Summary of the Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance was a period of time between 1350 CE and 1600 CE. 

The Renaissance took place in Italy, a large peninsula in the center of the Mediterranean.

The Italian Peninsula is a large, boot shaped peninsula off the coast of Southern Europe in the Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded by the Alps in the North, which provided useful protection from invaders in ancient times.

Arguably the greatest change during the Renaissance was the fall of the Roman Catholic Church.

While Catholicism never faded out, the Pope and Holy Roman Empire began to lose power.

Education and Government became more secular, and people began to focus less on religious and spiritual matters, and more on education, which began to focus on "rhetorical skill and literary accomplishment" (Habib).

Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran branch of Christianity, began the reformation of the Church with his protests.

Government drifted away from feudalism and, in some places, anarchy, to monarchies and centralized governments.

Several new philosophies became popular as well. These included Aristotelianism, Platonism, and Humanism

With the discovery of new and more colorful pigments, painting became a very popular subject.

Famous painters include Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci

As the Dark Ages transitioned to the Age of Enlightenment, popular artwork transitioned back into realism, rather than abstract.