Renaissance “Man”

Many of the key figures during this time were men, but women were not silent in this period, and they did help shape the Renaissance. Christine de Pisan, for example, wrote dozens of works of poetry and political theory, arguing for women’s education. Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de’ Medici wielded significant political power. There were plenty of others, such as Marguerite de Navarre and Sofonisba Anguissola, who were patrons of the arts and artists themselves. Like the men of this movement, these women came almost exclusively from the upper classes, their works directed at the courts of French monarchs and Italian princes. Today, the phrase “Renaissance Man” is used to describe someone who has broad knowledge in many topics. Yet, many women participated in the Renaissance through their writing and art. Still others exercised political power, collected art, and patronized artists. Among the wealthy classes, at least, it seems there were plenty of “Renaissance Women.”

Did the Renaissance really happen? Well, that depends who you ask and where you look. If you look at art, literature, and—as we’ll see below— trade and the merchant class, there were huge transformations. But for most peasant farmers—who made up the vast majority of the population—not a lot changed. For most people outside a privileged few in wealthy urban centers, the changes started by the Renaissance would not be felt for generations.