QUESTION FROM IN CLASS FINAL EXAM HIST 104A, FALL 2006:

“Explain how the Late Midde Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Age of Exploration are very much the same era. Do so by providing facts, dates and critical thinking!”

The short answer for how the Late Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, and Age of Exploration are the same era is very simple: they were happening at the same time: they were happening at the same time. The more complex version is that they were actually different influences from the years of about 1300 to the mid 17^th century. These four “ages” could be more accurately described as different aspects of that time, lasting about 350 years.

The Late Middle Ages probably is the best term of the four if you are going to choose one. That is because all of the things taking place were bringing to an end the medieval era and ushering in a new age. In 1347,the Black Plague smashed into Europe. The Black Death accelerated the changes that were slowly coming about and provided fertile ground, most notably in Italy, for the Renaissance. The Plague was also the beginning of the church. When the Great Schism of the 14^th century left people without a religious leader to look to for guidance through the Plague, seeds were planted that would ultimately flower in the 1500’s through, most notably Erasmus, Luther and Calvin. Then began the Age of Exploration. While you could say the Age of Exploraton began with Marco Polo in 1271 with his trip to China, the thing that really got it going was the fall of Constantinople to the Turks and the closing thereof of trade routes in 1453. The Age of Exploration was started out of a desire to maintain trade with China.

If one had to describe the Renaissance, it could be said it has had the greatest affect on the modern world in terms of society and civilization. At the time the Renaissance took place, it also affected the world around it. The Renaissance had a huge impact of the Late Middle Ages structure. After the plague people began to question many things. One of these was the value of an individual. “Men can do all things if they will.” Before the highest value was placed on one’s city or “nation.” I put nation quotations because it is hard to call medieval Europeans units nations, as we picture nations today. The Renaissance quickened the downfall of the Middle Ages by placing value in the individual as opposed to the group. This theme also applied to the Reformation and the Age of Exploration.

With this new-placed value the hierarchy of feudalism was bound to crumble. As stated earlier –at the same time of the Renaissance’s value of individualism was fueling the Reformation. The peak of the Renaissance was the 16^th century, and it was in 1517 with Luther’s 95 these that church power was sucked away. The these and protestant belief that evolved out of those theses placed value in the individual that faith of the person alone was enough, and that if a person had faith they did not need the Church to stand with them before God to argue on their behalf, as the Catholics said that no one faced God alone. On the contrary, protestants believed that with true faith, you were alright to stand alone before God.

The area where the Renaissance had perhaps the least impact was the Age of Exploration. Indeed in the Renaissance fashion many explorers set out for fame and personal glory, they were ultimately representing their country and the Monarchs in charge. The largest contribution was the technology that came as a result. However, despite whatever the impact, they were both happening at the same time. With Diaz making his voyage in 1487, and Magellan making his famous voyage in 1519-1522.

The Reformation was perhaps the area most influential to that time. The Reformation completely changed Europe in many ways unimaginable. The Late Middle Ages completely lost touch with the earlier medieval times because the solidarity of a Europe united in the peace at Augsburg in 1548 (?) and later at Peace of Westphalia in 1648. At both of these meetings it was decided that the German princes could declare their areas as either Catholic, or Lutheran. Calvinism was added as an option at Westphalia.

The Renaissance philosophy was more of an influencer in terms of the Reformation than the influenced. However, as mentioned earlier there was the important development of a personal relationship with God. The Reformation was influential in the colonization of the new world. The Pope closed the world to only Spain and Portugal, but because countries like England did not follow the Pope or Catholicism, they ignored the Line of Demarcation drawn up by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) and plunged ahead with settlements like Jamestown.

Indeed the Age of Exploration was a little later on the stage but had perhaps the farthest reaching effects. The Age of Exploration greatly affected the Middle Ages because of colonization. The hierarchy and feudal structure could not survive so far from the mother country. The Renaissance was affected because it introduced new ideas and new views on the world and nature. The Reformation was greatly affected, especially Erasmus’s arguments of man’s place in the universe, as the world seemingly opened up to the European man and woman. Although they have different names, the Late Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation and Age of Exploration are all one era. And, all of these aspects were important as they moved Europe towards a new era in history.