How Did [People in] the Medieval Era Transition Into the Renaissance?

Question

How did people recover? How did the economy rise again? Can anyone please explain this to me?

Answer 1

Hard to answer your question, because it's based on a mistaken assumption.

You ask about "recovering" and the economy "rising again". But this assumes that things were a great mess before the Renaissance, and that is simply untrue!!

This is just one of many mistaken ideas about the state of things in "the Middle Ages". As a matter of fact, long BEFORE the Renaissance, progress was being made on ALL fronts -- including scholarship and the beginnings of the scientific method (esp. the beginning of the university system), economic structures, trade, inventions (agricultural, navigational, building, etc).

For that matter, the Renaissance was restricted to a revival of certain classical works (mostly writing). It was NOT the 'revival of learning', but just one piece of something that had been going on for centuries.. And it had NOTHING to do with the economy!

A few things to look at:

On the development of modern banking structure (such as the joint stock company, banking ,etc) DURING the Middle Ages:

(12th to 13th century) The foundations of the modern system of investment, including stock companies and "limited liability" (basis of wealth-producing sytems, including modern capitalism)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market#History

medieval origins of the "joint stock company"
http://szabo.best.vwh.net/jointstock.html

"The Rise of Commerce and Towns" (ca. 1000)
http://www.ku.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/towns.html

As for scholarship (what the "Renaissance" was about), note the following by Rodney Stark:

"The Italian “Renaissance” was not a “rediscovery” of classical learning. Rather, it was a period of cultural emulation during which people of fashion copied the classical style in manners, art, literature, and philosophy. Out of passion for their own ancient days of glory, explains French historian Régine Pernaud, Italians began to claim that Western history consisted of “two periods of light: antiquity and the Renaissance...and between the two...crude centuries and obscure times.” Thus, from fashionable enthusiasm and ethnic pride was born the notion of a dark age followed by a dawning of a new enlightenment. But, it wasn’t so. Scholastic scholars knew and understood the works of Plato, Aristotle, and all the rest."

http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleid.17713/article_detail.asp

Answer 2

Enough of the princes and pricks and priests died off in crusades and fighting each other to leave the people alone and let them build things, grow things, and have children. The black death probably helped, because it spread people out away from cities, and it made labor more valuable, so the IIC (Idiots In Charge) weren't as likely to drag them off to battle every couple of years. Thankfully, the Moors (Islamic countries) had kept THEIR libraries (whereas Christians burned the best ones in the West), and a few scholars and travelers picked up some of the important things about science and mathematics and humanity to bring back and get Europe back on its productive feet again. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church got over their ban on usury(lending and borrowing money and charging interest) just enough to hire Jewish accountants to keep track of their money and Templars to guard it. The new prosperity flowed into Italy first, where the privelidged families (like the Medici) used the wealth to pimp themselves and their homes with art and spread money around for science and inventions. The Catholic Popes got so much money they became corrupted by it, leading to Martin Luther's disgust with them and the Protestant Reformation.

Had to add a P.S. or it doesn't come together: The reason the money flowed into the Church (and Italy) first is that the Holy Roman Empire, through the concessions of kings to get endorsements for Crusading, owned most of the wool production in Europe. Wool was critical for warm clothing, as Europe was cooling down around that time, also. This brought enormous wealth to the monasteries and churches who were the landlords of the pastures and the sheep.

Answer 3

it was a process that took about a hundred years, and not all parts of medieval Europe "transfered" into Renaissance at the same time. Some reasons for the ending of the Middle Ages were the invention of printing (Gutenberg), the Protestant Reformation (Luther), the end of the Hundred Years' War and the 'discovery' of the New World (America). That's all I remember

Answer 4

well, could have been a trickle down effect, im sure things were bad for most during the mediveal age, cept for royalty, as they sucked up as much money as they could, they spent it on things, those people making those things got out of hand and improved things for others, thus making things better for all.

Answer 5

they rediscovered the teachings of historic cultures by "books and literature" that heretofore were in basic terms accessible to the scribes and clergymen who said to the educations of the wealthy and the wealthy rulers children to prepare them to manage their fiefs and kingdoms as "rome and greece" had effectual administered their civilizations and industries!!careful notation in organization,precise record-conserving,forecasting developments of production in flora and amenities!!a thanks to construct lasting and everlasting platforms of stone and urban,brick and mortat;fairly of rubble,timber,dirt and straw;as latest in architectural and engineering treatises!!!arithmetic and the regular of arithmatic in organization and construction applications develop into taught extra extensively than before!!crafts and humanities were committed to writing so as that others might want to study them and prosper by employing their personal effoerts without llong apprenticeships!!!!faculties rose up everywhere to handbook the populouses to prosper!!!artwork flourished!!

Answer 6

it was a slow process it didnt just happen