The
Renaissance
Introduction
The period between the
tenth century and the fifteenth centuries is known as the Medieval age or the
Middle Ages. It is also called as the Dark Age because it was unenlightened
both intellectually and spiritually. Constantinople, the capital of the eastern
Roman empire, was captured by the Truks in 1453. Fearing ill-treatment, Greek
and Latin scholars fled from Constantinople. They took shelter in Italy,
Germany, France and other European countries. They carried Latin and Greek
classics and taught them wherever they settled. This was the origin of the
Renaissance
Renaissance
and literature
Three great Italian
writers Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio created an interest for learning Latin.
Their works came to be read far and wide. Shakespeare derived the sonnet form
from Petrarch. The Italian writers spread the ideal of humanism. Man was their
central concern. Machiavelli was another great Italian writer. Homer’s Iliad
and Odyssey got a universal appeal.
Renaissance
and science
John Gutenberg of
Germany invented the printing press in 1454. Before the invention, books were
copied manually by the copyists in monasteries. The process consumed more time.
After the invention, books were available at a cheap rate. It increased the
readers number. The first Latin Bible was printed in Italy in 1455. In a short
period presses were started all over Europe. Caxton introduced the printing
press in England in 1476.
The mariner’s compass
was another important invention. It helped mariners to reach far-off regions.
Columbus discovered America in 1492. Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on the
western coast of India accidentally in 1498. Magellan set out to explore the
Pacific Ocean in 1519.
Copernicus disproved
the Ptolemaic theory that the earth was the centre of the universe. Kepler
proved that the earth and the other planets rotated round the sun in elliptical
and not in circular paths. In 1609 Galileo invented a telescope with which he
proved that the sun was turning on its axis. Many important discoveries were
made in the field of medicine too.
Renaissance
painting
Michael Angelo, Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci and Titan were the most famous painters of renaissance.
Michael Angelo paintings based on Biblical themes. He painted the picture of
“The Last Judgement” in Sistine Chapel. Leonard de Vinci created the fresco of
‘The Last Supper’ on the walls in Milan. His another famous picture is Mona
Lisa
Renaissance
sculpture
Lorenzo Ghiberti and
Michael Angelo were the great Renaissance sculptors. Michael Angelo was not
only a painter but also a sculptor. He is known for statues of David and Moses.
His statue of Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ on her lap is an
immortal work.
Thus the renaissance
made remarkable changes in many fields.
