Renaissance Life

THE RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance is a beautiful part of history filled with tales of regal etiquette, grand wealth, incredible artists and inventors, and a lifestyle many could thoroughly enjoy. The Renaissance period also had its dark side covered with cruelty, oppression, poverty, disease and the utter disregard of civil leadership for the care of civilians.

Unlike most major eras which start with minor tragedy and subsequent glorious rise, The Renaissance began with massive devastation. By the end of the Medieval Age, cities had grown throughout Europe and a thriving middle-class society was strongly established. However, early in The Renaissance, life in cities drastically changed leaving a mark that history would never forget.

Starting about 1350, and going through 1450, the bubonic plague (The Plague, or Black Death) killed half of the world population in Europe. Very few ever survived this deadly plague. It was highly contagious and quickly spread through cities where people were in close contact with each other. The only way to escape the Black Death was to leave the cities and move to the country. For the wealthy, this was an easy solution. For the middle-class and poor, it was an impossibility which sealed them to an agonizing fate.

As if this massive loss of life wasn't enough, the Renaissance period also suffered through a devastating depression during these years. With one-half of the European population dead, merchants and tradesmen did not have enough customers to sustain the economy. Once the Black Death was over, people returned to the cities, and the resurgence of Renaissance life began and forever changed the world.

Although this section will be expanding over the next few months, please enjoy the interesting bits of hard-to-find and unique information currently available on this page.

LIFE IN THE RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance was an evolution throughout Europe unlike anything ever seen before. Many of the innovations and changes associated with Renaissance history can be traced back to Florence, Italy. By 1425, the population of Florence was 60,000 people and the city was an independent city-state. The city leadership had seen the devastation caused by the Black Plague and resolved to take good care of Florence and the welfare of its people. The city thrived and prospered due to its strong economy. This achievement, combined with its writers, painters, architects, and philosophers, made the city a model of Renaissance life and culture.

Renaissance inventions also thrived during this era. Some of the most significant include the astrolabe, improvements to the compass, and more accurate maps. The astrolabe is a portable device used by sailors for navigation. It measures the relationships between the horizon, sun and/or stars to calculate latitude.

Although the compass is not included in the list of Renaissance inventions (invented in the 12th century), significant improvements made it a reliable navigational tool during the Renaissance period. As well, Portuguese map makers (cartographers) incorporated information from explorers and travelers into their new maps which increased map reliability. As the shipping industry began to make large sail driven galleons, the improved maps, compass and astrolabe ensured safer navigation.

Renaissance life thrived as travel and exploration increased throughout the world. Europeans now enjoyed Eastern and Asian spices like pepper, nutmeg, mace and cinnamon. Also from the East came fine silk and precious gems which were very popular with women during The Renaissance (and today).

Probably the most significant contribution of The Renaissance was the invention of the printing press. In previous eras, books and education were rare. To make a book required great effort by hand and took a significant amount of time. Church clergy were the predominant readers and owners of books. Since most books of the Renaissance period were written in Latin (the language of scholarship), the general population could not read them. The printing press unleashed all kinds of information and made it available to the masses just like the internet has revolutionized the Information Age.

A man by the name of Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1445. The expensive and laborious task of hand copying new books was quickly surpassed by the printing press. Because Gutenberg's press could quickly produce books with little effort, bookmaking became significantly less expensive. The educated middle-class could now buy reading material. Soon demand for new books like Almanacs, travel books, chivalry romances, and poetry were all being published and sold throughout Europe. Renaissance life was creating industry and commerce as it thrived and forever ensured the literacy opportunities for the average person.

RENAISSANCE CLOTHING

The thriving Renaissance economy was based in the banking and the textile industries of Florence, Italy. Fine Renaissance clothing materials and accessories quickly became the foundation for a new era of Renaissance fashion. Unlike anything previous, Renaissance clothing was characterized by short upper garments among men, and an overall trend towards tight-fitting clothes. There are countless pictorial examples found in books, tapestries, and archeological sources.

Wealth and social rank was easily distinguished with the help of precious garments (just as it is today). Renaissance clothing was a public display and would validate your status. Even if you did not have much money, you would be accepted into society if you wore the right clothes and carried yourself in a refined manner.

The Musketeers

The church played an active role in Renaissance clothing by condemning those who focused too heavily on fashion trends for being guilty of the sin of vanity. This label was easily applied to anyone who was wearing "the latest fashion" because it clearly separated them for people who were wearing the older designs (out of fashion).

Moralists and preachers felt there was danger in the fact that "trend setters" were able to manipulate the systems of distinction originally developed by a given society. This ideology can be detected in the Late Middle Ages and into The Renaissance as 14th and 15th century laws were created to control Renaissance clothing.

