1. WHAT IS RENAISSANCE?

ANS) The term Renaissance means rebirth or revival. It stands

for a complex transitional movement in Europe between
medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in
Italy and lasting into the 17th century. It marked the revival of
the freedom to think and act without being controlled by any
external agency. It was also a revival of the study of the ancient
Greek and Roman classics. During this period, many remarkable
changes took place in Europe, which had their impact on the
history of the world. One of them was the disintegration of the
feudal system in Europe which ushered in a new social and
economic order. This marked the beginning of the modern era.
2. WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF RENAISSANCE?
ANS)
1. CAPTURE OF CONSTANTINOPLE -Constantinople was the
capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and was a centre of
Greek and Roman cultures. It had valuable manuscripts of
Greek and Roman writers. But Constantinople fell into the
hands of the Turks in 1453. Many Greek and Roman scholars
were thus, forced to shift to Rome and other parts of Europe
with their manuscripts. Rome then became the centre of
Greek culture. These scholars were geniuses, men of liberal
outlook, humanism and logical thinking. Wherever they
went, they spread their new spirit and ideas. In this way they
revived the interest of the people in the study of Greek
philosophy, science, art and literature. The revival of the
learning of Greek classics paved the way for the Renaissance.
2.
DECLINE OF FEUDALISM

Feudalism was a system according to which the medieval

European society was organised on the basis of land tenure.
In this system, all the people, from the King down to the
 lowest landowners were bound together by obligation and
defence. The King used to give estates to his lords, who were
known as Dukes and Earls. The Lords, distributed a part of
their land among the lesser lords or Barons, who provided
them with military support. The Dukes and Earls owed
allegiance directly to the King, whereas the Barons owed
allegiance to the Dukes and Earls. The knights formed the
lower category of feudal lords. The feudal lords did not
cultivate their lands and gave it to the peasants for
cultivation.

The society had a graded organisation in which there was

hardly any chance for social mobility and progress. It was
also opposed to freedom and equality of rights. However,
decline of feudalism in the 13th and 14th centuries provided
an impetus to free thinking. The peace and freedom that
prevailed after the decline of feudalism favoured the growth
of New Learning. It led to the new developments in the
spheres of art, literature, philosophy and science and
contributed to the rise of Renaissance.

3. NEW TRADE ROUTES-The navigators of Portugal and Spain

played an important part in the geographical explorations
and discovering new trade routes. Constantinople fell into
the hands of the Turks in 1453 and the trade routes between
the West and the East were closed. As a result, the European
traders and navigators felt the need for discovering new sea
routes. Prince Henry, the Navigator of Portugal discovered a
sea route to Africa. Bartholomew Diaz was successful in
reaching the Cape of Good Hope at the southernmost point
of Africa. Columbus discovered America in 1492. In [1498
Vasco da Gama sailed as far as India. Ferdinand Magellan
made a voyage around the world and reached a vast ocean,
 which he called the Pacific Ocean. Due to these discoveries,
contact between the East and the West began to develop
and there was a fusion of ideas. The opening of new trade
routes not only encouraged trade but also created the spirit
of adventure and broadened the mental horizon.
4. SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY
Before the Medieval Age, all human activities, both mental
and physical, were controlled and guided by the authority of
the Pope and the Church. The human mind was virtually not
allowed to develop independent thinking. But a number of
scholars discarded the ideas of medieval period and
developed a spirit of enquiry and a sense of curiosity among
the people. They taught human beings to know the Why and
How of things. They did not regard anything as correct
merely because the theologies of the Church had regarded it
as correct. They questioned the authority of the Church.
They wanted a transition from faith to reason, observation
and experimentation.
5. INVENTION OF THE PRINTING PRESS

The first printing press was set up in Germany by Gutenberg

in the middle of the 15th century. Later on, Caxton
introduced it in England. The invention of printing press in
the middle of the 15th century in Europe made it possible to
produce books in large numbers. The Bible and many other
religious and classical books were printed and made
available all over Europe. The printing press spread
knowledge far and wide. Scholars found it easier to read
printed books than hand-written manuscripts. In the Middle
Ages, books were few and they were beyond the reach of the
ordinary people. The Printing Press enabled Europe to
multiply books and put them within the reach of people.
Printing and distribution of books influenced people's
 attitude to life and brought about a new awakening in
Europe.

