Renaissancen og middelalderen som periodiseringsbegreber:et essay

The essay discusses the traditional and the occasionally exaggerated use of periodisations in general historical studies. The terms 'the Middle Ages' and 'the Renaissance' have had very long and complicated histories of their own. Of the two terms "the Middle Ages", which was originally a pejorative expression, has appeared to be the strongest of the two, whereas the term 'the Renaissance' has had a much more chaotic history in historiography. During the last 150 years of historical writing and thinking it has gone from the highest success (due to Burchardt 1861) to the deepest downfall (around 1930). The author argues for the preservation of the term 'the Renaissance' for three reasons: (1) The period of the Renaissance coincides with the emergence of the modern, strong power state (from the 14th and 15th centuries onwards) in contrast to the medieval, decentralized, feudal political system, (2) the break-through of the secularisation of science, the humanities, culture and art (during the 15th and 16th centuries), and not in the least (3) the new consciousness of history (the here and now concept!), which arose in Italy in the 15th century, and which broke the millennial, traditional Christian explanation of the course of history