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The labor methods used in the late 1500's involved serfdom, where only a select few would be educated and wealthy. Then the Renaissance took place from 1300-1600, which led to more merchants and artists to become increasingly wealthy. The Enlightenment would then occur, changing views on Catholic beliefs. Children were assumed to be innocent lumps of clay ready to be sculpted into strong adults, affecting child-rearing practices in Europe from being strict physical and educational practices to becoming less intense and verbal, nonphysical implementations.
In the 16th century, the envisionment of children was as pure and as precious as one's innocence.
This is clearly evident in Pieter Brueghel's Children's Games from 1560, exhibiting flocks of children innocently playing with each other and with toys. All of them are clearly enjoying their childhoods and show all of the positive aspects of a child's life. Pieter Brueghel painted Children's Games in the year 1560, before the 30 Years' War and before the Renaissance, when wars on religion were not occurring and views on the minority were not prejudiced.
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Therefore there is no prejudice exhibited in the painting making it an accurate and reliable depiction of childhood in the 16th century. In A Summary of Sins, Jean Benedicti explains that the correct time for a child to not obey their father or mother is when they are told to do a sin, whether it be a swear or to lend money with usury. This was an effort to preserve the innocence of all children since doing sin would taint their purity.
Jean Benedicti was a Franciscan preacher and has an intended audience of churchgoers for his Summary of Sins, which makes him have strong ties with moral beliefs, making his statements about what a child should do if commanded by their parent or guardian to commit sacrilege and minor sins very trustworthy. Yet if a child disobeyed their parents or do something to upset them, severe punishment would be in store for the child because nothing would be said as to what a parent should do if the act was a mere trifle. In a letter to Madame de Montglat from 1607, King Henry IV complained to her that he hasn't received word that she has had his son whipped if he misbehaved at all because he was whipped as a child as well. King Henry IV relied on his own fathers' techniques because he did not have proper ways to raise his boy. There were no real guidelines to safely and painlessly raise a child into a strong and mature adult without tainting the child's childhood. King Henry IV has a private intended audience of Madame de Montglat who he instructs to have his son whipped if he misbehaves, making the affirmations in his letter to be credible.
Later in 1762 Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a philosopher that tried to change the status quo on the ways of treating children produced Emile or On Education. He specifically states that not giving children any constraint would spoil them and would have them completely void of discomforting experiences. This would cause them to not become experienced and fully matured adults. Yet having too many constraints would eventually numb the child and would make them not feel anymore. Rousseau is supported by the Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Cavendish which says in her letter describing her upbringing that she was raised in a disciplinary way by her mother which never involved physical action, but verbal persuasion and virtues which were able to lead to her successful life. A similar sort of upbringing was shown in William Blundell's An Exercise for the Children to Embolden Them in Speaking with the Father in the dialogue was angry about a wronging of his daughter and decides to punish her, not physically, but to the point where she would understand the severity of her sins and would try to mend her wrongdoings. This would, in turn, change the way child-rearing was done, but not the way people would perceive children as innocent beings with the potential of being something much grander.
Changes In A Child-Rearing Way. (2019, Dec 09). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-labor-methods-used-in-the-late-1500-s-involved-serfdom-where-only-example-essay
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