History

Primordial
Stone Age
Greeks
Romans
Middle Ages
Renaissance
18. & 19. Cent.
Belle Epoque
20. C. - 1. Half
20. C. - 2. Half
21. Century


The Renaissance
John McCabe
 Intro
 Exploration
 


A Brief Look at Special Times
fter existing more than a thousand years, the East Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) was finally conquered by the Ottomans (Turks) in 1453. This caused the exodus of many intellectuals, who, in large part, migrated straight to Italy. With them, they carried much information about the Greeks and Romans. Soon the words of the ancient philosophers and poets influenced Italian art, architecture, literature and science. The lifestyle of many Italian aristocrats also started to change. Shortly thereafter, this flowering of free thinking and expression also spread into Northern Europe, launching humanistic movements, vigorous intellectual activity and splendid new artistic endeavors. Certain cities like Nürnberg in southern Germany, became renowned as centers of fine craftsmanship and innovation. Here one could aquire the most intricate jewelry and delicate instruments. The German astronomer and mathematician Regiomontanus, whose work influenced the famous Copernicus, moved to Nürnberg in 1471. He found Nürnberg to be the best spot for his work in all of Europe, as he had access to the finest instruments and was simultaneously able to maintain contact with the learned men of all countries. The concept of "movable type" and the printing press also evolved in Southern Germany. The skilled metalworkers of Nürnberg soon provided precision castings for large scale publishing of books on printing presses.

The Renaissance also introduced powerful new weaponry. The craft of gunsmith evolved. New methods of warfare were developed, employing guns and ships fitted with cannons.

Oyster Cultivation Overlooked
Since the oyster had played a significant role in the ancient world, it too was included in this revival of ancient knowledge. Its high culinary value as well as its qualities as an aphrodisiac were once more readily accepted. The Renaissance also signified the beginning of the end of the naturally occurring oysters in Europe. Starting in the 15th century, they rapidly became extremely popular among the rich and famous. This unbridled lust for oysters continued to gain momentum throughout the course of the renaissance and beyond.

Curiously, with all the ancient knowledge abounding, the teachings of oyster cultivation and the hard lessons on exploitation once learned were overlooked. The degree of exploitation of vast oyster beds along the Atlantic coast and estuaries of Northern Europe was not overtly apparent yet - at least not to the consuming upper classes. The oyster gatherers on the other hand, working long hours in any kind of weather for peanut wages, were likely the first to notice the dwindling supply. But they had neither a choice nor a voice in those days. In order to survive, they simply had to work more and more for less and less oysters, sharing a similar fate of the poor peasants inland growing crops. In time, the gatherers learned to work smarter. They would work at night with lanterns, for instance, to capitalize on particularly favorable low tide. They learned to anticipate the spring tides, revealing a boon of oysters in usually flooded tidal zones. The oyster gatherers would soon take to little boats and work shallow offshore oyster beds during low tide. Later, soon after the renaissance, they would develop special tools and oysters boats to capture the oysters at greater depth.

As far as the aristocrats in Europe were concerned, the fishermen and peasants had two principal functions. In peace times, after paying tithes to the church and taxes to the landowners, they had to provide all the shellfish, fish and crops they could possibly produce to satisfy the insatiable desires of the aristocrats in order to have barely enough left over to stay alive themselves. In war times, the fishermen and peasants were little more than convenient cannon fodder. Nothing really had changed for the oyster gatherers or the peasants since the Middle Ages (or Roman times for that matter) and nothing would change until the 18th century. Aristocrats, often paying low or no taxes, competed amongst each other with displays pomp, luxury and airs of sophistication. Most of the land belonged to the nobility or the church. Oystermen and other forms of fishermen owned nothing of the coastal areas they worked. Only rarely did peasants actually own their land. The kings and ruling aristocracy, often considered as "a deo electus" (chosen by God himself), operating hand in hand with the Roman Catholic Church, certainly had, for the most part, no concept of "providence" in terms of the lowly working class. In France, the status of a nobleman actually forbade taking part in trade and industry. A small but wealthy merchant class thus evolved, at times loaning money to the aristocrats. Although the "glorious Renaissance" lasted well into the 17th century, it passed right by most of the European fishermen and peasants of that time period. The remained miserably poor, uneducated and extorted.

The Renaissance also marks the epoch of vast world exploration (discussed separately here).


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