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RENAISSANCE SOCIETY
Notes - 8-20-13
The Renaissance saw some changes in the
division of society into three estates, or social
classes.
1st Estate– Clergy
2nd Estate– Nobles
3rd Estate – Peasants/Townspeople
THE NOBLE (2ND)
The noble was expected to fulfill certain
ideals. Baldassare Castiglione (Ca-steel-yo-nay)
expressed these in the Book of Courtier.
He described the characteristics of a perfect
Renaissance noble.
2-3% of the population.
CHARACTERIST ICS OF A PERFECT NOBLE :
A noble was born, not made.
Nobles were expected to have talent, character,
and grace.
Nobles had to perform military and physical
exercise.
Nobles had to gain a classical education.
A noble had to enrich their life with arts.
A noble also had to follow a standard of conduct.
Nobles were to show their achievements with
grace.
The goal of a perfect noble was to serve his prince
honestly.
Nobles followed Castiglione’s principles for
centuries.
PEASANTS (3RD)
Peasants made up 85-90% of the total European
population, except in highly urban centers.
Serfdom decreased.
More peasants became legally free.
TOWNSPEOPLE (3RD)
Townspeople comprised the remainder of the third estate.
Patricians, burghers, workers, and the unemployed made
up the three classes of the towns.
Patricians (people of noble birth) had wealth from trade,
banking and industry.
The Burghers were the shopkeepers, artisans and guild
members who provided goods and services for the
townspeople.
LIFE IN THE TOWNSWorkers made pitiful wages.
During the late 1300s and 1400s, urban poverty
increased dramatically.
To maintain the family, parents arranged
marriages (often to strengthen family or business
ties). The arrangement between families was sealed
with a marriage contract, which included the terms
of a dowry, a sum of money the bride’s family paid
to the groom.
FAMILY ROLES
The Father-Husband was the center of the
Italian family. • He gave the family his name, managed
the finances, and made the decisions that determine his children’s lives.
The Mother’s role was to supervise the
household.
CHILDREN IN RENAISS ANCE SOCIETY
The father’s authority over his children
was absolute.
Children did not become adults by just
simply reaching a certain age.
The father had to go before a judge and
formally free a child from his authority for
that child to be recognized as an adult.