The Renaissance was the rebirth of classical society for much of Europe. Renaissance in French means “Rebirth” and it certainly was, many people who lived during the Renaissance believed they were witnessing the rebirth of classical antiquity, in other words, the world of the Greeks and Romans. But it wasn't just seen as a time of rebirth, it was also seen as a time of recovery from the various setbacks that occurred during the Middle Ages, including the Black Death, political disorder, and even an economic dilemma resulting from the brutal War of the One hundred years that took place during the Middle Ages between England and France. The birthplace of the Renaissance is primarily Italy, but the idea quickly spread throughout Europe as far as France, Spain and even England. The Renaissance was a huge change of pace from the Middle Ages for most of European culture and brought about a transformation on a social, intellectual and political level, as well as playing a vital role in laying the foundations for the way society and European culture grew and developed after the Middle Ages. The society of the Renaissance era differed greatly from the society of the Middle Ages. Society during the Renaissance era was divided into 3 different groups or estates. The first state was made up of the clergy. The clergy made up approximately 5-8% of the European population. The second estate was made up of the nobility, this section made up approximately 2-3% of the European population during the Renaissance era. The nobles consisted largely of landowners and differed drastically from the nobles of the Middle Ages mainly due to changes in education. In the Middle Ages, nobles were expected to be trained in the army and grow up and become a Knight... a middle of paper... a great progression and development in the modern world for the European continent. It allowed them to grow socially, intellectually, and politically into what their modern counterparts are today. The Middle Ages were a time of confusion and warlike, power-hungry kings who always wanted more. The Renaissance era was certainly a period of growth and maturation, which allowed monarchies and the normal population to move from their primitive aggressive spirit to something more cultural and diplomatic. People of the Renaissance were more interested in art and science while people of the Middle Ages were not. It's pretty safe to say that if it weren't for the Renaissance era, the world as a whole would be a few steps behind in the intellectual timeline. It offered Europe the opportunity to grow and establish itself as an international power.