WHI-Chap22-Obj6
Medieval Europe(refer to chapter 17) and the Renaissance(chapter 22) were two different time periods that occurred after epidemics and other social problems resulting in a decentralized European society. Although the two time periods are extremely similar on the surface, there are a few differences as well as more similarities.
Political: Medieval Europe's political and social order is usually described by the term feudalism. Feudalism refers government based off of relationships between lords and vassals. This type of government existed as a response to the people's need for protection after the Germanic tribe invasions. This decentralized society that depended on personal relationships led to instability in some regions but stability in others. For example sometimes the retainers would pursue their own interests instead of the lords, while other times, the strong bonds between the lords and retainers were the foundation of powerful states(T&E, 444-5). During the Renaissance the political authority rested in the hands of a series of regional states rather then one ruler. Several cities would try to gain power and become states which became known as a process called state building. To be a successful state builder, one must have several finance sources such as through taxes levied on citizens as well as income rulers received from subordinates. Another thing a state must have to be successful was maintenance of a large standing army, which was achieved through mercenaries, gunpowder, and state weapons(T&E, 581-2). These two different time periods are similar in the way that they were both decentralized, however they are different because one depended on personal relationships while another depended on more of local rulers building a state.
Social: Medieval Europe's political organization had to do a lot with its people's lives not only politically but also socially. The many different lords would have skirmishes over land often, and the retainers would write out contracts saying who they were loyal to in specific situations. "These relationships became extremely important for the larger social order because retainers increasingly exercised political and legal rights over their holdings(T&E, 444)". The political and military authorities merged into a hereditary noble class that ate off of the surplus agricultural production that it required its cultivators to give them. After the fall of the Western Europe, slaves and free peasants often sought protection from a lord so they gave their labor and obedience in exchange for security and land to cultivate. These semi-free men were known as serfs and owed obligations to the lords whose land they cultivated(T&E, 445-447). During the Renaissance, competition between states led to small scale wars similar to the many fights that accompanied medieval Europe feudalism. Artists drew from Roman and Greek styles not Medieval European styles. Also, many scholars named humanists developed during this time period and were famous for their unwavering commitment for Christianity. These humanists loved classical Greek and Roman authors and scorned Medieval philosophers and theologians. Some of the disagreement between humanists and medieval Europeans arose from the disagreement between religious life and secular life. Medieval moral philosophers taught that the most honorable thing was the calling of the monks which required one to withdraw themselves from the outside world completely. Humanists on the other hand drew inspiration from Cicero who showed it was possible to lead morally virtuous lives while being involved in the regular world(T&E, 582-584).
Economic: During Medieval Europe and the Renaissance economic activity slowed, however it did not by any means disappear completely. For Medieval Europe, repetitive Germanic invasions disrupted the economy while the Bubonic plague was responsible for the Renaissance slowed economy. In Medieval Europe heavy plows that were capable of cultivating coarser land were invented, while the Renaissance developed new technology for different reasons(T&E, 447). During the Renaissance, competition for technological advances between city states encouraged refinement and improvement of weapons, ships, and sails(T&E, 582). Trade still existed in both societies, but in Medieval Europe it was most common among the Norse seafarers. The Norse seafarers were kinsmen of Vikings whose trade flourished in the North and Baltic sea. These Norse seafarers would travel Russian rivers to black sea, and linked Western Europe with the Islamic world(T&E, 449). Renaissance trade was not concentrated in a specific group of people, but it still existed. Renaissance painting also depicted foreign goods such as spice jars and silk garments that were being traded, and during this time domed buildings that had collapsed after the Roman empire were reconstructed with new engineering techniques(T&E, 553).
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