Ap European History Dbq Renaissance

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themselves in classes along with others similar to them in social and economic standings. He believes that during the Renaissance, people began to look at themselves as individuals, seeing their own individual potential. Petrarch was a Renaissance Humanist who shared beliefs with many other Renaissance thinkers of the time. Let us look at the Renaissance from the perspective of Petrarch. Being a Humanist, Petrarch was focused on his own development as person, and did not focus on religious things as much as immediate or contemporary things. Petrarch stresses that men should fulfill their mortal desires before his spiritual ones. He clearly states this in (Document 5). He says “One may expect to enjoy that other more radiant glory in heaven, when we shall have there arrived , and when one will have no more care or wish for the glory of earth. Therefore, as I think, it is in the true order that mortal men should care first for mortal things.”

The final example that strongly supports that the Renaissance was its own distinct time period and not a continuation of the Middle ages is the strong shift in religious belief and the focus of the church. History shows that the church during the Renaissance period experienced many changes. One of the main changes was that the church became obsessed with money and too involved in the political realm. Erasmus, who was a Catholic priest, believed that (Document 5) “The religious orders nowadays care only for money and sensuality [indulgence of the appetites], while learning has passed to secular princes and peers and courtiers.” Erasmus, being a Catholic priest, is disgusted with the shift in the church’s priorities. The church had become obsessed with worldly things and power instead of teaching the mass the virtues of God’s word. Another main change in religious preference was the change of religious belief to a more humanistic point of view. A prime example of this is the opinion of Petrarch. Petrarch says “One may expect to enjoy that other more radiant glory in heaven, when we shall have there arrived , and when one will have no more care or wish for the glory of earth. Therefore, as I think, it is in the true order that mortal men should care first for mortal things” Petrarch clearly believes that there is a heaven, but his focus is not on religious matters, but on pleasing his worldly desires. This coincides with many beliefs of the people of the Renaissance time period due to the fact that the Humanist movement greatly affected the views of many religious churchgoers who had swayed their beliefs due to the corruptness of the church.

In conclusion, the Renaissance exhibits all the characteristics of being its own distinct period. There are drastic changes that have occurred during this time that reflect the strong differences between the Renaissance and the late Middle Ages. The Renaissance brought about many new beliefs such as Humanism and gave the people of this time a chance at educational, religious, and artistic rebirth. The Renaissance was not only influential during the time it was occurring, but still influences us today. The Renaissance was very clearly named so for a reason; it is most definitely a

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