3. WHAT WERE THE PRINCIPLES OF RENAISSANCE?

ANS)
 Humanism: Humanism was regarded as the most
remarkable phenomena of Renaissance. It was a product
of the spread of education and learning. The word
humanism' was derived from the Latin words 'Studia
humanitatis' or 'the studies of mankind'. Basically, it
meant a decisive shift in concern for human as distinct
from divine matters. Humanism extolled man and stressed
his essential dignity. It was centred on the man of flesh
and blood with all his earthly joys and sorrows. It opposed
religious asceticism. It defended man's right to pleasure
and the satisfaction of earthly desires and requirements.
The humanists looked deep into the ancient classics for
ideas on humanism like those of Plato, Virgil, Aristotle,
Cicero and Quintilian.
 Glorification of Human Form: The

Renaissance scholars and artists glorified human body.

Their works were permeated with the faith that a man
with an active mind and body was capable of knowing and
controlling the world, of performing miracles and
fashioning his own happiness. This spirit of humanism
found expression in the new art and literature. The
Renaissance artists took their subjects from the Bible but
portrayed the human form in all its earthly beauty and
vigour.
  Spirit of Enquiry: The Renaissance humanists believed in
limitless potentialities of man but they also did not forget
the past. The spirit of enquiry extended from scientific
enquiry into nature, explorations and expeditions to
probe into every realm of knowledge. It proved to be the
principle cause of Renaissance.

4. HOW WAS THE BEHGINNING OF RENAISSANCE?

ANS)
(i) Italy was the seat of the glorious Roman Empire and all
the historical remains and relics of the Romans were
found there. These attracted a number of scholars and
artists.

(ii) As a result of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, a large

number of Greek scholars and thinkers migrated to Italy
along with their original manuscripts and art treasures.
These scholars not only instilled a spirit of enquiry and
enthusiasm among the people of Italy but also
encouraged a large number of Italian artists and men of
letters to produce masterpieces of art and literature.

(iii) The enormous wealth which Italy had accumulated as

a result of trade with the East also contributed to the rise
of Renaissance. The wealthy merchants of Italy patronised
the artists and literary figures and used their wealth for
the revival of classical culture and literature.

(iv) As a result of the crusades and geographical

explorations the Italians came into contact with the East.
 This greatly broadened their vision and provided an
impetus to Renaissance.
5. What was the impact of renaissance on art?
Ans)the renaissance had huge impact in the field of art,
literature, philosophy, science, religion etc. it was due to the
spirit of renaissance that significant traits emerged in there
fields. The renaissance didn’t only bring the rebirth of learning
but also the rebirth of art. During the medieval times, the
paintings and sculptures were a tool for propagating religion
and the colours used were even strictly regulated. But, the
artists of the renaissance period refused to follow these traits
and adopted new artistic methods such as frescoes for wall
pictures, oil colours and woodcuts. They studied optics and
geometry and used their knowledge to develop the natural
perspective in their paintings. They also studied human
anatomy to find the mechanism of gestures, shapes and
expressions.
6. What was the impact of renaissance on painting?
Ans) The Renaissance painters established very high standards
and produced some of the greatest paintings of the time. They
were able to show their talent without being restricted by the
rigid rules of the church. They had a humanistic secular
approach and produced highly artistic and life like paintings.
Some of the most popular painters were Leonardo Da Vinci,
Michelangelo and Raphael.
7. Who was Leonardo Da Vinci?
Ans) Leonardo Da Vinci was a great painter, sculptor, musician
and a scientist. Da Vinci received no formal education beyond
basic reading, writing and maths, but his father appreciated his
artistic talent and apprenticed him at around the age of 15 to
the noted sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, of
Florence. For about a decade, Da Vinci refined his painting and
sculpting techniques and trained in mechanical arts.
 Da Vinci's interests ranged far beyond fine arts. He studied
nature, mechanics, anatomy, physics, architecture and
weaponry. He saw science and art as complementary rather
than distinct disciplines, and thought that ideas formulated in
one realm could, and should, inform the other. He spent a great
deal of time immersing himself in nature, testing scientific laws,
dissecting bodies (human and animal) and thinking and writing
about his observations. At some point in the early 1490s, Da
Vinci began filling notebooks related to four broad themes-
painting, architecture, mechanics and human anatomy-creating
thousands of pages of neatly drawn illustrations.

