Daily Life in Renaissance Europe

During the time of the Renaissance, daily life for Europeans was very diverse. Like today, no community or country had quite the same customs or practices. Instead, fashion, food, language, and culture varied tremendously from region to region. Social class and location determined many of the aspects of a person’s life.

In much of Europe, people lived in cities with bustling trading ports, businesses, and close quarters. Places like Italy, Germany, Spain, and the Low Countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) thrived on the business that happened in these centers of commerce. In Italy, the Renaissance ushered in a money-based economy where trade brought wealth to the country. People were able to gain power through accumulating wealth rather than being born into a noble family. This made it easier for individuals and families to climb the social ladder in the city. Mercantile dynasties had the opportunity to rise to the level of nobility. It was very important for enterprising families to have heirs that could successfully manage their family’s business.

Other places on the continent were much more rural, and people lived in small homes that were spaced out around the countryside. For these people, cities mainly served as political centers that they visited to pay their taxes.

In places such as England, the majority of people during the Renaissance still lived in rural communities and had less opportunity to gain power and prominence through wealth. Birthright still largely determined political power, and elite families were often part of historical dynasties like the Tudors, the Habsburgs, and the Valois.
In both cities and rural communities, well-to-do families and nobility often controlled farmlands where they directed local politics. A member of the nobility would likely be highly educated, and those who lived at court with the kings and queens of the Renaissance enjoyed glamorous and luxurious lifestyles. They had access to a variety of meats, fruits and vegetables, imported spices, and fine breads made from sifted whole wheat flours. The clothing of the rich also marked their status. In some cities, laws even determined what kinds of materials and styles people were allowed to wear.

These laws made it so that people could tell someone’s status just by looking at them! Men of the nobility wore such fancy outfits that they often needed help getting dressed. Capri-like pants with pantyhose and tightly fitted vests became common during this time. Upper-class men wore these outfits with shirts that featured puffy chests and padded shoulders to mimic the armor they might wear in war. Fashion was even more elaborate for women of the nobility. They used a variety of cosmetics, jewels, and headgear, along with accessories like gloves, fans, and neck ruffles. Gowns were usually form-fitting on the upper body, with skirts that were either long and flowing or included a hoopskirt.

Many details in the daily life of members of the elite were designed to show off the status and wealth of their families. Even marriages were often arranged as a way to maintain or gain social and political power. Men of the nobility were lords of their households and collected taxes from their farm tenants. They also participated in politics. Upper-class women were in charge of their households, entertained guests, and educated their children before sending them off to attend school.

The lives of the middle-class and poor were very different than that of the European nobility. While some of these people had access to meat, it was often cured and salted, rather than the fresh cuts eaten by the rich. Similarly, the bread they ate was usually made of harsh grains or even nuts. Fashion for the lower classes was simple and was not designed to show off their status, but instead made to suit their daily lives and work. Men often wore buttoned jackets, short pants, and hats. Women typically wore simple skirts, aprons, a bodice, and a cloak. In fact, during the Renaissance, underwear had only been recently introduced to people of the lower classes.

These simple outfits were practical, as men and women often performed day to day labor where they worked together on farms and in shops. Some families sold pottery or extra fruit and vegetables they grew. As most of the middle-class and poor had little chance of improving their social status, marriage was different than it was for the nobility. Rather than being carefully negotiated, marriage among the lower classes was far less political. Men and women often wed people who they knew and interacted with daily. They only needed approval from their parents before a brief betrothal and marriage.