Question

Match the social class of the Renaissance with the correct answer.

a)Nobility
b)Merchants
c)Middle class
d)Lower class workers

i) Lost power as many people went from working on farms to working in cities.
ii) Used their wealth to gain power by patronage of artists and influence over government.
iii) Earned more wealth after the Black Death because their skills were in high demand.
iv) Did not gain much from the Renaissance

Answer 1

In the Renaissance, the nobility saw a decline in their status; merchants used wealth for power and patronage; the middle class gained wealth after the Black Death and included skilled professionals; lower class workers lost power as they moved to urban areas.

Step-by-step explanation:

The social classes of the Renaissance can be matched with the correct descriptions as follows:

• a) Nobility - iv) Did not gain much from the Renaissance. The status of the aristocracy declined during this period as wealth generation shifted from land to commerce and industry.
• b) Merchants - ii) Used their wealth to gain power by patronage of artists and influence over government. The rise of the urban communes and the mercantile governing class defined this new economic strength.
• c) Middle class - iii) Earned more wealth after the Black Death because their skills were in high demand. This emerging class included managers, salesmen, engineers, doctors, accountants, and other professionals who sought respectability and stability.
• d) Lower class workers - i) Lost power as many people went from working on farms to working in cities, often confined to tenement houses with little social mobility.

Furthermore, after the Black Death, the decline of feudalism was hastened by many peasants leaving rural areas in search of employment in towns and cities, fundamentally changing the social structure.