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The Renaissance And The Middle Ages

Decent Essays

The Middle Ages were regarded as a dark and desolate time period in history. Society during this time had no social progress, incessant wars, extreme violence, and no improvement to intellect or education. The Renaissance marked the end of the Middle Ages lasting roughly from the early 1400s to the 17th century. The Renaissance was exceptionally different from the Dark Ages because the human intellect, social climate, and the beliefs of Renaissance men was the opposite of the Middle Ages. Acting as a bridge between the Middle Ages and present times, the Renaissance innovated art, architecture, philosophy, science, and literature. Also, there was a shift from heavily relying on the Church to a focus on humanism. William Manchester author of …show more content…

By contributing to breaking the medieval mindset Magellan played a key role in The Shattering. In addition Leonardo Da Vinci like Magellan challenged knowledge fixed by the Church, which resulted in a less rigid mindset and more room for creativity and innovation. Da Vinci questioned most Christian beliefs and mastered many subjects including biology, sculpture, linguistics, botany, music, philosophy, and architecture. He discovered the intricacy of the human body, “dissecting cadavers, he set down intricate drawings of the human body- Gods sacred image” (Manchester, 93). In addition Da Vinci furthered the human intellect by discovering waterwheels, modern cartography, discovering screw threads, transmission gears, hydraulic jacks, cannons, tanks, and a canal system. Although Da Vinci’s methods were taboo, he looked past the ignorance of the medieval mindset and expanded his knowledge. With his inventions and discoveries, he showed others what the human mind could do outside of the strict Christian faith.
Martin Luther was an influential figure in the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. Luther openly rejected the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church because he disputed the Church’s view on indulgences. Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Theses which proposed Reformation within the Catholic Church based on the clergy’s practices of selling indulgences in order to reduce sin. In addition Luther criticized the papal keys, “could not reach beyond the

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