Renaissance and Middle Ages are some of the most talked about periods in history. They are the years which preceded the modern age. Renaissance age refers to a peri-od of rebirth that fell between the 14th and 16th century. It was marked by a renew-al in learning and reforms in education. It was also characterised by infrastructural improvement. Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement.

The Middle Ages refer to the period between the 5th and 16th century. The Middle Ages are also referred to as the Medieval period. The term “Middle Ages” is often used to describe the European continent between the time of Rome’s falling in the 5th century and the onset of Renaissance in the 14th century.

Renaissance is considered as a link between the Middle Ages and the modern ages. Even though it began in the 14th century, it was not until the 15th and the 16th cen-tury that it peaked. The onset of Renaissance sparked an interest in all things classi-cal. Renaissance first began in Italy and then later spread to areas in Western Eu-rope east of the Pyrenees. Here are the differences between Renaissance and the Middle Ages.

Art
Renaissance was characterised by classical form of art while the Middle Ages were characterised by the Gothic style of art. Classical art refers to the art which was practised by the Greeks and the Romans. Classical art was being practised by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

During the Renaissance period, artists portrayed human beauty in their works. Reli-gion was also portrayed. Renaissance artists also created their works in two dimen-sional forms. Some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance period include Michel-angelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Renaissance architecture also employed classical el-ements. The Renaissance period had elicited interest in the aesthetical beauty of classical elements. Aside from classical architecture, classical letters were also em-braced in Western Europe during the Renaissance period. Classical culture had been abandoned in Western Europe during the Middle Ages.

The Gothic style which was practised during the Middle Ages is a style of building characterised by arches. Fine woodwork and stonework were incorporated in the Gothic styles. A notable example of the Gothic buildings which were constructed in the Middle Ages is the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.

Literature
During the Renaissance period, people were able to write in their vernacular lan-guages as opposed to the Middle Ages where the only languages which were used to write were Greek and Latin. Writing in other languages different from Greek and Latin had been made possible by the development of the printing press. The intro-duction of a printing press in the Renaissance period was a major step away from the Middle Ages where texts had been solely handwritten and the writing had to be done on parchment paper. Renaissance literature also embraced humanism. Eliza-beth English got to feature predominantly during the Renaissance period.

The church
The church held great influence during the Middle Ages. Many people respected and followed the laws of the church. Vices however crept in later on. The Roman Catho-lic Church had been the only dominant church in Europe during the Middle Ages but the Renaissance period saw the development of protestant churches. The Catholic Church had been marred by internal problems. There was tension between factions allied to the Roman emperor and factions allied to the pope. This consequently led to the Western Schism, there were three rival claimants to the papal position. Abus-es of power within the Catholic Church led to the starting of protestant churches so as to create reforms.