The Lifestyles of Renaissance Nobles

Posted: 15th July 2021

After the centuries of feudal life and territorial battles that defined the Middle Ages, the Renaissance heralded a shift to the finer aspects of human existence. A new world of culture and politics emerged from the medieval period, one that celebrated art, refinement, intellect and social evolution.

It has been claimed that the Renaissance was born in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century, instigated by the mighty Medici family. This powerful dynasty of banking titans had the vast wealth and cultural inclinations to fund new advances in art, architecture and science. From these early forays into cultural resurgence, a movement spread across Europe and the world, marking the start of a new golden age of sophistication, splendour and philosophical enlightenment.

Nuremberg Chronicles - FLORENCIA

Michel Wolgemut, Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (Text: Hartmann Schedel), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

While this cultural movement may have spread to the farthest corners of the world, its reach was broad rather than deep. The many peasants and workers of the world may have only known a vague sense of this seismic cultural shift, being far too occupied with eking out a living and working all hours of the day and night.

One social class that would have been keenly aware of the Renaissance advances was the aristocratic ranks of wealth and privilege - the nobility of the time. These noblemen and women, the 15th and 16th century Dukes and Duchesses, Counts and Barons etc..., would have enjoyed a front-row seat of the changing fashions in music, theatre, literature, architecture and education.

The lifestyles of Renaissance nobles were centred around the very aspects that were influenced by the new cultural movement. They were the social class behind many of the architecture along advances, being in a position to commission grand houses and estates, plan exquisite gardens and grounds, tapping into the latest techniques in engineering, interior splendour and the developments in building materials.

The daily lives of aristocrats featured many social engagements, including balls, banquets, high society weddings and evenings at the theatre. All of these occasions would require a great many clothes and accessories. So the nobility would be keen to keep up to date with the latest fashions coming out of the most esteemed regions of excellence such as Italy and France, places that fuelled the Renaissance trends for finery, extravagance and luxurious fabrics.

These nobles, in all their finery, would delight in showing off their latest upgrades, and their lifestyles of increasing leisure time and freedom enabled them to attend and host grand productions and parties. In a social charter that was built on impressing and winning the favour of higher-ranking aristocrats and royals, the nobles of the Renaissance were notorious for wanting to be seen at the right places, in the right fashions, and connected to the right people.

All of this networking and social activity would have not only helped the aristocracy of the time discover the latest cultural developments, they would also have contributed their own ideas, opinions and creations. As a class of adults not required to spend their days in manual labour, they had the time to read, learn and study the new ideas, as well as the funds and freedom to cultivate any interests in the arts and sciences.

Along with experiencing the lifestyle shifts brought about by the Renaissance from their homes and estates, the nobles of the period would be regularly required to attend life in the royal court. This would be another opportunity to experience the exciting changes brought about by the Renaissance. The kings and queens of the time would undoubtedly be keen to have the very best of everything, for themselves and their close circles, which would be made up of loyal noblemen and ladies-in-waiting, who were always selected from favoured noble families.

Nobles would also be required to accompany the royal rulers on their regular 'progresses'. These were travels throughout the kingdom, in order to visit relations and favourite noble families, or tour the lands to greet subjects. Royal Progresses were lavish affairs, and the travelling royals would often demand an enormous cohort of family and nobles join them in their excursions which could sometimes last for months at a time. Very often, noble families were required to host such trips, which were seen as a great honour, though they were also an incredible expense. Hosting kings and queens in the manner they were used to - ever-flowing supplies of the most sumptuous food and drink - along with their armies of courtiers, could be an expense so great that some nobles’ finances would take generations to recover.

Chateau de Chambord

Éléosud, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In addition to the travels by royal decree, the Renaissance nobles, on the whole, possessed a love and fascination with travel in the broader sense. As the systems of transportation evolved in the centuries following the Middle Ages, it became habitual for young men of the aristocracy to travel widely, to improve their education and knowledge of worldly affairs by visiting other countries and experiencing foreign cultures. These travels will have helped the nobles to spread their own ideas and culture around the world, and they will also have garnered new inspiration that they took with them when they returned home. Many of the great aristocratic estates and houses that were built or commissioned during the Renaissance period feature an eclectic mix of architectural styles and influences, the result of their owner's travels and explorations around the world.

Along with the travels, high-society engagements, fashions, magnificent homes and cultural pastimes, one other remarkable aspect of the lifestyle of Renaissance nobles was undoubtedly the food and drink. In a period that led to a blossoming of culinary arts, wine-making, craftsmanship and artisanal farming, the nobles of the time could indulge their refined sensibilities with a higher standard of culinary fare than their medieval ancestors had been used to. The increasing fortunes and astonishing levels of wealth enjoyed by the aristocracy of the Renaissance ensured a steady diet of the finest meats, cheeses, wines and liquors, as well as decadent sweets and sumptuous desserts. Banquet tables would groan with the weight of plentiful foods and edible delights, a richly tempting feast for both the eyes and the stomach.

Historically, the lifestyles of nobles throughout the ages have always been privileged and enviable. but the social and cultural delights of the Renaissance period must surely have been one of the most magnificent times in history to belong to the noble classes. It was undoubtedly the golden age of aristocratic life in Europe, and beyond.
