Social Studies 8 Notes - Renaissance Europe

RENAISSANCE EUROPE

Introduction to Worldviews

A worldview is how an individual or group sees the world around them.
Six main things affect a person or group’s worldview:
- Geography: The area around us, natural or fabricated.
  - Where a group lives influences their worldview.
  - Includes climate, land formations, plants and animals, bodies of water, natural resources, buildings.
- Time: How time is viewed can affect the worldview.
  - Hectic vs. Laid Back
  - Mechanical (Schedules/Clocks) vs. Natural (Seasons, Sun/Moon)
- Beliefs: Beliefs people have influence worldviews.
  - What is right and wrong.
  - What is important (environment, profit, family, individuality, etc.).
- Society: The way of life of a group of people influences worldviews
  - Language, rules of behavior, government, religion, arts, literature, sciences, traditions, and everyday life.
  - Who holds the power? Equal power for all or distinct differences.
- How do people act towards other people?
  - Positivity, honesty, respect, compassion, resilience, inclusion, kindness.
- Economy: Who controls the resources influences worldviews
  - What is being made?
  - How will it be distributed and protected?
- Knowledge: How do people develop knowledge shapes worldviews
  - What ways of knowing are accepted?
  - Who has access to knowledge?
  - How is knowledge valued?

The Black Plague

The Bubonic Plague
- Bacteria: $Yersinia pestis$
- Lives in blood
- Transmitted through lice, fleas, and human contact
- Up to 75% of infected die
Spread: Africa, Asia, and Europe (Pandemic – all people)
- 1/5 of the Global Population died or approximately $25,000,000$ people died
Symptoms:
- Enlarged lymph nodes (Bubo) – Arm pits, neck, groin area
- High fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Aching joints
- Approximately 4 days until death
What people thought caused it:
- Contact: Most knew you could catch it from others, but they did not know that being clean would have helped!
- Astrology: Some were convinced that the plague resulted from the movements of the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.
- The Divine: Some people thought that the plague was a punishment sent by God.
- Superstition: Others believed that it was caused by the devil or magic.
- Ethnicity: Some blamed cultural or ethnic groups of people different from their own group.

Feudalism

In Europe: When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., a state of chaos ensnared Western Europe for many centuries.
The people of Europe took advantage of the power vacuum and in the 9th century A.D. formed a political system (feudalism).
Feudalism: A political system that organizes society
Hierarchy: People are ranked one above the other according to their importance
What defines Feudalism?
- Land Based Wealth
- Loyalty
  - Nobles or Knights swore oaths of allegiance to the King and promised to fight for him in exchange for land
- Religious Power
  - Church owned land and therefore was very powerful and important to medieval people
- No Social Mobility
  - People were born into a level and expected to stay that level for their entire lives
How does Feudalism work?
- KING
  - Provide money and soldiers
  - Loyalty
- LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
  - Provide protection
  - Military Aid
  - Food
  - Homage
- KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
  - Provide food and services
  - Protection
  - Shelter
  - Military Service
- PEASANTS (SERFS)
  - Farm the Land
  - Pay Rent
  - Grant land
  - Grant protection
Two types of peasants:
- Freemen:
  - Rented land from lord
  - Worked for pay
- Serf:
  - Not allowed to leave without permission
  - Travelled to-and-from the nearest towns
Medieval Women
- Wealthy women had many opportunities.
  - School (away or home)
  - Nunnery
  - Made few major choices
  - Marriages were arranged, often at birth
- Rural Women
  - Had many children
  - Worked in fields
  - Made clothes
  - Cooked meals
  - Preserved food
- Town Women
  - Worked in trades
  - Sold goods
  - Able to inherit property and guild membership
  - Could work in textiles and brewing
Country life
- Most country people lived in rural villages
- Peasants assigned land and worked cooperatively
- Peasants paid a portion to “Lord of the Manor” had to build roads, clear forests, and work hard
Town life
- Medieval towns were farm communities
- Close to castle, palace, or monastery
- Towns had stone walls to protect themselves
- Towns had shops
- People opened workshops, learned trades, and worked as servants and labourers
- Goods and trade organized by organizations called “guilds”
  - Guilds controlled prices, standards of quality, and decided who could apprentice
- Dirty, Crowded, and Flea & Rat-infested

Impact of the Black Plague

Before:
- Population UP
- Wages DOWN
- Food Cost UP
- Housing Cost UP
- Quality of Life DOWN
- Lords/Nobles and Landowners benefit – Cheap labour, low expectations
After:
- Population DOWN
- Wages UP
- Food Cost DOWN
- Housing Cost DOWN
- Quality of Life UP
- Traders and Producers benefit – Quality products, money to spend

Renaissance Worldviews

Composed of:
- Philosophy
  - The power of reason; thinking to find truth for themselves.
  - Have an open, curious, and questioning mind.
  - People can achieve great things through learning.
- Individualism
  - “A well-rounded man is an artist, warrior, and philosopher”. – Benvenuto Cellini 16th c.
  - Individuals should be skilled in many different areas, not just their minds, but also their bodies and spirits.
- Humanism
  - Collected Greek & Roman manuscripts and translated them.
  - Educated people to read, think, and appreciate art.
  - Believe in the dignity and potential of the individual.
  - Believe people shape their lives through their own efforts and talents.
  - Civic humanists believed that being a responsible citizen meant educating yourself about history and political issues, and working to improve society.
  - Religion continued to play an important role, but the authority of the Church was being questioned.
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