The Great Chain of Being

The concept of the Great Chain of Being tells that everything in the universe had its "place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order. Renaissance thinkers viewed a human being as a microcosm that reflected the structure of the world as a whole, the macrocosm. When things were properly ordered, reason ruled the emotions.

Political Implications of the Chain of Being

The fear of "disorder" had also significant political ramifications. The major political accomplishment of the Renaissance, perhaps, was the establishment of effective central government, not only in the north but in the south as well. Not only did the chain of being concept provide a rationale for the authority of such rulers; it also suggested that there was ideal behavior that was appropriate to their place in the order of things.

Humanism

The concept of the "Renaissance Man" refers to an individual who, in addition to participating actively in the affairs of public life, possesses knowledge of and skill in many subject areas. Overall, in consciously attempting to revive the thought and culture of classical antiquity, perhaps the most important value the Humanists extracted from their studies of classical literature, history, and moral philosophy was the social nature of humanity. In fact renaissance means rebirth, which concerned the study of classical culture.

"Imitation"

 Another concept derived from the classical past was the literary doctrine of "imitation.

Renaissance writers, instead of the past, were to capture the spirit of the originals, mastering the best models, learning from them, then using them for their own purposes. The doctrine of "imitation" of ancient authors did have one very important effect: since it recommended not only the imitation of specific classical writers, but also the imitation of classical genres, there was a revival of significant literary forms.

The Protestant Reformation

In the early sixteenth century, the German monk Martin Luther reacted against Church corruption.

Protestantism broke up the institution that had for so long unified all Europe under the Pope.