Jun
18
2010
The Renaissance
Background
Western Europe emerged from the hardships of the Middle Ages in a spectacular cultural flowering – the Renaissance which had its roots in the early 14th century, reached its height at the end of the 15th and continued well into the 16th century. The Renaissance started as the interest in classical sculpture and architecture, especially in Italy, and then grew and became a broad cultural and intellectual movement which gained impetus toward the end of the 14th century, as society became increasingly modern and more prosperous.
Western Europe emerged from the hardships of the Middle Ages in a spectacular cultural flowering – the Renaissance which had its roots in the early 14th century, reached its height at the end of the 15th and continued well into the 16th century. The Renaissance started as the interest in classical sculpture and architecture, especially in Italy, and then grew and became a broad cultural and intellectual movement which gained impetus toward the end of the 14th century, as society became increasingly modern and more prosperous.
The Renaissance spread across western Europe, but the main centers of activity lay in the rich states of northern and central Italy, particularly Florence, Rome, and Venice, and in Flanders which became an important center for trade and the arts.
The period between 1484 and 1520 is known as the High Renaissance. It was during this era that the cultural, artistic, and scientific advances made in the early Renaissance were understood and accepted.
Portraits of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth, depicted in Renaissance attire
