At the dawn of the 15th century, Western Europe was changing. The Black Death and other diseases caused a significant decrease in the overall population, which led to a shift in power from wealthy landowners to those who worked the land. As large landholdings crumbled, they demanded hourly wages or purchased their own land. Cities were becoming larger, and people no longer defined themselves by the family or occupation into which they were born, rather they thought of themselves as individuals with God-given power to shape their own destiny. This revival of the ideas and energy of ancient Rome became evident and accepted. The people of this period liked the idea of ​​individualism and of building on the achievements of the classical period to achieve a new era of greatness. Thus, the "Renaissance Man" has come to play a vital role in society. Man's role in Renaissance society was to reform society culturally, psychologically, and physically through the application of individualistic, worldly, learned, ancient, and reformist principles. The individualistic nature of man's character structure can be seen as a reaction and contrast with medieval collectivism. The men of the Middle Ages were aware of themselves as members of a certain race, family, party, or some other general category; therefore, the idea of ​​who they were as individuals seemed foreign to them. As the Middle Ages drew to a close, feelings of depression, melancholy, skepticism, and anxiety pervaded the air, causing collectivism to deteriorate and individualism to advance. Norman Davies, author of Europe: A History, wrote: “The great figures of the Renaissance… felt that God-given ingenuity could, and …… middle of paper …… the centralized power of monarchical governments. The Renaissance man refocused the focus of society on each individual in society. He advocated the promotion of individual education, the revival of classical antiquity, a new emphasis on the material world, and a reform of many aspects of society. Davies pointed out, “The chief quality of the Renaissance has been defined as 'independence of mind'” (Davies 471). Essentially, the Renaissance man, who thought for himself rather than following tradition, was the most critical part of the Renaissance. Works Cited Davies, Norman. Europe: a history. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. Print.Rogers, Perry McAdow. Aspects of Western civilization: problems and sources in history. 5th ed. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print.Spielvogel, Jackson J.. Western Civilization. 5th ed. California: Wadsworth, 2003. Print.