Humanism
In the Renaissance times, Humanism was an intellectual movement. It was mainly a collection of Greek and Roman teachings. Unlike the name suggests, it is not about the study of humans. It is more of an atheistic movement, focused on the betterment of humanity and one's self. People spent more of there time trying to find ways to improve the everyday life of people instead of focusing on religious things, even though Humanists didn't think of themselves as being against the Church. Even though, this made the Church angry, so it tried to stifle Humanism.
One of the first humanists was Petrarch, who is referred to as the "Father of Humanism." He and other important Humanists collected manuscripts from ancient Greece and Rome. Humanism quickly gained popularity, and it wasn't long before a good portion of the upper-classes were getting instructed on it. Even some of the really important people in the Church were Humanists. It started in Italy, specifically Florence, around the 15th century.
Humanism was vastly different than what was the norm in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, people were very religious and focused their life on following the Church's command. Humanism was basically the antithesis of the Middle Ages. It encouraged culture and the arts.
One of the first humanists was Petrarch, who is referred to as the "Father of Humanism." He and other important Humanists collected manuscripts from ancient Greece and Rome. Humanism quickly gained popularity, and it wasn't long before a good portion of the upper-classes were getting instructed on it. Even some of the really important people in the Church were Humanists. It started in Italy, specifically Florence, around the 15th century.
Humanism was vastly different than what was the norm in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, people were very religious and focused their life on following the Church's command. Humanism was basically the antithesis of the Middle Ages. It encouraged culture and the arts.