His paintings of the Virgin of the Rocks', The Last Supper' and
'Mona Lisa' are great masterpieces of art. new techniques were
adopted in his paintings to give a fine feeling of reality.

8. What was the effect of renaissance on literature?

Ans) The most significant impact of Renaissance on literature
was the use of local languages, instead of Latin as in the Middle
Ages. Besides, there was a change of themes in the literary
work. Earlier writers dwelt on spiritual themes including
heaven. However, during Renaissance, the authors wrote on
man and his problems. Such emphasis on man gave birth to a
new movement known as Humanism.
Literature in Italy: Machiavelli was a great

political writer of Italy. He expressed his political ideas in his

work 'The Prince'. Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is an epic poem on
the state of the soul. It reveals the religious and social life of the
day. Petrarch, a great scholar and writer, has been called 'the
father of humanism'. His sonnets and lyrics were popular
throughout Europe.
 Other Italian writers were Aristo, Tasso and Boccaccio.
Boccaccio wrote in prose. His work Decameron is a collection of
100 famous short stories.

England produced

a number of writers, poets and dramatists of repute. Geoffrey

Chaucer heralded the Renaissance literature in England. He is
regarded as the 'Father of English Poetry.' 'The Canterbury
Tales', is his outstanding work. Thomas More wrote Utopia
describing an imaginary island in America where the rich did
not exploit the poor. There, the society had no blind faith and it
did not believe in useless wars.
Other famous English writers in this period were Francis Bacon,
William Shakespeare, Ben Johnson and Marlowe. Francis Bacon
was a famous essay writer. Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, Marlowe
were well-known dramatists. 'Paradise Lost' is an immortal
work of Milton. Edmund Spencer wrote the poem, 'Faerie
Queene'

9. Who was William Shakespeare?

Ans) He was an English this period

poet, playwright and actor who is widely regarded as the

greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-
eminent dramatist He is often called England's national poet
and the Bard of Avon'. He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long
narrative poems and a few other verses. With the exception of
Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's first plays were mostly
historical dramas like Richard II, Henry VI and Henry V. He also
 wrote several comedies during his early period: A Midsummer
Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and
Twelfth Night. It was only after 1600, that he wrote tragedies
like Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth, Julius caesar.
Shakespeare's work transcends culture and history. He appeals
to emotions and thoughts that are a part of eternal human
nature and therefore, have a universal appeal.

10. What was the development in science?

Ans) The Renaissance marked the beginning of modern science.
Earlier it was held that all views even on science are to be
supported by the authority of the scriptures. However, the
scientists of this period believed that all views on science
should be based on observation and experimentation. The
method of enquiry, questioning, observation and
experimentation are used even today in scientific investigations.

11. Who was Nicolaus Copernicus?

Ans) He was a mathematician and astronomer, who formulated
a model of the universe that placed the sun rather than the
earth at the centre of the universe. The publication of this
model in his book De revolutionibus orbium celestium (On the
Revolutions of the Celestial spheres) just before his death in
1543 is regarded as a major event in the history of science,
triggering the Copernican Revolution.

Copernicus based his Heliocentric theory on the following:

• There is no one centre of all celestial circles or spheres.

• The centre of the earth is not the centre of the universe, but
only of gravity and of the lunar sphere.
• All the spheres revolve about the sun as their midpoint and
therefore, the sun is the centre of the universe.

• The earth has more than one motion, turning on its axis and
moving in a spherical orbit around the sun.

Later on, a German Scientist John Kepler proved that the earth
and other planets move round the sun not in a circle but in
elliptical orbits. Italian Scientist, Galileo invented the telescope.
Sir Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Gravitation.

Great discoveries were made in the field of medical sciences.

Vesalius wrote a treatise on anatomy. William Harvey, an
English physician, discovered the circulation of blood from the
heart to all parts of the body and back to the heart. Paracelsus
proved a close connection between medicine and chemistry.
Cordus prepared ether from alcohol and sulphuric acid.
Helmontt discovered carbon dioxide.