Course Sample for Our Renaissance History Homeschool Course

To view a full sample of this course, click here.

Renaissance History
Lesson One: What In the World is a Renaissance World?
By Rhonda Clark

I’m glad you asked. A Renaissance world is a changing world. By definition Renaissance means “rebirth.” Dictionary.com defines it as:

“the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning in Europe beginning in the 14th century and extending to the 17th century, marking the transition from the medieval to the modern world.”

Not only did the world rediscover a love for art and literature that rivaled the ancient Greeks and Romans, but the world was in a period of flux. This period forever changed not only the power and rule of monarchies, but the landscape of the Catholic Church as well. It also laid the foundations for the Protestant Movement.

Although the Renaissance is dated starting in the mid-1300s and ending around 1700, I’m going to travel back a bit further to around 1100-1200 and start our journey there. Those previous 200 years are packed with blueprint and foundational information. You don’t want to miss those key details if you want to fully understand what’s happening.

Here’s a short list of what happened during this time in history:

• Circumnavigation of the earth and new sailing technologies
• Pacific Ocean discovered
• New art techniques developed
• Explorers found new lands for monarchs to rule
• Catholic Church leaders were confronted, creating a new religious movement
• Scientist invented telescopes and calculus, discovered planets and stars, and challenged the way we look at the natural world and astronomy
• Authors took their works to the masses with the inventions of the printing press and the stage play
• Majestic cathedrals were built
• Islam spread throughout the Middle East and into Europe and Africa, making it the third largest religion in the world