The Renaissance is generally believed to have started in Italy during the 14th century, specifically in the early to mid-1300s, with Florence as its birthplace. It reached its height in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, often marked by the High Renaissance period between the 1490s and 1520s. The Renaissance period in Italy is conventionally considered to have ended around 1527, with the fall of Rome. More broadly across Europe, the Renaissance lingered until the end of the 16th century or early 17th century, gradually transitioning to the Age of Enlightenment.
Start of the Renaissance
- Began in the 14th century in Florence, Italy.
- Early figures like Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarch contributed to reviving interest in classical Greek and Roman culture.
- The year 1401 is sometimes noted for the competition to build the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery, marking a symbolic start.
- The movement spread across Italy and then Europe.
End of the Renaissance
- In Italy, the Renaissance is often said to have ended with the Sack of Rome in 1527.
- Elsewhere in Europe, the period ended later in the 16th century or early 17th century.
- The transition moved into the Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Baroque period, and finally the Enlightenment.
Thus, the Renaissance spanned roughly from the early 1300s to around the early 1600s, with regional variations in its timeline and influence.
