Government Powerful kings ruled - absolute authority Their advisors carried out laws - Disobedience meant prison or death Very high taxes on the poor, had to pay with cash or land England is different had a Parliament (people who made laws) Taxes were never allowed to be so high Homes built of wood or mud brick In some places, poor homes were built of mud walls ( wattle and daub ) with thatched roofs Ĭhanges in Society Middle Ages: (Europe in the 4th - 14th centuries) Feudal society (everyone has a master but the king and the Pope) Catholic church had absolute power Renaissance: (15-17th centuries) Catholic church questioned peoples’ worlds began to expand Poor still had masters but everyone began to rebel against authority The School at Athens, with lines to show perspectiveĬities Beautiful, powerful, crowded, filthy Powerful cities due to trade &/or having a cathedral Cities were centers for merchants, religious beliefs, education Also where diseases spread most quickly Prominent Cities: Venice, Florence, Paris, Rome, London īuildings Centers of Powers (castles, cathedrals, and universities) were made of stone. Other Specialized Jobs Merchants Herders Priests, nuns, monks Royalty Professors Doctors Artists Philosophers Scientists Īrts – Renaissance Renaissance = “ rebirth ” of art and learning Art still to honor and to serve God, but also to celebrate humans Art became more nuanced – human form studied Painting, sculpture, architecture, music Many Artisans Carpenter Shipwright Weaver Tailor Blacksmith Printer Plow used (came from China) Animals helped plow 3 field crop rotation - kept fields fertile Cleared many fields for sheep pasture - no longer overcrowded land New Farming Techniques:ĭomesticated Animals Cows Pigs Horses Dogs Fowl Many Others Was Renaissance Europe a Great Civilization?įarming Agriculture in Europe since pre-Roman times Grew grains (wheat, barley, rye), and legumes (peas, beans)