There are many different interpretations and understandings of the explosion of the Renaissance. Most historians objectively break this process up into two main stages. Firstly, in the 12th century, the "prototypical" Renaissance of the Middle Ages occurred; and in the 14th-15th centuries, was the "real" Renaissance.
In the 12th century, Paris gave birth to the world's first university, and not long after, Oxford followed suit. By the 1220s, independent teachers began lecturing on art, theology, and law at various educational institutions in Oxford. These new universities formed the core of the "initial" Renaissance of the 12th century, and laid the foundation for the "real" Renaissance two centuries later. British mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead says: "The Middle Ages was a long development process, throughout which European intellectuals grasped a firm notion of process and progress."
With the existence of new universities, Aristotle's ideas of humanist and colorful literary works once again became popular, and the science of Euclid, Galen and Ptolemy was rediscovered.
Aristotle was both a scientist and philosopher, his ideology all-encompassing, but imposes no element of spiritual faith. He believed everything people observed, thought or accepted could be analyzed and investigated further. Although scientists later discovered that Aristotle was wrong about far more things than he was right, it is impossible to deny his acceptance of scientific debate and enquiry. He established an all-encompassing system of thought, bringing together all of the wisdom of the ancients into an "encyclopedia" of sorts. He was the true oracle spokesman, the one who would establish a rational basis for belief in Christianity. He shone a light on the wisdom of the ancients, demystifying it for generations to come, but he himself would also later become the challenging subject of future generations' study. Some historians say he was "a tragic person in science across the Middle Ages," occupying the center of attention for an eternity, until ironically being knocked down by the very "weapon" he forged.
Nearly 200 years after the birth of the first university in Paris, a young man by the name of Francis Petrarch arrived at Italy's most famous academic city—Bologna. His father was a notary, who wished for his son to study law and religion there. At that time, Bologna was a magical place with a strong learning atmosphere, where students from all fields of study gathered, each following their own unique academic pursuits. In the 14th century, the first course in human autonomy was offered. Legend has it that the female professors here were particularly attractive. A female professor was said to wear a veil in lectures to avoid distracting her students with her beauty.
Petrarch enjoyed the atmosphere of Bologna, but had no interest in studying law. He once said, "Refining a skill is a painful process, this skill (in reference to law) requires dishonesty, and I cannot accept this, but apart from dishonesty, I see no other viable application of law, and this is against my interests." [7]
Bologna's education did not produce the lawyer or notary Petrarch's father may have wished for, but it did create a great poet. He began a collection of ancient Roman legends, feeding his hunger with the works of Virgil, Cicero and Seneca. Through philosophy and poetry, he opened a dusty door of wisdom, through his experience of the old world to understand the mysteries of the new. He envied and longed for the liberal thinking and compositions of ancient sages. Following his parents' death, he gave up that tortuous course in law, and became lost in a romantic indulgence of poetic composition.
At that same time, the "three heroes" of the Italian Renaissance, Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch, gradually broke down Christianity's monopoly on the themes of creative art, finally liberating the living people with a creative renaissance.
Dante's Divine Comedy is a Christian epic of good and evil, describing his journey from hell to heaven and his many experiences and revelations along the way. Although many of the characters were of his era, allowing readers to identify with reality, the thoughts and messages reflected within were intended lessons in morality. He took a serious approach to Christianity, viewing it as an awe-inspiring force. In this regard, he was a man of the Middle Ages, the Church and religion a fundamental building block in his perception of the cosmos. At the same time, he was a man of the Renaissance, strongly condemning the Church for its role in the demise of humanity, and his work served as the catalyst of a new era of critical analysis and scrutiny. His spiritual successor Boccaccio saw him as a model, a light of guidance and a mentor.
Boccaccio's Decameron is a product of the Black Death, following the journey of ten young men and women who attempt to escape the plagued Florence. Throughout their travels, they pass the time by singing, dancing and telling stories. Despite its composition in a dark chapter of human history, this was a tale of the love of life. Boccaccio did not forget to enjoy the human experience, so modern Italian critic Morgan De Sanctis dubbed his work the "Human Comedy," in reference to Dante's earlier work The Divine Comedy. Leaving behind a desolate, dead city, suddenly arriving in a paradise of song and beauty—this journey is in itself a metaphor.
