Renaissance a valid term… The term Renaissance is the perfect depiction of what the Renaissance was. The Renaisannce, which began in Italy in the 1300’s, was one of the largest periods of growth and development in Western Europe. The increase in trade caused an abundance in wealth that resulted in the focusing in arts. Such things as literature, paintings, sculptures, and many more works are know to have blossomed from the Renaissance. Many other important occurrences, such as the Reformation and the split of the Roman Catholic Church caused by opposing views of Martin Luther and more of a focus on humankind called humanism, also the eight crusades to retake Jerusalem from the Muslims, played key roles in the period of the Renaissance.The Crusades which took place before the period of the Renaissance are a major factor in the coming about or “rebirth” of the of society. The eight crusades were efforts to take back Jerusalem from the Muslims. These crusades introduced Western Europe to new tastes of art, fine quisines and new types of cloth ,including silk. With this the need to for trade with the far east increased dramatically. This increase in trade caused an abundance of wealth in Western Europe which intern brought new products and goods to Western Europe.In the year 1305, the Roman Catholic Church was relocated from Rome to Avigon France. . This period in time was known as the Babylonian Captivity. With this the power of the Papal States was divided among the regions leading families. Starting near the year 1300 the demand for reform began to grow at a rapid pace. By the 1600’s close to half of the practicing Catholics in Western Europe had left the church to join one of the many new reformer religious groups. This reform brought about new ways of thought and new attitudes towards religion and the human race. The young German scholar realized that the way to salvation was “Justification by Fait...
