renaissance class structure notes – Flashcards

In the Middle Ages, land was the key to wealth and power and the land was controlled from the castles. The land was divided into regions which were under the rule of the king or a noble. The king owned the land and allowed his nobles to hold land if in return, they promised to protect him against his enemies. For a noble, while keeping some land to himself, he divided his land among the lesser nobles or among the knights who fought for him. In theory, all land belongs to the king. In practice, the king divides most of the land among the nobles. In theory, a noble owns a land. In practice, he divides most of the land among the lesser nobles.

The king's power was often no greater than a noble's power. In fact, the king's land was often only as large as a noble's land. The division of land among kings and nobles suggests the insignificance of the king's power when compared to the noble's power. The arrangement of giving land in return for loyalty or service was known as the feudal system, or feudalism.

The king owned the land and allowed his nobles to hold land if in return, they promised to protect him against his enemies. As a result, the Church had become more and more powerful. The Pope could rival a king. All top leaders of the Church came from the noble class. The power of the Church was prodigious as the Church owned about 20% of all farmland in Europe. Also, the Church collected tax from all Christians who lived in different countries, building up its power and authority.

In addition, the Pope (who lived in Rome) appointed archbishops and bishops to look after the Christians in different countries, establishing power over them.

As for knights, they were trained and skilled in combat and they worked for the king or the nobles. In exchange for the share of the nobles' lands, they had to be loyal to the nobles and strive to give their nobles the utmost protection. They were richer than normal peasants and had control over them but knights were nowhere near the noble in wealth.

In the society, most people were farmers, supporting the base of the society as the labour force. Many farmers were serfs (unfree farmers), whose lives were controlled by their Lords (a noble or the king.) They had to serve the upper nobility. Also, there are Workers in the castle included blacksmiths, craftsmen, the merchants who bought and sold goods.

However, starting from AD 1100, feudalism broke down and led to the following significant social changes which shaped the development of the Renaissance. a. Rise of national monarchies Monarchy is the rule of kings (or queens). From about 1300, national monarchies began in Europe. They started first in western Europe, including England, France, Portugal and Spain. Then they rose in other parts of the continent as they gained power from the middle class and military power from knights.

b. Increase in population Because of the many wars in early medieval times, population was at a low level. From about AD 1100, however, the population grew everywhere. This was because of general peace in the society.

c. Improvements in agriculture As there were less wars and there was general peace, farmers opened up more farmland the techniques of farming were improved. d. Spread of towns People did not worry about food all the time. They exchanged their surplus food for the goods from craftsmen. Manufacturing developed. In time, more and more craftsmen and merchants lived in towns. They belonged to various guilds. One guild was for one industry or trade. The guilds fixed the prices and standards of goods.

e. Expansion of trade Trading activities in Europe were divided into two parts: external trade and internal trade. For external trade, Italian merchants bought goods (such as spices and silk) from West Asia and sent the goods to different parts of Europe for sale. They made a large profit. For internal trade, merchants traded between regions. Both trading activities developed. Because of increased trade, the use of money became common.

f. Growth of the middle class Merchants and craftsmen belonged to the middle class. By about 1300, more and more towns had become self-ruling. They had paid the king or noble a large sum of money. As a result, the town people enjoyed more freedom than the farmers. This led to a general spirit of equality and independence among the middle class.

The breakdown of feudalism led to the development of Renaissance. Before Renaissance, the king was at the top of the pyramid and the head of the society. Under the king were the nobles who were given land and castles by the king for their promise of protection to him in time of war. A powerful noble could also distribute his land among his knights for their loyalty. At the base of the society were the peasants and serfs who worked the land.

However, during Renaissance, the social structure changed completely from that of feudalism. This is partially because of the bubonic plague , also called the "Black Death" occurred in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance (1350-1450) and devastated one half of the population of Europe. The trauma caused life in the city change drastically. The plague, which was almost always fatal, spread most rapidly in cities, where people were in close contact with each other. The only way to avoid the disease was to leave the city for the country. This solution was, unfortunately, available only to those wealthy enough to make the trip. Because of the plague, the population decrease which led to an economic depression. Merchants had fewer people to whom they could sell their wares. Products therefore accumulated, and the merchants and traders suffered a loss in income. Economic hardship spread throughout the community as those who dealt with the merchants--bankers, suppliers, and shippers--also lost revenue. As incidence of the plague decreased in the late fifteenth century, populations swelled, creating a new demand for goods and services. A new middle class began to emerge as bankers and merchants once again had a market for their goods and services.

Moreover, the rapid decrease in the population because of the "Black Death" caused a huge shortage of workers. Subsequently, wages rose along with the demand for laborers. Serfdom faded into history. Higher wages increased the standard of living for many peasants. This in turn contributed to the rise of wealthy merchants, such as the Medici family of Florence . These merchant families would provide the money, resources and the incentive for the Renaissance.

During Renaissance, the social structure was composed of four social classes. The nobles were treated well. They protected the king and received land in return. Consequently, the nobles owned much of the land, and lived on large estates outside the city walls. They were rich, and they could afford much of the Renaissance arts and usually had many artists work for them. They behaved according to the rules of chivalry and distained the merchants. Because of the overwhelming demand in the market, the number of trading activities rapidly increased. As a result, the merchants were the newly rich, who gained wealth in industries like wool processing, boat making and banking . The merchants sought to protect their wealth by controlling the government and marrying into noble families. They became patrons of great artists in order to gain public favor. The middle class of Florence was composed of shopkeepers and professionals. At the lowest level were the workers, who did not have job protection and were very dependent on their employers. Workers who violated rules could have their wages withheld or could be discharged from their jobs. As difficult as their lives were, however, these urban workers were better off than the peasants who lived in rural areas.