Renaissance
1. If anyone invented the term the Renaissance, then it was Jacob Burckhardt. Based on your readings,
analyze Burckhardt’s interpretation of the Renaissance. What criticisms have been leveled against it? Who do
you agree with more and why? How would you define the term Renaissance in the context of the fifteenth and
sixteenth-century Italy?
2. Examine the rise and fall of the Medieval Church. What were the various conflicts that arose between the
Papacy and the State? How do the issues that plagued the Church in the Middle Ages allude to the eventual
“reform” of Martin Luther in the coming century?
Part II – Select ONE of the following essay questions and write a well-thought-out historical response that has
a thesis and develops points using historical evidence, as well as a reasonable conclusion.
1. Traditionally, the Renaissance and the Reformation have been viewed as marking the transition to
modernity. Recent scholarship has tended to cast that view in doubt and to find the real break later on in the
eighteenth century Enlightenment. In what ways are the Renaissance and Reformation harbingers of the
modern world? In what ways do they remain quite medieval? On balance, should they be viewed as late
medieval or early modern?
Use three paragraphs for the first part of the paper.
Sample Solution
Renaissance
Jacob Burckhardt’s interpretation of the Renaissance was that it was the gradual release of the full, whole nature of man. The Renaissance owes its existence to medieval civilization, since it gave them a basis on how they should run and how they can improve. Criticism that have been leveled against Burckhardt’s interpretation is that he exaggerated and they accuse him of overlooking the continuity between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth. It refers to a period in European civilization that was marked by a revival of classical learning and wisdom. The Catholic Church became very rich and powerful because people gave 1/10th of their earnings in tithes. The most important feature of the medieval political thought is the long-standing conflict between the church and the state. Relations became strained and conflict appeared inevitable. The accumulation of wealth in the hands of church fathers may be regarded as another cause of conflict between the two.
