The document summarizes the differences between life during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as discovered by three history spies - Ericia, Randy and Xuanyou - on a time traveling mission. Their investigation revealed that during the Middle Ages, only the church and a few others could read/be educated, artists only painted religious scenes, the church controlled many aspects of life, and serfs had little freedom or opportunity. In contrast, during the Renaissance, more people including serfs were educated, artists painted secular topics, the church had less influence, and there was more trading and opportunity for social mobility.

1. SEc ret!
Top
The Middle Ages
and the Renaissance
Introduction
I, Ericia, am a spy, a history spy. My friends Randy and Xuanyou are spies too.
Once the government sent the three of us on a mission to find out about the
differences between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. This is our story...
After School...
One day, we were walking out of school after another day of lessons and a
homework pile when my government!issued iAgent phone rang.
“Agents Ericia, Randy and Xuanyou, we need you to find out about the differences
between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages,” the voice on the other end said.
All of us hit our wristwatches, which are actually time travelling devices, at once.
The Middle Ages
I landed in the mud with a heavy thump. Yuck, it smelt of manure; it was what the
serfs used to fertilise their crops. The serfs had a really bad life because the
knights bullied them with orders from the lords or vassals they served. In return
they received a piece of land or fief as they called it. Below is the Feudal System.
“Hey! What yer’ doin’ ‘ere?” one of the peasants
asked me. “You do know that THEY will beat you
if they find out you aren’t one of THEIR serfs,”
“Huh?” I thought. Oh, right! THEY meant the
nobles whose fief this is. These serfs spent their
whole lives on this fief until the nobles died.
Then other nobles will make them work on their
own fiefs. It hit all of us in the face when we
realised what he was saying.

2. “Thanks for telling us that!” Xuanyou shouted at him as we all dashed out of that
piece of fief. We did not want to get beaten by those knights who did the the dirty
work for those mean and rich nobles. As we ran past, we saw a church worker
nailing a notice on the church door.
“There’s not much use, is there, putting up a notice on the church door if only the
church people can read it. Only a few others like poets can read during this
time!period,” Randy said in between pants as we slowed down to read the
notice.
“Wow! That is a lot of information to digest,” I said to my friends. They only
nodded in response, their mouths opening and closing like goldfish as they read
the notice again.
“Life must have been real hard on the serfs during the Middle Ages,” Randy said
after re!reading the notice for about the umpteenth time.
“Hey, guys! You know that there are three names for the Middle Ages?” Xuanyou
suddenly asked, snapping out of his trance.
“Really? Tell us!” I said.

3. “The Dark Ages was what most people called this time because it was very hard to
make a living then. Those who thought that this period was not so bad called it
the Middle Ages. The rich people wanted it to sound posh so they called it the
Medieval Ages, which is Latin for the Middle Ages. In short,
Dark Ages = Middle ages = Medieval Ages,” Xuanyou reeled off.
“Dude, that was so much information to get at once. You have to tell the
government that one when we get back,’’ I told him jokingly. He punched my arm
in a friendly way and I punched him back. The problem in this time period was
that everyone hung onto whatever the Church said. Even the King was controlled
by the Church, so you could say that the King didn’t rule the country, the Church
did! Also, trading was only between county and county, not country and country.
That is a difference, mind you!
“Well, we’re done here. Let’s go to the Renaissance now and then we can compare
the facts!” I said.
“1, 2, 3, go!” Randy said and we all pressed our wrist watches at the same time.
The Renaissance
All of us landed in a very nice!looking village. Still, the serfs were not so
well!off either at this time compared to the Middle Ages. The knights also still
beat the serfs. But the serfs still had more freedom now than during the Middle
Ages because a lot people including vassals died due to the Black Death or the
Plague. If the serfs’ masters died then the serfs could go and work in other
vassals’ fief.(Yes, they still called it a fief during the Renaissance.)
“Guys! Everyone is reading in the street, whereas in the Middle Ages only the
Church people and a few others like poets read,” Xuanyou said, as someone who
was thoroughly engrossed in his book walked past. Randy and I nodded in
agreement. We looked at the magnificent artworks displayed in the Church and
outside houses.
“In the Middle Ages, artists only painted scenes from the Bible. In the Renaissance,
they painted other themes such as nature, famous people or scenes from Greek
stories,” I said. “History, philosophy and literature became really popular during
the Renaissance too,”

