The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a giant milestone in history where there was a renewed interest in the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The word Renaissance comes from French origins. It means “re-birth”. The Renaissance began in about 1400 and continued until around 1600. The Renaissance began in the cities of Northern Italy and then the rest of Europe.   The Renaissance began in Italy for many reasons. These reasons included Geographical, Economical, Religious, Historical, Educational and Political reasons. Some of the reasons would have to include the fact that Italy did not develop a Feudal system, Italy was a series of independent states that were controlled by a city.   Florence was one of Europe's wealthiest countries. Cities of northern Italy prospered, trade and commerce increased and Florence was once of Europe's wealthiest cities with double the amount of citizens as London. Also, the Medici family used their wealth to encourage the arts and also used their fortune to become rulers.   The pope, the leader of the catholic church had his place in Rome. As a result to this, Religious leaders, missionaries and citizens made pilgrims to Rome. Many people travelled through northern Italy, to and from Rome. Although these people were religious, they helped spread the ideas of the Renaissance to the rest of Europe, These are a few of the core reasons for the Renaissance starting in Italy.
This period of history was a renewed interest in the art, architecture, literature and science of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Italians became inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman art, architecture, literature and science. These areas had been ignored during the middle ages. The city's rich merchants had money to spend on learning about literature, architecture, painting, sculpture, music, philosophy, medicine and science from the ancient Greeks and Romans. They also encouraged young sculptors, artists, scholars and writer to develop their talents.   These were some of the many reasons for the...