when was the renaissance

The Renaissance was a period in European history generally believed to have begun in Italy during the 14th century, after the end of the Middle Ages. It reached its height, known as the High Renaissance, between the 1490s and the 1520s. The Renaissance then spread to the rest of Europe throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. This era of cultural rebirth is often said to have ended in Italy with the fall of Rome in 1527 and was followed elsewhere by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation by the end of the 16th century. Some scholars also consider a longer Renaissance period extending from the 14th to the 17th century.