The Central European University captured the church's opinion best saying, "...The order of the world was derived from God above, therefore all attempts to change it, including the copying and wearing of characteristic garments of a certain social strata, revealed sinful attitudes, and so had to be punished."

These judgments started after the Black Plague when nobility and aristocracy tried to stabilize their positions. New laws dictated rigid regulations of Renaissance clothing cuts, colors and materials. In reality, these laws were in fact "luxury legislations" and heavily influenced by the church. One example comes from England. In 1363, English law restricted the amount of money servants, grooms, and employees of urban craftsmen could spend on clothes. It also prohibited them from wearing silk or any other precious textiles.

Colors of Renaissance clothing were given meanings as shown by the following:

Green = love
Gray = sorrow
Yellow = hostility
Blue = fidelity (except in the Low Countries where it represented adulterous wives)
Red = nobility
Black & Gray = lower status people

(It is ironic to note that by the 15th century the black and grey colors were worn by the high aristocracy and royalty.)

For more information on Renaissance fashion and clothing, see Fashion In The European Renaissance.

RENAISSANCE FASHION

One of the primary functions of Renaissance clothing was to distinguish the social rank of people as precisely as possible. Renaissance fashion significantly confused this factor. To be associated with those who were "in fashion" required you to maintain clothes with the newest cut, color and style (and to never be seen in anything that was previously popular).

The key was to distinguish yourself from those who were still wearing older fashions. Last month's "hot item" could easily become this month's embarrassment... or worse.

Noble ladies were often the leading trend setters in Renaissance fashion. Their dress would include precious jewels, fur cloaks and other elaborate decorations as a sign of their aristocracy and high social rank. However, since fashion items were available to anyone with money, the distinctive meaning for aristocratic Renaissance clothing could be mimicked by the lower classes. Now besides possibly being accused of the sin of vanity, a fashionably-dressed lady of nobility could easily be identified with prostitutes.

For more information on Renaissance fashion and clothing, see Fashion In The European Renaissance.

RENAISSANCE SWORDS

Renaissance swords and daggers were not the robust thick bladed weapons found in medieval history. Elegance and finesse were required skills in a new Renaissance sport called fencing. More of a civilian version of military cut-and-thrust swordplay, fencing quickly gained popularity in Spain, France, England and most of the civilized European world.

During The Renaissance, swords did not survive as primary Renaissance weapons. They became more of a fashion item than a soldier's weapon.

To learn more about Renaissance swords and dagger, see: A History Of Renaissance Swords And Daggers

RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Relive Renaissance history as a time-traveler taken back to The Renaissance and participate in a Renaissance Festival or Renaissance Faire in your area.

Be a part of history (not just a spectator) and wear one of your favorite Renaissance costumes. You can also find a royal selection of Renaissance swords and accessories for the choosing.

All excited and ready to go? View our Renaissance Festival List to find a Renaissance Faire close to you and have the time of your life! (Note: Real Armor Of God.com has no control over the web content of other sites)

References:

Medieval Combat, by Mark Rector
Halbritter's Arms through the Ages, by Kurt Halbritter
Swords, Daggers & Cutlasses, by Gerald Weland
Knights & Armor, by Sadel Doc
Arms & Armor of the Medieval Knight, by David Edge
Arms Through the Ages, by William Reid
Weapons of War, by P.E. Cleator
Weapons, An International Encyclopedia from 5000 BC to 2000AD, by The Diagram Group
Warriors & Weapons of Early Times, by Niels M. Saxtorph
Book of the Sword, by Richard Francis Barton
A Knight and His Weapons, by Ewart Oakeshott
Metallurgical Analysis: Grades of Steel, By WarAngel, with special thanks to Motoyasu and Bob Engnath (Highlander's Sword Shopper's Guide)
Medieval Warfare: A History, by Maurice Keen
War in the Middle Ages, by Philippe Contamine
The Roman Sword in the Republican Period & After, by James Hurst
Soul of the Sword, by Robert L. O'Connell
Shoshone Medieval Teaching Tool
Franciscan University of Steubenville
The History Net
Choose a Weapon, Shaolin-Society
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
A Record of European Armour and Arms Through Seven Centuries, by Sir Guy Francis Laking
European Mediæval Sword, Lee A. Jones
From Rapier To Langsax: Sword Structure in the British Isles in the Bronze and Iron Ages, by Niko Silvester
Association for Renaissance Martial Arts
Dress, Jewels, Arms and Coat of Arms: Material Culture and Self-Representation in the Late Middle Ages, Central European University and Russel Mitchell, Vladimir Baranov, Annamaria Kovacs, Dora Sallay, Elena Lemeneva, Kiss Farkas Gabor
The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire, by Franco Cavazzi

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