History Question (10 Points)?

Question

What were the differences between the Renaissance and Middle Ages?

Answer 1

The 'Renaissance' was a time when people became obsessed with imitating the styles of architecture, art, and literature of the classical period (i.e. ancient Greece and rome). The exquisite Gothic architecture of the middle ages was despised as 'barbaric' and it was thought that only classical styles were worthy of admiration.

The 'Renaissance' was a time when the power of royalty and nobility greatly increased, and the ability of the common people to have any control over their own destiny declined. the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. In England, for instance, the standard of living for poor people at the end of the 16th century was at its lowest ever.

A major occurence of the Renaissance period was the Reformation, started by Martin Luther. Countries that had been Catholic for centuries abandoned the Catholic church and started their own independent 'Protestant' churches. During the medieval period nearly everyone in Western Europe had been Catholic, but now there were major religious differences between countries.