Renaissance - GCSE History Definition

Definition

Renaissance is a French term that literally means ‘rebirth’. In a historical context, it is used to describe the period of European history that occurred from around the 14th to the 17th centuries CE. It was a period that witnessed an explosion of advances in the areas of art, science and philosophy after centuries of little or no advances during the Middle Ages. 

Explanation

The Renaissance is seen as marking the end of the Middle Ages and witnessed a rebirth of interest in the culture and ideas of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These civilisations had been largely forgotten about or ignored during the Middle Ages and the Catholic Church’s authority and explanations for things had largely gone unquestioned. 

During the Renaissance, people began to adopt the ideas and attitudes of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. These included a fascination with the world around them and questioning how and why things were the way they were. During the Medieval Period, the Church had dominated all aspects of life and society in Europe. This included the areas of art, science, medicine and philosophy. The Renaissance witnessed the challenging of the Church’s ideas and authority in almost every aspect of life.   

It is the developments in Art that people have most come to associate with the Renaissance. It became based on the close observation of the world which led to the development of realistic perspective as well as balance and harmony in pictures. Famous Renaissance artists include Leonardo da Vinci. Titian, Botticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo. 

However, the developments of Renaissance scientists are arguably more significant. These were the result of the combination of new scientific instruments like the telescope and the microscope, with the scientific ideas of observation and experimentation and a willingness to challenge the Church. 

One of the greatest and most important of these challenges was put forward by Nicolaus Copernicus. He argued that the Earth was not at the centre of the universe, as the Church stated, but that it orbited the sun.

For centuries, the Church had forbidden the dissection of human bodies and had therefore prevented any real understanding of human anatomy. Andreas Vesalius performed dissections and published detailed drawings of them in his book The Fabric of the Human Body (De humani corporis fabrica). This provided a far greater understanding of the structure of the human body than ever before and corrected anatomical errors that had been believed for centuries. Before Vesalius, it was thought that humans had two jaw bones, had kidneys at different levels and that blood passed from one half of the heart to the other. 

The development of the microscope led to the discovery of microorganisms. People questioned why God had created creatures that were completely invisible to humans if, as it stated in the Bible, humans were given dominion (power) over all animals. 

William Harvey proved through experiments that the heart;s function was to pump blood around the body in a closed system. Before this, it was widely believed that blood was used up by the body in the same way as wood is burnt on a fire. 

The Renaissance began in Italy but soon its ideas spread throughout Western Europe. This was able to happen due the invention of the printing press. Before this, all books had to be copied by hand. This was both labour intensive and much easier for the Church to control. The printing press enabled books - and therefore ideas and discoveries - to spread far quicker and easier.

Other developments of the Renaissance include the exploration of different parts of the world by Europeans. This includes the Americas, or New World as Europeans called them at the time, and the Far East. It was during the Renaissance that people first circumnavigated the globe. 

Key Historical Facts

The Renaissance laid the foundations on which modern science and medicine are built. The scientific method of proposing a hypothesis and then conducting experiments that either prove or disprove it was established during the Renaissance. 

Life expectancy in Europe did not increase in Europe during the Renaissance despite the advances made. This is because the advances were in the areas of anatomy (structure of the body) and physiology (how the body works) rather than in areas that explained or cured disease. 

The printing press did not cause the Renaissance but it would have been very difficult for it to happen without it. German goldsmith Johannes Guttenberg is credited with making the first printing press in Europe in 1450. Gutenberg’s press had movable type which meant the letters could be rearranged to print any book required. William Caxton travelled to Germany in 1471 and brought the first printing press back to London in that year.

The printing press has been compared to the internet for the way that enabled knowledge and ideas to spread. In the Middle Ages, it was very difficult for a new idea or discovery to spread beyond the next couple of towns. As books had to be written by hand, it was difficult to make enough copies to enable an idea to spread far and wide. It was also easy for the Church to prevent any ideas they did not agree with from spreading by destroying the books. The printing press meant books could be produced in such large numbers that it was impossible for the Church to stop ideas from reaching large new audiences.

The key technological advances of the European Renaissance were all invented in China. The printing press, paper, the magnetic compass and gunpowder all came from China although European people at the time did not know this. The printing press and paper were essential in enabling knowledge and ideas to spread. The magnetic compass was vital in enabling Europeans to explore other parts of the world and gunpowder enabled them to conquer and colonise large parts of it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the most significant figure of the Renaissance? 

The Renaissance impacted so many different areas that this is really impossible to answer. In terms of astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei made discoveries that utterly changed how people viewed and understood the universe. In medicine, the developments of Vesalius and William Harvey, whilst not curing anybody, advanced the understanding of what was in the body and how it worked. In terms of art, there are a huge number of significant individuals, notably Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Raphael, Donatello among others. If one individual had to be picked, a good argument could be made for Leonardo da Vinci. This is because his genius spanned across so many different areas, He was a peerless artist but also a scientist, inventor and philosopher. 

What is the most important development of the Renaissance?

The Renaissance utterly transformed life in Europe in so many areas it is extremely difficult to pick out one individual development. Art was unrecognisable from the art of medieval times and, for many people, Renaissance Art remains a high point of human civilization. Glass lenses led to the invention of the microscope, telescope and reading glasses. Spectacles alone meant that brilliant minds could continue reading, writing and learning for much longer than they had previously. But for its impact in enabling discoveries and ideas to spread, the printing press with moveable type is often considered the most important development of the Renaissance. 

Where did the Renaissance start?

The city of Florence in modern day Italy is the birthplace of the Renaissance. It was a wealthy city state and merchant families like the Medici used their money to support artists and intellectuals. The remnants of the Ancient Roman Empire were all around and provided the inspiration and the ideas and art soon spread to other Italian cities such as Naples, Milan, Venice and Rome. During the 15th century, the ideas spread beyond Italy to the rest of Western Europe. 

Why did the Renaissance come to an end?

Historical terms for periods such as the Renaissance, Middle Ages or Industrial Revolution are never used at the time but are created by historians when they look back. There is no exact date when it comes to historical periods and one often blends into the other. For example, the scientific developments of the Renaissance laid the foundations for the invention of machines such as the steam engine during the 18th century. The impact that these machines had on society led historians to label the period that followed as the industrial revolution - which followed on from the Renaissance. 

Where does the term Renaissance come from? 

It literally means ‘rebirth’ in French and it is the French historian Jules Michelet who is credited with first using it in his book. The History of France in 1855. However, the term rinascita, which also means rebirth, was used by Giorgio Vasari in his book Lives of the Artists to describe the renewed interest in Ancient Greece and Rome. This was written in 1550. 

Related Glossaries

Catholic

Circumnavigation

Religious

The Church 

William Harvey