The expansion of Europe, Renaissance and spirit of enquiry

The start European expansion and conquest. The Renaissance known as the rebirth is a phase where Europeans grew the interest to learn about the world and seek answers. This was through Art, Science and Literature

1. REINASSANCE
IN EUROPE
GRADE 10 HISTORY, 18 AUGUST 2025

2. INTRODUCTION
•The Renaissance refers to a time where
Europeans grew interest in various aspects of
their lives( Burke, 1997)They grew an interest to
question their surrounding and seek answers.
This is the time where the Arts, Science and
technology grew fundamentally. This presentation
will analyse and discuss changes that were
brought by the Renaissance, the Rebirth.

3. TOPICS
INCLUDED
1. FEUDALISM AND FEUDAL SOCIETIES
2. TRAVEL AND TRADE
3. SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY
4.ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
5.GROWTH OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
6.WOMEN IN REINASSANCE EUROPE

4. FEUDALISM AND
FEUDAL
SOCIETY
•Feudalism is a system in which people were
given land and protection by a noble man
and in return had to work and fight for him.
South African being an African country, it has
a history of feudalism through Kingdoms
(Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho) that were only
controlled by the King in return for labour.
•In feudal societies , Europe was divided into
small kingdoms where landowners knows as
the nobles were rich and in charge of the
land. This land was given to peasants known
as serfs in return for labour and protection.
•This is a system that existed before the
Renaissance

5. TRAVEL AND TRADE
•The economy was largely operated through travel
and trade. Just like African kingdoms, the only source
of wealth was through trade, barter, cattles and
agriculture.
•The most famous form of barter involves exchange
of a cattle for a wife better known as lobola.
•The Europeans would trade with Asia and North
Africa and traded new goods, coffee and spices
•The travel and trade exposed Europeans to new
things and they grew awareness to what they needed
to develop their societies
•This influenced their way of thinking. From religion,
arts, technology, science and trade a a whole.

6. SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY
•By the 15
th
and 16
th
century their new way of
thinking was fully driven by their spirit of enquiry
•This meant that they began to question things
around them and were seeking “proof” of what
was happening in their surrounding. This phase can
also be referred to as “ukuzalwa kabusha” in Zulu
language.
•Their interest grew around arts, science and
technology
•This phase was known as the RENAISSANCE.

7. RENAISSANC
E
•THE WORD RENAISSANE SIMPLY MEANS “REBIRTH”
•THIS WAS A TIME WHERE EUROPEANS GREW A NEW INTEREST
IN FINDING OUT ABOUT THE WORLD
•INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING WHAT THEY HAD BEEN TOLD BY THE
CHURCH OR THEIR FEUDAL RULERS , PEOPLE BEGAN TO
QUESTION
•THIS WAS CAUSED BY NEW IDEAS BY OTHER CULTURES
PARTICULARLY MUSLIM AS A RESULT OF TRADE.
•THIS PHASE WAS ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE GROWTH OF THE
NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDDLE AGES

8. GROWTH OF
THE MIDDLE
CLASS
•AS TRADE DEVELOPED AND TOWNS GREW, THE
FEUDAL SYSTEM BEGAN TO BREAK DOWN
•A NEW CLASS MERCHANTS, BANKERS AND
SKILLED CRAFTPEOPLE DEVELOPED IN TOWN
AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE MIDDLE CLASS
•THEY WERE NO LONGER UNDER THE CONTROL
OF FEUDAL RULES AND THEY HAD
INDEPENDENCE
•THIS MEANT THAT THEY COULD WORK FOR
THEMSELVES.
•IN OTHER REGIONS, KINGS ACCEPTED THE
BREAKDOWN OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM IN
RETURN FOR GETTING TAXES AND LOANS FROM
THE MERCHANTS IN THE TOWNS

9. ARTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
•THE RENAISSANCE STARTED IN ITALY WHERE THE WEALTH CREATED BY TRADE
IN THE CITY LED TO A BURST OF CREATIVE ACTIVITY.
•MERCHANT WERE READY TO SUPPORT WRITERS, ARTISTS AND SCULPTORS
•PAINTERS AND SCULTORS LIKE LEORNARDO DEVINCI AND MICHELANGELO
PRODUCED BEAUTIFUL ARTWOK IN CITIES LIKE FLORENCE
•WRITERS LIKE WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR ALSO PRODUCED PHENOMENAL
WRITINGS

