Social Changes In The 16th Century Essay

European society drastically changed from the 14th through the 16th centuries. The Thirty Year’s War was drastically significant to reformation and it winded great majority of European Powers involved in constant warfare. In times like these, struggles were of course inevitable, thus igniting a rebellion of religious controversy that eventually led to political complications, clashes between dominating powers, along with the raised spike of conflict due to greed. Wars of religion and the clash of worldviews also ignited rapid social changes along with a just as rapid rapid population increase; these reformations convicted the changes in religion, economic conditions, and the overall disposition of the populace were the main substantial factors

that contributed to a widespread rise in prosperity amidst the middle class, but also the peasant populace as well.
Religious motivation was a prominent factor that increased the population because religious freedom was of course thrived after throughout all of Europe. Calvinism spread in France after 1555 while calvinist noblewomen helped poor education inaugurate relief, protected pastors and provided money for those in need. Steps towards religious toleration and the encouragement of education actually contributed to rise of influence within of Middle Classes. It also economically gave Capitalism its psychological motivation by allowing interest and investment of capital to be appropriate through Calvinism. Nationalism had also grown with the strengthened civil authority and rise of national Churches while religious warfare aroused the continual development of the state’s power. Violence against calvinists spiraled out of control due to the series of family tradieges occurring within the French Kings leading to the St. Bartholomew's Massacre. The massacre ironically settled nothing and instead caused the Huguenot Leaders to resist tyranny that worshipped a practice that calvinists compared similarly with catholicism. This defiance ultimately conveyed an advocate of the traditional religion that the” right” resistance and the perspective of a contract fulfilled the larger doctrine of constitution. For example, this contract stated, “a government's legitimacy rested on its upholding a conditions or contract between ruler and ruled,” (486). Through this statement, it is seen that constitutionalism was indeed used as justification resistance movements in Sixteenth century Europe and these movements aided to the increase in population because these reformations were abundantly appreciated by all classes of the populace.
Suffering increased during the major economic downfall in the early seventh century which caused famine, shortages in nourishment and an uprise in diseases. Ironically, this downfall eventually helped shift the lance of economic power to Northern Europe. Economic conditions in this period became substantial to the population boom because the ability to send ships around the world acquired the attraction of many traders portraying the increase of population. The Making in History had written, “The new power of northwest Europe with their growing Atlantic trade gradually displaced the medieratin economies, which had dominated European commence since the time of the greeks and romans”(501). This portrayed the economic realignment that took place, which included all powerful Kings who could manage the expansion, prosperous bankers who could finance the exploration, and a strong armada with powerful merchant marines that provided the power and knowledge of sailing. This ultimately created brand new communities across the Atlantic. The growth of state power also directly changed the lives of ordinary people; for example men joined the army and families paid higher taxes. Europeans generally believed that their culture and military supremacy entitled them to rule the world. Although larger armies did require more state involvement, the rulers still emerged from these decades of war with greater powers that they would further want to extend.
Because of the clash between religious and scientific worldviews, great majority of people's mental attitudes was also substantively significant to the growth of Western Civilization.

During the fourteenth century, the Renaissance was notable for its development from medieval life and values dominated by the Church toward the abstract ethics of civilization. Instead of the perception stressed by religion that emphasized preparation for the after life, the enlightened citizens of the middle class, became interested in individuals success and emphasized life in this world, rather than the afterlife in which the Catholic church emphasized. This encouraged individuals to surmount in a wide variety of grounds portraying their knowledge because of their strong beliefs in all aspects ranging from art, politics, and personal life. Renaissance thinkers were inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans instead of medieval life because it was portrayed as undeveloped. The textbook a History in The Making discusses these changes and writes, “A new understanding of the motions of heavens and of mechanic on the earth developed among experimenters in natural philosophy, that is, what came to be called science” (484). This portrayed how the scientific revolution changed and impacted attitudes within Europe in regards to Science and knowledge. The Secularization tainted the traditional scientific method of truth and search for non religious foundations, emphasizing the new doors that had been opened for this

world.
In conclusion, the main substantial factors that contributed to a widespread rise in prosperity among not only the peasants, but essentially the middle class, were wars of religion and the clash of worldviews. These factors flared up the rapid social changes, along with a rapid population increase. Finally, these reformations convicted the changes in religion, economic conditions, and the overall disposition of the populace perceptions were enlightened with new ideologies.