Similarities Between The Middle Ages And The Renaissance

Due to the Renaissance, European society changed politically, economically, and socially between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The word Renaissance means “rebirth,” signifying a whole new Europe. Humanism, crossroads, and monopoly in Italy were important characteristics of the Renaissance.

Politically, the Renaissance was a lot more different than the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, feudalism was the type of government used. People were loyal to their local lord, and power rested in the hands of nobles who owned feudal states (Across the Centuries 312). There was unstable and constant warfare during feudalism. When the Renaissance began, monarchies became the type of government used. Townspeople freed themselves from their feudal

landlords, and a strong central government started to form. It was relatively stable, and monarchs raised armies and ruled their subjects through the central government. People were loyal to their monarchs (kings, queens, etc.), and nation/city-states began (312). During the Middle Ages, the Hundred Years’ War introduced newly developed longbows, and Europeans learned about other countries’ war technologies from trade. For instance, they discovered Muslim grenades and flamethrowers, and Chinese fireworks and signals from gunpowder (313). When the Renaissance began, a well-known man named Leonardo da Vinci designed a “horseless carriage” for use in combat. He was trying to solve the problem of horses getting scared and panicking in the noise of battle. Da Vinci also came up with the design of a parachute, which wasn’t physically made until over 300 years later! (321).
Economically, the Renaissance differed massively from the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, many of the jobs were branches of farming. After the plague, there were not enough people to harvest the crops or produce all the necessary goods (311). When the Renaissance began, new jobs were introduced to Europe, such as merchants and sculptors (317). During the Middle Ages, citizens did not attempt to try and invent new technology, but citizens strived to create new technology like the printing press for example (311).
Lastly, the Renaissance was a lot more different than the Middle Ages socially. In the Middle Ages, the people were very religious. The social classes relied heavily on Church guidance. Christians saw themselves as sinful creatures struggling to get to heaven (319). When the Renaissance began, they began to follow ideas individualism and humanism. Humanists did not see people as sinful. They believed people had dignity, worth, and the ability to achieve almost anything. Religion was important to humanists, but they stressed that life on Earth was also meaningful (319). Individualism was personal independence, where everyone should be free to develop and pursue their own goals (315). During the Middle Ages, town society consisted of merchant shops, keepers, and artisans. Artisans were socially above the laboring class and below the nobility. They focused on achieving earthly and achieving success and wealth (314). When the Renaissance moved in, different social classes moved in as well. The lower classes consisted of porters, boatmen, and peddlers (326). They made up three-fourths of the population. The commercial class consisted of artisans and shopkeepers (327). At the top of the social classes were the patricians. Some were descendants of of medieval noble families of the Middle Ages (327).
In conclusion of the essay, this is how the social, economic, and political characteristics changed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.