The Modern Age in Europe — Renaissance
ICSE Class 9 · History & Civics · Chapter 16
What this chapter covers
- Meaning of the Renaissance
- Causes of the Renaissance: the capture of Constantinople
- Causes of the Renaissance: the decline of feudalism
- Causes of the Renaissance: new trade routes
- Causes of the Renaissance: the spirit of enquiry
- Causes of the Renaissance: the invention of the printing press
- Impact on art: Leonardo da Vinci
- Impact on literature: William Shakespeare
- Impact on science: Copernicus
- Consequences of the Renaissance
Key points
- The Renaissance, meaning "rebirth", was the revival of art, literature and learning in Europe between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries; it began in Italy and marked the change from the medieval to the modern age.
- Humanism, the interest in human beings and life on earth, was at its heart, along with reason, realism and the vernacular.
- The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 sent Greek scholars and manuscripts to Italy and closed the old land routes to the East.
- The decline of feudalism, through the Crusades, trade and towns, the Black Death and strong kings, created a freer society and a wealthy middle class that supported art and learning.
- The search for new trade routes led to the voyages of Dias, Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Magellan, which brought wealth and widened Europe's outlook.
- The spirit of enquiry replaced blind faith with reason, observation and experiment.
- The printing press with movable metal type, developed by Gutenberg in about 1450, made books cheap and spread new ideas across Europe.
- In art, Leonardo da Vinci, painter of The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, combined realism, perspective and scientific study, and is the model of the "Renaissance man".
- In literature, William Shakespeare wrote tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets in English that explore human nature.
- In science, Copernicus replaced the geocentric theory with the heliocentric theory, published in 1543, and challenged the Church's authority.
- Consequences: humanism and individualism, a scientific outlook, new art, vernacular literature, the spread of education, geographical discoveries, national states, and the decline of the Church's authority leading to the Reformation.
Questions answered
Define the Renaissance. Where did it begin?
The Renaissance is the revival of art, literature and learning in Europe between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries, inspired by the study of ancient Greek and Roman works. It began in the cities of northern Italy, especially Florence.
What is humanism?
Humanism is a way of thinking that places human beings, their abilities and their life on earth at the centre of interest and values reason, education and the study of classical writings.
Who captured Constantinople, and in which year? How did this event help the Renaissance?
The Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. Greek scholars fled to Italy with their manuscripts and taught Greek there, so the learning of ancient Greece spread in western Europe and strengthened humanism.
Give two reasons for the decline of feudalism.
Any two of the following: many feudal lords lost their lands or lives in the Crusades; the growth of trade and towns gave serfs a chance to escape and earn a living; the Black Death made labour scarce so that peasants demanded freedom; and strong kings with paid armies and gunpowder weapons broke the power of the lords.
Why did Europeans look for new sea routes to the East?
After 1453 the Ottoman Turks controlled the land routes between Europe and Asia and charged heavy taxes on goods, so Eastern goods such as spices became scarce and costly. A direct sea route would avoid the Turkish lands.
Name the Portuguese sailor who reached India by sea, and the place where he landed.
Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, on the coast of Kerala, in 1498.
What is meant by the spirit of enquiry?
The spirit of enquiry is the desire to question accepted beliefs and to accept as true only what can be supported by reason, observation and experiment.
Who developed the printing press with movable metal type in Europe? Give two ways in which printing helped the Renaissance.
Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz, in Germany, in about 1450. Printing made books cheap and plentiful, so knowledge spread beyond the clergy and the rich, and it carried new ideas quickly from one country to another.
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2019 sample paper · 2 marks
Mention any two reasons to state that the decline of Feudalism led to the rise of the Renaissance.
Show answer
1. The decline of feudalism freed the peasants and serfs from the control of the feudal lords and gave rise to a new middle class of traders and townsmen who supported learning and the arts.
2. Kings became powerful and the authority of the feudal lords (and of the Church which supported them) weakened, creating an atmosphere of freedom of thought and enquiry in which the Renaissance grew.
ICSE 2019 sample paper · 3 marks
With reference to the impact of the Renaissance in the field of Literature, Art and Science, State the contributions of: William Shakespeare in the field of Literature.
Show answer
1. He was the greatest English dramatist and poet of the Renaissance, who wrote in the English language.
2. He wrote about 37 plays — tragedies like Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello and King Lear, comedies like As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice, and historical plays like Julius Caesar.
3. His plays portray human nature and emotions realistically, reflecting the humanist spirit of the Renaissance; he also wrote many sonnets.