During the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe, people believed in superstitions because they had little control over their destinies and science was primitive. Women without husbands were often targeted as witches and faced death by being burned at the stake. Forms of recreation included games, traveling shows, holidays with costumes, and poking fun at village traditions. Close-knit communities caused violence towards anyone who upset traditions or behaved oddly. Knowledge spread through printed works, traveling preachers, and primary schools as Europe transitioned from rural poverty and plague to growing populations and urbanization between 1400 and 1600.

1. Culture and Daily Life
Renaissance and Reformation

2. Superstitions
• Why did people believe
in superstitions?
• can control fate

3. Superstitious Nature of
Europe
• people were poor and
uneducated
• people had little control
of their destinies
• science was primitive
and people understood
little about the natural
world

4. Witches
• Who was targeted as
witches?
• women without a
husband (widow)
• What happened to a
witch?
• death punishment
burned at the stake

5. Forms of Recreation
• games at gathering
places (skittles)
• traveling shows
• holidays with costumes
• poking fun at village life
• social protests

6. Cause for violence
• close-knit communities
with anyone who upset
village traditions or
behaved oddly
• quarrels between
neighbors
• strains of a famine

7. Spread of Knowledge
• Printed works -
broadsides, books,
almanacs, and translated
Bibles
• traveling preachers
• primary schools

8. Europe c. 1400 Europe c. 1600
Population decrease by population growing
black death rapidly leading to inflation
new vegetables, coffee,
Diet of cheese and eggs
tea, spices, and chocolate
ate with fingers forks and spoons
houses built with brick
thatched-roof cottages
and stone
rural poverty movement to cities