About 500 years ago world history changed completely because
of something that happened in Italy.
It was called The Renaissance, which means ‘Rebirth’
What happened during the Renaissance completely changed the
way people thought about areas such as art, architecture, writing, science,
medicine and philosophy.
Just before the Renaissance Europe had been struck by a
horrible plague or disease called the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague which
historians believe killed 1 in 3 Europeans.
After the Black Death had subsided people started to rebuild
Europe. This was to be the start of a new era in which people decided to go
back to the great days of Rome and Greece to draw inspiration for a better way
of living.
The changes they came up with completely revolutionized the
world and effects the way we all live today. Just as Ancient Rome gave us
inventions we still use today, so did the Renaissance.
The Renaissance began in the North of Italy. It started there because there were a lot of rich people or 'Patrons' who could afford to pay people to be artists, sculptors or architects.
These patrons from rich families such as the De Medici family, encouraged people to develop new ways of thinking about art and science.
Patrons helped famous renaissance artists like Da Vinci and Michelangelo come up with some new magnificent works of art. They used new techniques such as perspective and oil paints to make their pictures seem lifelike and real. Some artists studied anatomy to help make their statues and painting more authentic. Their works led the way for art as we know it today.
Architects explored new ways of designing buildings, and drew up plans for some of the magnificent Renaissance style buildings we can still see today. Scientists became more adventurous in exploring the world, and came up with new ideas in medicine and astronomy. Some like Galileo, who challenged old ideas weren't often so popular!
In writing, people like William Shakespeare wrote in the language of ordinary people, the vernacular, so everyone could enjoy reading plays, drama and poetry. The invention of the Printing Press greatly helped with this, and it helped spread literacy to ordinary people.
So all in all, the Renaissance really was a rebirth in so many ways!
Have a look at some interesting video clips about the Renaissance here:
