The word Renaissance means “rebirth” and was the response to the brutal hardships of daily life in the Middle Ages. It was mainly based on humanism, fine arts and church reform. Early humanists such as Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, and Niccolò Machiavelli wrote books and expressed new ideas about humanism that made daily life more secular and free. The three main factors of the Renaissance that differed from the Middle Ages were Humanism, improvements in discoveries, and Church Reformation. In the Middle Ages, people's lives were very devoted to two things: the Church and feudalism. Leading thinkers were concerned with the individual's responsibility to God and planned ways to improve feudalism. It was thought that people were predestined in life and could only seek salvation through God. Religion was a part of everyday life and almost all people in Europe were Christians. This lasted for about three centuries until a crisis hit Europe. At the beginning of the 14th century the Black Death hit Europe and a third of the population died. After that event there was the Hundred Years' War which further weakened Europe. Eventually feudalism collapsed and people began to doubt the Church. New thinkers evolved such as Desiderio Erasmo, one of the greatest humanists, Niccolò Machiavelli, wrote The Prince, and Francesca Petrarca, another humanist. They wrote books that introduced more secular, aristocratic ideas and brought ancient Greek ideas back to life. They often looked back to the secular ideas of the Greeks and Romans. Instead of being concerned with the salvation and fate of the soul, Greek philosophy aimed to teach men how to live... in the middle of paper... in protest against the Church. Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg and this started the Protestant Reformation. Luther's idea and teachings spread throughout Europe and a new church, the Protestant church, was formed. They believed that the Bible and music should be written in the vernacular so that common people could sing and read them. Protestant teachings were mostly based on the Bible and the justification of faith alone. There is probably no era in history more revolutionary. The Renaissance was a gateway of transformation from the Middle Ages to the modern world. He emphasized that man should be free and choose his own destiny. Individualism and free will have impacted people by innovating new ideas and inventions. Church reform led to the promotion of capitalism and a strong work ethic that ultimately led to democracy.
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