Out of the misery of the Black Death came new ideas that stirred Europe. Starting around 1350 AD, enthusiasm for art, literature, and trade increased throughout northern italy. This was the beginning of a period called the Renaissance. It is from a french word "rebirth". Although this period started in Italy, within a century it spread to the rest of Europe.
The Renaissance was a time of great creativity. Central to the ideas of the Renaissance was a powerful interest in humaniam. Humanism meant concern with human interests and values. People in the middle ages had often turned their thoughts toward the "next world" or "heaven". People of the Renaissance were still usually very religious, however they began to focus more on what people could achieve in this world.