The Renaissance was a movement that marked the beginning of a process of cultural renewal that developed during the 15th and 16th centuries. This movement that sought inspiration from the models of Greco-Roman culture (Classical Antiquity), began in Italy and then spread to Europe.
From the year 1400, the interest in classical culture gave a new impetus to the arts, sciences and philosophy in Europe and was encouraged by the discovery of new continents and the invention of the press and compass.
During the High Middle Ages (5th to 11th centuries), Europe was inarticulate. There was no communication between the fiefdoms and the villages that were born here and there. There was no central power around them either. Submission to the king and pope was full.
The most important discoveries were made by scientists or thinkers who worked in isolation. Often they would even unknowingly develop the same idea because they could not exchange information. The exchange was solely for the merchants, the merchants who traveled from one city to another to trade their goods.
At the end of the Middle Ages, around 1400, several city-states emerged in Italy ruled by powerful merchant families, such as the Gonzaga and the Medici. Later, many of these cities became the Italian states of modern times (1453-1789).
The passage between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was based primarily on the appreciation of man and life on earth, as opposed to the spirituality characteristic of earlier medieval times.
