The intellectual, cultural, and artistic movement known as the "Renaissance" began in Florence, Italy during the 14th Century, and had encompassed the entirety of Europe by the beginning of the 17th Century. The Renaissance was an age of enlightenment, but moreover it was an age of education, exploration, discovery, and adventure!The Renaissance movement was inspired by a secular spirit; less religious than that of the dark ages. People developed a renewed interest in classical civilization. Laymen and princes encouraged and expected people to learn poetry, art, literature, and practice in the ways of chivalry. As these neoteric ideas spread throughout Europe, there was a separation from Medieval thinking and a rebirth of creative thought, a renewal of classical art, and a revival of classical literature and architecture.
