Daily Life

The patterns of daily life varied as much during the Renaissance as they do today. A noblewoman in an Italian city, for example, spent her time very differently from a peasant in England. Forces such as class, geography, and gender played a major role in shaping Europeans' daily lives. They affected the food people ate, the clothing they wore, the houses they lived in, and the education they received.

Geography. Life in northern Europe fell into different patterns from life in the Mediterranean region. The fertile plains and forests of northern Europe had mild summers and long, rainy or snowy winters. The Mediterranean region was drier and more mountainous, with hot, dry summers and rainy winters. These differences in climate and landscape affected the crops and livestock that people could raise, as well as the foods they ate and the housing they required.

The Mediterranean region was also a major center of trade and shipping with many major cities. The rest of Europe, by contrast, was thinly populated except for a few urban centers in Germany and the Netherlands. Rural and urban areas developed distinct lifestyles.

Gender and Class. Gender and social class affected many aspects of daily life. In general, women had less freedom and independence than men. Upper-class women tended to stay at home, or, if they were members of a royal household, at the COURT. They spent much of their time supervising their household staff and overseeing their children's education. They left home only to visit the market or to attend religious or civic events, and only in the company of others.

Men of the noble classes spent their time at court or managing their estates. During wartime, military campaigns often kept them away from home for long periods. Those who lived in cities and towns, especially in Italy, sometimes engaged in business activities. Upper-class men also dominated politics and public affairs. However, as Renaissance monarchs and princes centralized their hold over their territories, noblemen had fewer opportunities to have a real impact in politics. In the countryside, men participated in local affairs through village or church councils.

Middle- and lower-class individuals spent much of their time working. The middle class contained people of various professions, including lawyers, doctors, merchants, artisans*, and shopkeepers. Women played roles in some of these occupations, such as tending shops or performing craft work like sewing and weaving. However, their main responsibilities were caring for the home and children. The poor often worked as farm laborers or as servants, jobs common to both men and women.

Households. Housing improved slowly but steadily during the Renaissance. In the countryside, members of the upper classes lived in wooden or stone castles or manor houses, furnished with comfortable beds, tables, and chairs. Beginning in the 1400s, stone became more common as a building material, and architects remodeled many medieval* structures in new Renaissance styles.

Most peasants lived in houses made of wood or earth, with thatched roofs. Dirt floors were common before the development of inexpensive tile flooring, which made a major improvement in the quality of lower-class homes. People used screens to divide rooms or to separate their living space from the areas where they kept their livestock. Fleas and other insects were probably common. Poor families had simple furniture, such as straw mattresses and a few chairs or a table made from barrel halves.

Lifestyles also differed sharply between the rich and the poor in Renaissance cities. Wealthy urban families lived in elegant and comfortable homes and dined on varied and elaborately prepared foods. Italy led the way in establishing a high standard of living for the rich. The Italians were the first to build stone houses and to replace metal plates with beautiful ceramic dishes. They also developed refined styles of cooking and polite table manners. After about 1550 these trends spread to France.

The urban poor generally lived in dreadful conditions. Most lower-class people rented crowded, dark rooms on the upper floors of city buildings. They had few household goods and suffered from infestations of fleas and lice. In Venice the very poor lived in small boats near the docks or under the bridges that cross the canals.

Private Life. During the Middle Ages, few distinctions separated public and private life. In general, people thought of themselves and others as members of groups, such as families, villages, churches, and GUILDS*, rather than as individuals. However, during the Renaissance new concepts of private life and individuality emerged. The rise of trade contributed to prosperity, giving some individuals the means and the desire to distinguish themselves from others. At the same time, the general level of education and literacy* rose. More people spent time alone reading and studying. Changes in religious attitudes also encouraged people to focus on solitary prayer and reflection. These factors led to the ideas of individuality and privacy that have become part of modern life.