What was the 12th Century renaissance?

The 12 century renaissance was a time of social blooming for Europe. Europeans of the 12 century, at any social order, went through advancements in technology, philosophy, and social organization. Historians blame this renaissance on the Europeans discovering Aristotle's Dialectic theories. Western Europe was "revitalized" and seemed to soar through different advancements.

During the 12 century renaissance there were many technological advancements. Windmills and paper were being made. Paper was being produced by Italy. The spinning wheel was brought to Europe. Advancements in technology helped ease a lot of the physical labor that lower Europeans had to do. With more free time to work the amount of education that people had grew.

A new type of learning called Scholasticism. Scholasticism was formed from the discoveries of Aristotle's works. This new form of learning was more centered around Catholiscm and its beliefs, logic, and reasoning. One of the famous pioneers of Aristotle's works was Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle's works were named Aristotelian-ism. He developed the theory that the human mind was in a blank state until a "spark" occurred and then the mind could take in information. With that the Church was not very prominent in the 12th Century Renaissance. Preceding the 12th century people did not make any action without the Church in mind because it ruled everything. During the renaissance the people tried to make following the rules of the church easier.

During the 12th century the Europeans gained knowledge and became indepedent. They learned from previously made mistakes so that they could grow. "Our own generation enjoys the legacy bequeathed to it by that which preceded it. We frequently know more, not because we have moved ahead by our own natural ability, but because we are supported by the menial strength of others, and possess riches that we have inherited from our forefathers." - (John of Salisbury, The Metalogicon, 1159-60)

citation: Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 26: The 12th Century Renaissance." The History Guide -- Main. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

"Renaissance of the 12th Century." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. .

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