4. “We must be in Italy at the time of the Renaissance! Sculpting was also very
popular, it seems!” Randy exclaimed as we passed several statues, including the
famous David by Michelangelo.
“Yeah! And now during the Renaissance, there are loads of guilds which consist of
the moneychangers’ guild, the wool guild, the silk guild, the furriers’ guild and
the butchers’ guild,” I said amazed when I saw the carvings of each of the guilds’
coat of arms on the side of a building. Each carving had very fine details and were
intricately decorated.
“This building we’re passing looks very familiar! Randy, Ericia! This is the Uffizi
that we studied in school, remember? The really famous museum that has all the
famous sculptures and paintings!” Xuanyou practically shouted in his excitement.
“Calm down! Take a deep breath and then breathe out. That’s it. All calm now.
Anyway, when we studied about it in school, it was a museum and there weren’t
any guards or anything there. Here, there are guards around the Uffizi. I did a bit
of extra research on the history of the Uffizi and right now in the Renaissance it is
the office (uffici in Italian) of the Grand Duchy,” I told Xuanyou in a really serious
teacher voice. That made all of us laugh.

5. During the Middle Ages, the Church controlled a lot of things, including the way
the King ruled. During the Renaissance, the Church wasn’t that strong and the
King didn’t let the Church interfere with scientific investigations. People during
the Renaissance also started trading in fabrics, tobacco, salt, sugar and other
things between countries. The clothes in the Renaissance also become fancier and
colourful. A lot of serfs became rich and were educated and eventually ended up
being artists, poets or musicians! Also, people during the Middle Ages believed
that everything was caused by God. On the other hand, during the Renaissance,
people concentrated more on human potential and achievements. In addition, the
people stopped trusting the Church because of the misleading information (for
example that the Earth was flat) they had told to control the country.
“Guys, we’re done here. Now we need to write up the report. Ericia, it’s your turn
to write it. The last time, I did it. Next time, it’s Randy’s turn!” Xuanyou said.
“OK, let’s go home! 1, 2, 3, GO!” I shouted and the people around me stared at
me. I didn’t care because our mission was accomplished! (Well, almost
accomplished. We just needed to write the report then voila! We’re done!) Anyway,
we all pressed our wristwatches and started to go back to the present as people
gasped in amazement to see such an instrument. Oops! Clumsy mistake there. We
should actually do it secretly. We had accidentally changed history by showing the
people in the Renaissance our wristwatches. Oh well, as long as we got back home
to our warm soft beds!
The Report
Middle Ages Renaissance
Only the Church and others Even serfs had education
like poets were educated
Serfs had little freedom Serfs had little freedom
L Knights beat up the serfs Knights beat up the serfs
i
f Richer vassals’ main job was Richer vassals became interested in
e fighting in wars and controlling music. Their main job was to be
the poor people. educated and hold fun events.
The Black Death freed serfs to
become musicians, poets etc. or
travel/change masters therefore they
got more experience

6. A Poets wrote about nature and the Poets wrote about nature and the city
r city
t Artists stopped painting only scenes
Artists only painted Jesus and from the Bible and started painting
& scenes from the Bible other themes like Greek stories
L Only people from a higher class Serfs could become artists and poets
i than the serfs could be artists
t and poets.
e
r Only the Church people and a History, literature and philosophy
a few others were educated became popular.
t so history,literature
u and philosophy were not
r popular.
e
Everyone believed in God Not everyone believed in God
Everyone was Christian Most remained Christian
Every scientific discovery had People tried not to match up scientific
R to be approved by the Church. discoveries with Christian beliefs.
e If denied, the discovery would
l not be recognized.
i People focused on human potential
g People focused on God and instead of saying everything was
i the Church. caused by God.
o
n Hardly anybody relied on the Church
Everybody trusted in the Church because of the misleading facts (for
and hung on to everything they example the earth was flat) they had
said. told to control the country.
Humanists said that people could
The Church said that having fun enjoy life without offending God
was a sin.

7. S There were very few scientists The number of scientists and
c and researchers researchers increased because more
i discoveries were recognised
e
n People thought God was the People stopped thinking that God was
c cause for everything the reason for everything
e
Every scientific discovery had to The King didn’t let the church
& have an approval from the interfere with the experiments and
church. If denied, the investigations.
T discovery would not be
e recognized
c
h People focused on God and the People focused on human potential
n Church and achievements
o
l
o
g
y The knights, vassals/lords and The knights, vassals/lords and the
the King were rich. King were rich.
The serfs were left with next to The serfs who were educated earned
nothing. more money and gradually became
rich.
O
t
Clothes were drab. Clothes were more fanciful, colourful
h
Colourful/ fancy clothes were and the fabrics were imported.
e
not allowed because they
r
attracted attention.
s
Trading was only between Trading in fabrics, tobacco, salt,
county and county sugar and other products between
countries started.
More people became rich from
trading