COMPARISON

BETWEEN MIDDLE

AGES-RENAISSANCE

Maria Fernanda Galeano

Maria Camila Rodriguez

Laura Morales

OBJECTIVE

To analyze and compare social and cultural

aspects from Renaissance and Middle Ages;

according to pages 205-208.

CONTEXT

The Middle Ages is known as a period of time between

the 5th and the 15th century. It was the lapse of time that

lasted since the fall of the Roman Empire till Renaissance.

People described this period as a stage in which life was

very hard. They used feudalism as a social system, thus they

were classified in social classes (slavery was permitted).

About cultural aspects, people wasn`t able to access into

education; this made the impact of the church bigger.

CONTEXT

The Renaissance was a period of time between

14th to 17th century. As a cultural movement it

brought new ways to perceive the world, it innovated

techniques in art, literature, politics, science among

others. It changed society`s point of view towards:

women role, fashion, church`s impact and many

others.

CriteriaMiddle

Ages Renaissance

Women`s

role

• Women`s role was very

limited and depended

entirely on their husbands

and father`s social status.

• Women had no rights.

• Women must achieve

housework., child hearing

and fieldwork.

• Women had more empowerment

and voice, one clear example is

Elizabeth I, she was one of the

most successful monarchs in

history ; she rejected the Pope`s

authority and reestablished the

church of England. She was

characterized by being intelligent

and independent. (Page 205)

CriteriaMiddle

AgesRenaissance

Gender Equality

• “The woman is subjected to

man on account of the

weakness of her nature”-

Bible extract.

• Taking into account that

society was attached to the

Bible commandments; it

shows the way women were

socially inferior than men.

They didn`t have any rights

or possibilities to emerge in

society.

• Because of society`s idea od

“learning spread” women of

the upper classes became

beneficiary of it. This fact

shows the transition of an

era in which women didn`t

have any type od education,

to a new culture in which

women didn`t have any type

of education, to a mew

culture in which they had

access to a kind of learning.

• It was the beginning of

gender equality.

Criteria

Middle

Ages Renaissance

Church Impact

• Dominated politics; reach

the unification of a Christian

Europe.

• Was supreme to the state.

• Inquisition treated people in

a harshly way.

• Controlled everything,

including education.

• The state was supreme to

the church.

• Renaissance popes were

corrupt.

• Elizabeth I managed the

authority of the church and

took off power from it.

Criteria Middle

Ages Renaissance

Fashion

• Men mostly wore tunics

down to their knees, but

old men and monks wore

their tunics down to the

ground, and so kings and

noblemen for parties and

ceremonies. They also

wore wool pants under

their tunics.

• Especially noblemen,

wore socks under their

tunics. Outside, if it was

cold, men wore wool

layers.

• They insisted on rich

fabrics, such as fur.

• A wealthy person would

have a variety of clothes

made from fine materials,

furs, and silks.

• Men wore colorful tights

or stockings with a shirt

and coat.

CriteriaMiddle

AgesRenaissance

Fashion

• Women also wore different

kinds of clothes All women

wore at least one tunic down

to their ankles. Many women

wore a linen under-tunic and

a woolen over-tunic, and

often a wool cloak over that

if they were going outside.

On their legs women

sometimes wore woven

socks, but women never

wore pants.

• Noblewomen often wore

fancy tall hats, sometimes

with streamers coming off

them. Sometimes they

plucked the hair from their

foreheads to give themselves

very high foreheads.

• They curled their hair,

perfumed their gloves and

sometimes men wore

makeup.

• They liked pearls in

jewelry, wealthy women

would have elaborate

jewelry made of gold

• Starched linen neck ruffs

from shoulder to shoulder.

• Exaggerated use of

clothes.

• Women corseted their

waists.

• Colors had a meaning, for

example green meant love.

• Women wore long dresses.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the difference between the Middle Ages and the renaissance period,

we infer that the renaissance took “culture into another dimension”. This means that it

changed the way people perceived the world. Using different criteria, such as women

role in society, gender equality, the church´s role, among others; we deduce that by the

time of the 15th century (beginnings of renaissance) people started to think into

another way; education was very important, church wasn´t the center of their lives, and

in political terms the state was more important than religion. Changes that led women

take place in the society; gave them a kind of new status where they would be able to

emerge as a rational human being, and start making bigger achievements, that latter

would led to a whole women revolution, and standardization of their

CONCLUSION

It is evident that life from the Middle Ages was very different towards life

from Renaissance. In the first one, everything worked around feudalism, fact

that implies living with the simplicity but social difference that represented this

system. This can be analyzed on their artworks, in this case in their fashion,

which was neither much detailed nor extravagant. Meanwhile, the Renaissance

as its name expresses it, is the rebirth, thus it was an era of extreme changes;

were fashion, art, among other types of expression took place; making clothes

and symbols a relevant element on their daily life, making tributes to the

fabrics, colors, and others.