Social Factors that Contributed to the Renaissance
Summary:
Rising economic standards, political stablity, and the reduction of population because of the bubonic plague all contributed to the rise of the European Renaissance era of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Renaissance
Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, also known as the renaissance, which actually means 'rebirth'. It was a great time of learning and exploration. Some of the most famous names in history have come out of this time period including: Donatello, Columbus, Magellan, Descartes, Galileo, and Da Vinci just to name a few of the great names of this time.
Before this time there was social unrest between battling kings and dukes. This left no time or even need for people to focus on the arts. They were to busy trying to survive or to conquer a part of the northern land or the west side of the woods. The renaissance came to areas that were more politically stable and could support the arts. As the renaissance spread paintings and statues came more life like and real. People now didn't have to spend all they had on trying to stay alive. They had money they could spend on other things like entertainment or plays and art, thus the Renaissance. One other stretched cause for the Renaissance is the bubonic plague. I know this sounds a little weird but let me explain. In the 14th century there was a mass overpopulation and over abundance of farmers. As the bubonic plague swept through it killed millions and millions of people. Afterward this left an over inflated market to shrink back down to a healthy size. In doing so it raised the per capita income of the people in the area. This extra income allowed some people to invest some of their extra money into leisure's they would enjoy like art and learning.
How can we talk about the Renaissance without talking about my favorite subject, food. It is believed that gold and silver benefited the heart and so these were used as ingredients in many of the recipes at this time. Mustard was also a spice used at this time to season the meats along with saffron, while honey was the standard sweetener. These are pretty much most of the spices used at this time. One of the favorite delicacies of this time period seemed to be a type of bread called murri. It is a unique bread because it seems that you have to pickle it with figs. It seems that this bread could be a close cousin of today's special brownies as it was said to be a hallucinogen.
