Introduction
The Middle Ages was the period in Europe after the fall of Rome, occurring from the fifth to the fifteenth century; the Middle Ages coincided with the beginning of the Renaissance in the fifteenth century. In the Middle Ages, the societal structure was centred around hierarchy; there were serfs, merchants, knights, noblemen, and royalty, among the many roles in society. The Catholic Church had immense power among people during the Middle Ages, considered to be the most powerful institution in Europe. The worldviews among those living during the Middle Ages revolved around God and spirituality; for example, many believed in the idea of a divine plan – this meant they believed the world was a product of God’s intelligence. Many during the Middle Ages, would look for allegories in texts, in order to find relations to a higher purpose (God); texts, literature, art, etc. were centred around religion.1 In many art pieces, the figures were often depicted as looking very stiff, with serious faces; important figures were made much larger than those less important. Art in the Middle Ages looked very two-dimensional; importance to the human body and its detail were not significant; there was not a large importance for the concept of perception, light and shading, depth or form, either. Many art pieces were also centred around Biblical scenes. Architecture in the Middle Ages was Romanesque, similar to the Renaissance period.2 Gothic Architecture was also extremely popular during the Middle Ages. During this time period, religion was important in life, the political structure of Europe was very different to the modern world, as was the entertainment available during that time period; the rebirth of society, known as the Renaissance, was focused on humanism, however, elements of religion were still largely found in art, politics and entertainment, even if they had changed from the Middle Ages period.
Within this website, the relationship between religion and the arts, entertainment and politics will be explored; Religion was still a very dominating force in the Renaissance age, which occurred from the fourteenth to seventeenth century; however, the exploration of how religion still maintained its presence or lost its domination in the three subtopics will be further examined.
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1 James, Usha, Jennifer Watt, Tom Cohen, and Michael Butler. Legacy: The West and the World. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2003.
2 “Middle Ages.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, April 22, 2010. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/middle-ages.
