1. Renaissance The Changes in Everyday Life

2. What influenced the changes in the Renaissance? Goods were being traded throughout Europe More trade = more money People bought luxuries goods More buying = more trade Most $ ended up in just a few families Higher % of people had a higher standard of living

3. Everyday Life in the Renaissance Rich merchant family Windows made of glass Fireplaces that sent smoke up chimney instead in room More fireplaces = more warmth Mattresses stuffed with cotton, wool, or horse hair instead of bare wooden plank Linen sheets with goose feather stuffed covers Clothing – richer materials were more available Damask, silk, camel hair, ermine

4. Everyday Life in the Renaissance Laborers Clothes made from leather or canvas Servants wore masters’ cast off clothes If they dressed up too much, they could go to jail Illegal to dress as someone more rich or powerful than they really were

5. One Major Reason for Higher Standard of Living More food to eat Expanding trade Improving transportation Bread available in greater quantities Greater variety of food from Europe and abroad

6. More Money Led to Demand for Entertainment Religious festivals Horse races Public executions Theater Beginning of opera Shakespeare opened theaters in London

7. Crowded Cities were not very Sanitary Lack of indoor plumbing led to people tossing their waste out the windows to the streets. Garbage was also tossed out. These unsanitary and crowded conditions were a breeding ground for rats. Scientists believe the rats carried the Black Plague which killed 1/3 of the population.

8. Education was the Key to a Better Life More people than ever were learning to read and write Merchants couldn’t run a successful trade business without reading, writing and arithmetic Universities expanded, tutors were hired, some cities even paid for the less wealthy to be educated as well

9. Laborers and the Poor Even though there were great changes going on, the vast majority were not as affected as the merchant, noble, and royal classes.