HIST 2102 Lecture 2: Medieval Origins
Document Summary
The rise of cities would begin in this era. There is growth in the merchant class, and the growth of towns entered around this, and the rise of population. Early modern scholars, especially in the renaissance recognized that they were living in an era that was different than the era before them. Petrarch was the first to recognize this in writing. He separated as his era, the separation from a dark age" from a rebirth", with the cultural flourishing. Today, the term helps us break up history and divide it up. Periodization is what we call it when we break up history for our purposes. Phrases like renaissance, middle ages, etc, are all part of these. One could argue that it began with the industrial revolution. One could also argue that it began with the reformation. One could also argue for post world war ii. A lot of europe is broken up into the three estate hierarchy.
