Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment free essay sample

History is fluid and dynamic, shifting continuously from structure to structure. Between the years 1400 and 1800, there were many changes in the world: the Renaissance and Reformation brought their changes to the public life, the Age of Exploration opened and expanded an entire world, the enlightened became Enlightened, and Absolutism came and went its way. The Renaissance brought out the individual, and the Reformation gave it freedom. Before the Renaissance, a person’s greatest and in many cases only concern was with the afterlife – heaven or hell, purgatory or bliss. Life’s purpose was to prepare for the afterlife, and nothing more. However, Renaissance thinking (humanism) encouraged the individual to be brought to its furthest potential. Great â€Å"Renaissance Men† were those who dabbled diversely: Da Vinci was a painter, scientist, and inventor, and Michelangelo was a sculptor, architect, and painter. This influx of new ideas, especially those that concerned the prominence of the person, threatened the Church’s hitherto unquestioned authority. We will write a custom essay sample on Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As the Church tightened its grip on society, more and more followers slipped away, and thus the Reformation was born. The Reformation freed the human being from the bonds of the tyrannical Church, but would have been unlikely without the Renaissance to have given it momentum. Reformation is not all the Renaissance sparked, however. It represented a human longing for knowledge, adventure, and exposure, a desire that manifested in the Age of Exploration. The Age of Exploration enlarged the known world, and showed many ways of life and peoples they had not known existed. Naval and navigation technology raced ahead, trade between nations caused exponential growth in the wealth of nations, and cultural exchange fostered diversity in civilization as yet unseen. The Age of Exploration brought the world further along the path of development and unity, changing it from a collection of small territories to great trade empires were culture and society were enhanced by diversity and awareness. Societal awareness and critique initiated the Enlightenment, starting in France with the Philosophes. The Enlightenment mainly consisted of a movement of political awareness, first through the nobles and high society and then through the people, punctuated and inspired by the writings of political theorists such as Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Their ideas provided the basis for successful modern forms of government, and inspired revolts against ruling systems that were considered archaic and oppressive. The Enlightenment represented the beginning of revolutionary thinking, and gave the people the courage and determination to govern themselves. Throughout time, the qualities demanded of a ruler have fluctuated as much as the course of history itself. Absolutism evolved as a result of congregating peoples into nations, calling for stronger, more steadfast rulers. This system of rule was at its height in the 17th and 18th centuries, and influenced the world course in peace and war.