to a chaotic end as Germanic barbarians forged numerous kingdoms in the former Western Roman Empire. The Catholic Church in Rome, the last remnant of intelligence left in Western Europe, succeeded in baptizing the Germanic tribes and creating a united Christendom. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church would continue to dominate in European affairs by crowning kings and baptizing peasants. Perhaps one of the most famous examples was the crowning of the Frankish King, Charlemagne. Although still barbaric by nature, these mighty kings were heavily influenced by the pope in Rome who was the true power behind the throne. In the process, the Church instilled the idea that life in general was a test that would end with two results: hell or heaven. Life was all about suffering and pleasure wasn’t tolerated at all as it was considered a sin. The medieval belief that Christ was a divine god while humans were lowly beings also became popular during this period. This massive chasm between God and man could vividly be found in medieval mosaics of the period. The angels, saints, and even Christ Himself would all be depicted as seemingly alien beings with golden halos on their heads. To further widen the gap, no one knows who created these beautiful works of art as well as design the various Gothic cathedrals where these mosaics were displayed. Economy in the Middle Ages was nearly nonexistent. Former Roman trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea were overrun with Muslims and pirates while bandits and armies of knights hung around in the old Roman roads which were still the best roads in all of Europe. For their entire lives, peasants and other ordinary citizens normally never left their towns to explore the world outside of them. Because of this, trading links between towns and on a larger scale, kingdoms, were relatively weak. Although the economy slightly improved in the High Middle Ages in the 13th century, the Black Plague struck and nearly obliterated the entire economy as well as Europe itself. After the Black Plague, a few Europeans, especially Italians, began thinking about their lives on Earth rather than spirituality and the afterlife. They studied Greek and Roman texts brought by Byzantine scholars who left Constantinople after the city fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. These classical ideas helped revive the idea of humanism which allowed individuals to use their intelligence to live their lives rather than relying on religious belief like in the Middle Ages. This also gave people newfound hope as they realized for the first time in a thousand years that they could finally do something to change their life. As a result, a new merchant class of self-made men was created and trade flourished once more in Europe especially in coastal areas such as Italy (Italian City-States) and Northern Germany (Hanseatic League). In addition to merchants, artists such as sculptors and painters were equally important during the Renaissance. Like medieval art, Renaissance art depicted biblical scenes, but in a more realistic and natural sense. Borrowing a page from the Greeks and Romans, the Italians also studied the human body and created masterpieces that vividly pictured the human body. Renaissance art also narrowed the gap between God and humans, similar to how the Greek and Roman gods were merely just humans with superpowers. For the next century or two, the Renaissance would continue to flourish and what was once just an Italian phenomenon would spread to the rest of Europe and change the face of the continent forever. During the early Renaissance period, the Roman Catholic Church had become one of the richest and most powerful forces in all of Europe. Owning lands, receiving taxes from peasants, and plunder from the crusades brought in seemingly limitless wealth to the clergy. However, internal problems in the Church such as schisms and terrible popes made the Church immoral and it became merely a shadow of what it formerly was supposed to be: a foundation in which to spread the word of Jesus Christ. Finally, the Church lost its grip on monarchies by taking sides in conflicts and the tables were now turned on them. When the Renaissance was reaching its peak, Rome was now vulnerable to France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire; all of whom had powerful standing armies and were led by just as dominant kings and emperors. Surprisingly, though, the final blow to the Catholic Church would come from the most unlikely of places and people. The Renaissance was a period apart from the Middle Ages because of the immense cultural, economic, and political ravine that existed between the two ages. Had the Middle Ages continued, Europe would most likely remain the same today as it did 800 years ago. On the other hand, the Renaissance did more than just effectively end the medieval period. It revived the ancient culture of Greece and Rome and these classical ideas would be used as a foundation to create a unique, prospering European culture. This “golden age” would further trigger future events such as the Reformation, the Age of Explorations, and eventually Europe’s dominance over the entire world.