The emergence of secular curiosity, Black Death, humanism, and printing press became the genesis of Renaissance. This period marked the beginning of intellectual, cultural, and scientific awakening, which started in the mid-14th century in Florence, Italy (Malanima, 2018, p. 3)Besides other significant changes in history, Renaissance was tremendous a historical event that influenced various aspects of human life.
The emergence of secular curiosity played a significant role in the Renaissance. The church was the only institution that supported education during the feudal period. Education was in line with the Catholic principles, indicating that the entire process was all non-secular. As feudalism declined, the trade between Eastern and Western Europe improved bringing new and varying principles, ideas and thoughts in Europe. Those factors brought an acute urge towards secular education.
Humanism together with the printing press was a milestone towards the success of Renaissance. The aspect formed the basis of new paintings, texts, sculptures, and other new works (Malanima, 2018, p. 13). The printing press assisted to disseminatethe information portrayed by the work of art. The printing press did not only reproduce the text quickly but also developed single page pamphlets. The pamphlets assisted in the spread of information.
Black Death had a positive impact on the Renaissance in Europe. In 1347, the merchant ships to Sicily brought the plaguethat spread to a large part of Europe killing about a third of the population. The peasants whom the feudal system depended on heavily for labor, production of food, and other services were the mostly affected. Hence, an economic crisis emerged and trade ceased because of fear of the spread of plague. Changes in culture, religion, and socio-economic emerged necessitating the government to initiative recovery program, the Renaissance.
References
Malanima, P. (2018). Italy in the Renaissance: A leading economy in the European context, 1350-1550. The Economic History Review, 71(1), 3-30.