I remember reading about people in the Renaissance who characterized their age as being different from the Middle Ages, but I haven't been able to find who some of the people who made those statements were (I assume they were likely relatively prominent intellectuals). I'd like to find who they were primarily to know exactly when people started seeing their time period distinctly (in 1450? 1500? etc.)
5
-
5Some are named in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance#Self-awareness .– kimchi loverCommented May 19, 2022 at 23:47
-
5@kimchilover - Interesting. A note for long-term users here: The first known use of the term "Middle Ages" just happened to occur 29 years after the Printing Press was invented. Just sayin...– T.E.D. ♦Commented May 20, 2022 at 1:19
-
2This is not correct. The term was used prior to the invention of the Printing Press, for instance, by Petrarca in 1336, uses "medium tempus" in the letter to Dionigio da Borgo.– JamesCommented May 20, 2022 at 9:57
-
@James - da Borgo was the first known use of those exact words. However the first use of the term in the modern sense (helpfully shown by the first entry in the table in your answer that has an unquestioned "Yes" on it) was the mentioned 29 years. When da Borgo used that sequence of words, he did not mean what we mean when we use them.– T.E.D. ♦Commented May 20, 2022 at 15:43
-
1I mean, I am cheating a little here, because it would be really tough to come up with and use the term in the modern sense before the "middle ages" in the modern use of the term had even ended. If nothing else, the chart in your answer certianly shows some general self-awareness during the end of the era that the times were a'changing.– T.E.D. ♦Commented May 20, 2022 at 15:52
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
This could be answered by looking at how and when the term "Middle Ages" was coined. This starts obviously in Trecento Italy, with a new wave of vernacular literature that will later cause the whole, varied, artistic movement of the Renaissance (Quattrocento, Cinquecento).
As said, Petrarch is the key, early figure, but he's not the only one. Coluccio Salutati is the important figure in promoting reading ancient texts, which is a key component of the Renaissance.
Also, Flavio Biondo is the relevant historian to be mentioned here (Petrach was a poet, writer). All these people were living and working in Tuscany cities at the time.
See this table below that shows when and how the term "middle ages" was coined. The last column is an interpretation of wheter the term could be considered equivalent to our current, modern, use of "Middle Ages", in the context.
Cronología de las expresiones de «Edad Media» (ss. XIV – XVI) Author: Eduard Baura
-
Might be worth mentioning that "SI" means "YES" in English (although even my dumb monolingual American self knows that).– T.E.D. ♦Commented May 20, 2022 at 15:39
Francesco Petrarca (or Petrarch, anglicized) is often cited as a, if not the, key figure in noticing the difference between the periods of the middle ages and the renaissance (or, rather, the 'gap' between the classical and contemporary times that were the '"middle" ages').
Peter Raedts in his book "The Discovery of the Middle Ages - History of an Illusion" 1 mentions how Petrarca in 1341 was laureled poet in the Roman Capitol by Orso of Anguillara. During his acceptance speech, Petrarca, fully aware of the 1200 year break between this and the last time the ceremony was held - then in honour of Publius Papinius Statius - emphasized the extraordinary nature of this event.
1: http://www.letterenfonds.nl/en/book/855/the-discovery-of-the-middle-agesLooking at his own time and the direct past, Petrarca saw a deep dark abyss, stretching out across more than a thousand years, a desperate time which had only brought forth 'chatter artists'.
["Kijkend naar zijn eigen tijd en naar het directe verleden zag Petrarca een diepe, donkere afgrond die zich uitstrekte over meer dan duizend jaar, een hopeloze tijd die alleen maar ‘kwebbelkunstenaars’ had voortgebracht."]
