Causes of the Renaissance

Essay by kingzal4High School, 10th gradeA, November 2006

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The causes of European the Renaissance are many, each very important. However, there are three which are the most significant: The rise of cities, an increase in public education, and the realization of the corruption of the church, which at that time dominated society. These causes were linked in many ways.

Cities began to become larger and a more popular place to live in the early fourteenth century. People, namely surfs, began moving out of the manors and in to the cities. Cities allowed and supported people who were good at a certain craft to pursue that craft and teach it to others, this lead to the formation of guilds. Guilds are a present day equivalent to monopolies. Guilds were a group of people who shared a common skill and provided support for one another. Then, in the late fourteenth century, the Black Death swept through Europe killing a third of its population.

Most of the loss of life occurred in cities because the people were packed close together making the disease easy to spread. Cities became almost uninhabited for two or three generations, after which the cities regained their former size. Cities were reborn from the roman and Greek times. Cities allowed for trade which lead to a middle class composed of merchants and craftsmen. People learned skills and traded ideas from one another, cities allowed people to interact. Soon schools began to be made in the cities for the education of the people who could afford it.

Education was a major cause for the European renaissance, especially in the Italian city-states. Education was generally common among men who dealt with commerce or a specific craft. Education began around the age of seven and lasted about three to four years, after which the child would become an...