Like Renaissance fashion, types of Renaissance housing were divided into categories based on social class and wealth. The very wealthy royals and nobility resided in well appointed manor houses, chateaus or villas while merchants lived in respectable town houses and peasants resided in stone or wood cottages. Only the very poor lived in hovels made of earth and hay, usually part of a shantytown on the outskirts of cities and villages.
Peasants Housing During the Renaissance
Peasants homes were made of earth, stone or wood, depending on which was more plentiful. The roof was thatched and windows were rectangular holes with wooden shutters to cover them. The floors of peasant cottages were made of packed dirt or tiles. Rushes, a mixture of hay, herbs and flowers would cover the floor, to help mask odors.
Middle Class Housing During the Renaissance
The middle class – merchants, artisans, lawyers, doctors - lived in homes made of wood or wood and stucco (known as Tudor style). Roofs were made of slate or tile. Toward the end of the 16th century bricks made from clay became cheaper and was used more often. Brick was also considered a safer building material, because it did not pose as much of a fire hazard as wooden houses. Because Renaissance cities had narrow streets, middle class homes would have two or three small rooms on each floor, connected by a narrow spiral staircase, which took up less room than a traditional strait staircase. Middle class Renaissance houses had leaded windows, which were made of several small panes of glass held together with strips of lead. (Europeans did not have the technology to produce large panes of glass during the Renaissance). Windows could have several designs, depending on the climate of an area and the owners budget.
Castles During the Renaissance
Castles, whose original purpose was to protect inhabitants during wars and sieges, were fast becoming obsolete during the Renaissance. As peace settled over much of Western Europe, many castles were turned into stately homes for nobility and royalty. François I of France converted many of his older castles and fortresses into lavish palaces, fit for… well, a king. The Louvre, Amboise and Blois were all originally medieval castles that received Renaissance makeovers. The Louvre, once a medieval fortress, received a total overhaul, with Italianate architecture which influenced other French Renaissance buildings. In Italy, the rising merchant class, such as the Medici Family of Florence, built lavish Villas. While these villas were well appointed on the inside, they were still built with warfare in mind, with small windows and thick walls.
Sources:
Sider, Sanda. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. New York: Facts on File. 2004.
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