Renaissance Continuity

Throughout the Renaissance there was a certain amount of continuity, however the word Renaissance means rebirth or rediscovery which, as every discovery or rediscovery does, brings change. Although to an extent the renaissance shows continuity in the way things are done from the medieval ages, with the discovery and influence of the classics from Rome and Greece, The renaissance shows more change in Politics, Social, and Intellectual aspects differing from the medieval ages.

Politically at the time Europe was very intense however there were many shifts in power especially through the early Renaissance (1300-1512) (WH). Although, there were still rulers by this time and the church still had political influence, other people began to come to

The people were still very loyal to the church however they began to explore ideas that challenged that of the church’s (HL). The People of the Renaissance began to explore the classics, Roman and Greek literature, something that during the medieval era was not around and people were not interested in. Scholars like Petrarch put a lot of value on the classics and admired them even though they were from a different religion as he supported humanism. Education and art gained value it did not have in the greater part of the medieval era as suggested in this quote “ …but what can be said men of education who ought not be ignorant to antiquity and yet are plunged into this darkness and delusion” ( Petrarch) which also shows he values the classics. People were also focusing on individual achievements and had a “worldly instead of spiritual focus” (HL) (L). Pico Della Mirandola put a lot of value on free will, the individual, and secularism as is suggested by this quote “Thou, constrained by no limits, in accordance with thine own free will, in whose hand we have place thee, shalt ordain for thyself, the limits of thy nature” (Pico Della Mirandola) which was not the focus during the Medieval ages (L) showing change in Intellect or intellectual