List the causes of Renaissance

1. The new spirit of inquiry into knowledge at the time undermined the medieval structures of monasticism and scholasticism. Although Scholasticism had played an important role in setting the European society on a rational path, its speculative spirit forced it to engage in the play of words which brought intellectual accomplishments to a standstill. It is had however played an important role in enhancing intellectualism that enabled scholars engage in analytical thought processes which although at first used only to prove dogmas already accepted, later became the means that scholasticism itself was destroyed and replaced by scientific inquiry.

2. The new universities founded in the late Middle Ages stimulated intellectual achievement in the society. With the new faculties of law and medicine to supplement theology, these institutions came with more intellectual freedom, and more dissatisfaction with institutions that restricted thought and suppressed inquiry. As a consequence, a rational reflection on faith emerged that helped in the liberation of the individual.

3. The Islamic civilization with its advanced learning introduced to Europe through Spain was gradually permeating and influencing Europe more and more. This process prepared the way for the importation of the writings of the great classical authors and teachers of humanities from Byzantine, the storehouse of Greek culture.

4. The European economic revival stimulated by the crusades impacted heavily on the lives of the people. The process of equipping and transporting the crusaders to the East in the seven crusades that took place between 1097 to 1270 led to the growth of free cities like Genoa and Venice. In addition, the stay of the crusaders in the East served to enlarge their appetites and desires when they discovered that those people had better things to eat and wear than the medieval Europe had ever possessed. These experiences led to the demand for the importation of goods from the East thus increasing trade and commerce and manufacturing in the free cities of Europe. The city burgher class - the merchants, bankers, and masters of guilds that supplied the new demands evolved into a new middle class, distinct from nobles, clergy and serfs. And since the needs and ideals of the new class were different from those of the established medieval class, they pointed the way to a new manner of living.

5. Expanding commerce meant new worlds to conquer and found them. The revival led some people who loved adventure into voyages. For instance the discovery of a new route to India by Morco Polo as well as the American continent by Columbus enlarged the scope of trade which in turn changed how trade was carried out. The narrow limits of the free cities meant that they could not meet the new commercial problems and trade became national in scope. This situation was instrumental in the rise of nations of Western Europe which led to new conceptions and practices in education. Leaders of trading activities became more important than those of the church in power and influence.

6. The emergence of the spirit of national consciousness impacted heavily on the use of vernaculars as the new states emphasized on their own languages rather than Latin, the language widely in use at the time especially by the Church.

7. A number of material things were introduced into European life to enhance intellectual advancement. The introduction of paper from the east as well as the invention of printing multiplied the copies of classical manuscripts discovered and brought into Europe by the early humanists. This led to an adequate supply of books and opened opportunities for many people to read as compared to the past. Plenty and cheep books became a good motivator for intellectual activity.

8. The work of explorers and scientific discoveries enhanced the spirit of inquiry and investigation. Magellan's voyages had established that the earth was round. Copernicus had shown that the sun and not the earth was the centre of the universe. This forced the old dogmatic beliefs to give way to an inquiring attitude that demanded concrete proofs as opposed to the old metaphysical abstractions.

9. The degeneration of the Church due to corruption led some individuals to lose trust in it, begrudge loyalty to its leaders and oppose the powers of ecclesiastical domination.

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marto answered the question on March 19, 2019 at 09:17