Tess EricksonMs. GriffinCore 11/35/14The RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” and began with the citizens of Florence, Italy, in Europe during the 1350s. Significant events ended the Middle Ages, feudal life, and led to the beginning of the Renaissance . The Middle Ages finally ended with the collapse of Rome around 1450 AD Towards the end of the Middle Ages trade spread and the Silk Roads flourished with very active traders and traders. This commercial behavior has brought new ideas and goods to a growing number of people. Other events occurred leading up to this period, such as Humanism, the Plague, and the Hundred Years' War. Humanism was the thought of the potential for individual success and “being all that you can be.” The time of the plague was a time of death. Plague was a flea disease that was carried everywhere by rats. The flea disease spread and exterminated 25% of the populations of Italy and Europe, and the Church had no power to stop it. People now had the chance to start over, with new ideas and a new approach to things, including religion. The Hundred Years' War created instability and pushed people to argue and then become more independent in their thinking, which led to new ideas and inventions. The Renaissance was called the period of “rebirth” because it refers to the rebirth of classical art; creativity, thinking and learning that took place during this period. This period is when the population recovered from wars and plague and lasted from around 1350 AD to the mid-1600s. People seeking a better lifestyle influenced art and learning during the Renaissance. They found this by reviving the classical ideas of the past and previous civilization... in the midst of paper... science and literature. Cervantes and William Shakespeare were two very famous poets. William Shakespeare brought deep human emotions into his writings and was able to inspire many writers after him. In the Renaissance there were many achievements in painting, sculpture, engineering, science and literature. People such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci made many advances in painting. Donatello was an influential sculptor who achieved achievements in the art of sculpture. There were many new techniques in engineering and architecture such as the press and the dome. Scientists have discovered the moon's effect on tides and much more in astronomy and anatomy. Finally, there are many achievements in literature by Shakespeare and Cervantes during the Renaissance. The advances of the Renaissance had a tremendous effect on society and the world.