The shift from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period was dramatic and a major influence

in how the world today is shaped. On the political scale, there was a shift from the small nobles
leading areas/tribes to powerful kings and large nations. This provided a strong central
government. In economic terms, the culture changed from an agricultural society to one that
focuses on the combination of merchants, traders, and agriculture. On the social side, an entire
new caste is born. In the middle ages, there was a 2 caste society of the nobles and the serfs.
Now in the early modern period, there is the birth of the new middle class of merchants and
traders. The three caste system is made up of the peasants, middle class, and the nobles. These
changes need some form of a catalyst. This comes in terms of the Renaissance, which was born
in Italy. The Renaissance is the transition between the middle ages and the early modern period.
In the middle ages, it was a God-centered world with a strong focus on the Church. Now in the
early modern period, the focus is on a man-centered world. This change also had impacts.
Humanism challenged the Catholic Church because it focuses on the human as the center of
intelligence and artistic endeavor. This emphasis on human achievement and advancement of
intellectual and human qualities help promote this change. Another idea that arose in this period
is secularism. Secularism is the movement away from religion and focuses on world matters, like
power, wealth, land, status, sex, and prestige. These changes during the Renaissance do not come
just as different ways of thinking. The Renaissance had very distinct characteristics in terms of
art, like realistic paintings, use of vibrant colors, portrait, 3-dimensional paintings (depth), both
religious and secular works, nudity, dramatic moment, and Classical Greek/Roman myth.
DaVinci and Michelangelo are examples of the kinds of artists that do their work in this period.
The Renaissance period also had very distinctive architectural features like pillars and domes.