The Renaissance era is usually said to run from the 14th century to the 17th century, beginning in Italy and then spreading across Europe.

Quick Scoop

  • Most historians place the start of the Renaissance in Italy in the 1300s, after the late Middle Ages and the Black Death.
  • Many overviews describe the Renaissance as covering roughly the late 1300s through the 1500s, sometimes extending into the early 1600s.
  • A common textbook shorthand: “14th to 17th centuries” (about 1300–1600/1700), depending on region and which historian you read.
  • It began in the city of Florence in Italy and later spread to places like France, the Low Countries, England, and Germany.

In other words, if you’re looking for a simple answer to “when was the Renaissance era,” you can safely say it happened in Europe from about the 1300s to the 1600s, marking the transition from the Middle Ages to early modern times.

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