How was the Renaissance different from the period preceding it? You will in all likelihood look this up, but what I want from you is not the copied answer but the answer to whether or not it really was much different. If so how. Understanding that was the change in the 14th century (1300s) or 15th century (1400s) - was it 1375 or when did the change occur, or was it less dramatic and more evolutionary?

Answer:

The period before the Renaissance is called the Middle Ages or Medieval Period. It is divided into three parts, these are Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. It lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century approximately for 1000 years.

The Early Middle Ages began in the 5th century. During that period, Europe was divided into small kingdoms, and the Western Roman Empire had collapsed. The Byzantine Empire that was in the Eastern region survived and remained until defeated by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

The second phase started in the 11th century. It is the High Middle Ages. This is the period when the crusade (Holy war by Christian against Muslims) took place. It was the time of the rising of the Christian faith and feudalism. Under Feudalism, the country was dominated by monarchs, and the working class was living under their mercy. The system was divided into classes and the people were placed into the class in which they were born. A child born to a peasant family would remain peasant throughout his life.

The result of the crusade was that the people brought with them Arabic culture to European culture.

The last phase of the Middle Ages period was the Late Middle Ages, which had started from the 14th century to the end of the 15th century.

This was the turmoil period when Western countries met with the Bubonic plague; it is also called the Black Death, where thousands of people died in Europe.

The impact of the plague was felt more in the cities where people were in close contact with each other.

The second reason for the Renaissance was that people realized that they can work hard and earn their living and rise in society. People started thinking about themselves that brought a change in the living style of the people.

All these new events gave way to the Renaissance.

Christopher Columbus discovered New World (America) in 1492; with this discovery, a new sea route got opened.

The period preceding Renaissance was the period of Christian faith, the rise of the church, and crusades. It was mostly dominated by religious matters and feudalism.

The result of the Black Death, the discovery of new land, and the change in human thinking gave way to the Renaissance period. It was the period of the artistic feast.

With the collapse of the Byzantine Kingdom in the Eastern region, Italy became the center of refuge for the intellectual people. They brought with them the work of Great Greek and Romans. The Italian culture was similar to Roman and Greek civilization. The churches in Italy had power, wealth, and intellectual power. The merchants in Italy were wealthy, they helped in the rediscovery of lost arts, literature, and philosophy. They patronize science and other discoveries.

The change from the middle ages to the Renaissance period was a dramatic event, but it revolutionizes the future of the Western world.

With the invention of the printing press in 1450, communication in Europe improved that helped in the exchange of views and ideas. It helped in the revival of traditional Greek and Roman traditions.

Many intellectual people like Leonardo de Vinci, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Raphael, and Michelangelo boost art, literature, and science. At this time, these studies got fused seamlessly and helped in the progress in all the fields of life. This is the rebirth of intelligence from the dark period.

Renaissance was a typical period of progress where all the development was taking place simultaneously.

Galileo and Descartes discovered a new form of mathematics and astrology. Many artistic buildings were made by Fillip Brunelleschi.

With the increase in knowledge, a new type of awaking took place, people started to question the position of the Church and Martin Luther brought the split in Christian faith.

These two periods were in contrast with each other. But the fall of the Middle Ages due to natural calamities gave way for the development and revolutionized the world.