10. CONTINUED……
THE INVENTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND NEW
DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE SPREAD
THE INVENTION OF PRINTING PRESS HELPED SPREAD
NEW IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE QUICKLY
SCIENTIST LIKE GALILEO GALELIE AND ISAAC
NEWTONS EXPLORED THEIR KNOWLEDGE IN
SCIENCE
GALILEO CHANGED ASTRONOMY BY SHOWING THAT
THE EARTH REVOLVED AROUND THE SUN RATHER
THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND
ISAAC NEWTONS LAID THE BASIS FOR MODERN
MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS BY WORKING OUT THE
LAWS OF GRAVITY AND MOTION

11. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ART BEFORE AND
AFTER RENAISSANCE
BEFORE AFTER

12. GROWTH OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
AS TRADE DEVELOPED AND TOWS GREW, THE FEUDAL SYSTEM BEGAN
TO BREAK DOWN
A NEW CLASS OF MERCHANTS,BANKERS AND SKILLED
CRAFTPEOPLE DEVELOPED IN TOWS AND BECAME KNOWS AS THE
MIDDLE CLASS
THIS MEANT THAT THE MIDDLE CLASS HAD INDEPENDENCE AND
COULD WORK FOR THEMSELVES
IN OTHER REGIONS THE KINGS ACCEPTED THE BREAKDOWN OF
FEUDALISM IN RETURN FOR GETTING TAXES AND LOANS FROM THE
MERCHANTS IN TOWN

13. WOMEN IN
RENAISSANCE
EUROPE
THE MOVE FROM FEUDALISM TO THE RENAISSANCE LED TO
MANY CHANGES FOR MEN BUT THE POSITION OF WOMEN
DID NOT IMPROVE
WOMEN HAD FEW LEGAL RIGHT AND REMAINED UNDER THE
CONTROL OF THEIR FATHERS AND HUSBANDS, WHICH IS THE
SAME SYSTEM USED IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL HOMES.
VERY FEW WERE GIVEN BASIC EDUCATION AND WERE
EXCLUDED FROM MERCHANTS,TRADE,POLITICS AND
OCCUPATIONS SUCH AS LAW OR CHRISTIAN PRIESTHOOD
THE ONLY POSSIBILITY WAS TO ENTER THE CHURCH AS NUNS
WHERE THEY WORKED TENDING TO THE SICK OR LIVED IN
SECLUSION SEPARATED FROM OTHER PEOPLE
PEASANT WOMEN CONTINUED TO WORK IN AGRICULTURE ,
WORKED AS SERVANTS AND PERFORMED DOMESTIC WORK.

14. INFLUENCE OF THE RENAISSANCE ON THE
MODERN WORLD
•SCIENTIFIC ENQUIRY AND
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
•INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM AND
HUMANISTIC VALUES
•ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL
TRANSFORMATION
•THE PRINTING PRESS AND
DEMOCRATIZATION
•POP CULTURE AND MODERN
AESTHETIC
•LASTING LEGACY AND ONGOING
DEBATES

15. THANK YOU

16. REFERENCE LIST
• CindyCanon1. (2025). RENAISSANCE PERIOD_MAPEH 9_1ST QUARTER [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/renaissance-period_mapeh-9_1st-quarter-pptx/282321178
•witchblood. (2025). Renaissance [PDF document]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/renaissance-
52833718/52833718
•Raditsa, B., Arkenberg, R., Burnham, R., Krohn, D. L., Lydecker, K., & Russo, T. (2001). The art of Renaissance Europe: A resource
for educators [PDF document]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/the-art-of-renaissance-europe-a-resource-for-
educators-bosiljka-raditsa/276552666
•Sharma, M. (2025). Renaissance science: Dawn of modern thought [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/renaissance-science-dawn-of-modern-thought/282245478
•https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-standing-in-front-of-a-painting-of-a-man-Rh5JQNzyyz4https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-
of-people-taking-pictures-of-a-painting-0L66mdl4yNE