<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Italian Renaissance (Italian: Rinascimento (rinaʃʃiˈmento)) was the earliest manifestation of the general European Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement that began in Italy during the 14th century (Trecento) and lasted until the 17th century (Seicento), marking the transition between Medieval and Modern Europe . The French word renaissance (Rinascimento in Italian) means "Rebirth" and defines the period as one of renewed interest in the culture of classical antiquity after the centuries labeled the Dark Ages by Renaissance humanists, as well as an era of economic revival after the Black Death of 1348 . The Renaissance author Giorgio Vasari used the term "Rebirth" in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects but the concept became widespread only in the 19th century, after the works of scholars such as Jules Michelet and Jacob Burckhardt . </P> <P> The European Renaissance began in Tuscany (Central Italy), and centred in the city of Florence . Florence, one of the several city - states of the peninsula, rose to economic prominence by providing credit for European monarchs and laying down the groundwork for capitalism and banking . The Renaissance later spread to Venice, heart of a mediterranean empire and in control of the trade routes with the east since the end of the crusades and the voyages of Marco Polo, where the remains of ancient Greek culture were brought together and provided humanist scholars with new texts . Finally the Renaissance had a significant effect on the Papal States and Rome, largely rebuilt by Humanist and Renaissance popes (such as Alexander VI and Julius II), who were frequently involved in Italian politics, in arbitrating disputes between competing colonial powers and in opposing the Reformation . </P> <P> The Italian Renaissance is best known for its achievements in painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, philosophy, science and exploration . Italy became the recognized European leader in all these areas by the late 15th century, during the Peace of Lodi (1454 - 1494) agreed between Italian states . The Italian Renaissance peaked in the mid-16th century as domestic disputes and foreign invasions plunged the region into the turmoil of the Italian Wars (1494 - 1559). Following this conflict, smaller Italian states lost their independence and entered a period known as "foreign domination". However, the ideas and ideals of the Italian Renaissance endured and spread into the rest of Europe, setting off the Northern Renaissance . Italian explorers from the maritime republics served under the auspices of European monarchs, ushering the Age of discovery . The most famous among them are Cristopher Columbus who served for Spain, Giovanni da Verrazzano for France, Amerigo Vespucci for Portugal, and John Cabot for England . Italian universities attracted polymaths and scholars such as Copernicus, Vesalius, Galileo and Torricelli, playing a key role in the scientific revolution . Various events and dates of the 17th century, such as the conclusion of the European Wars of Religion in 1648, have been proposed for the end of the Renaissance . </P>

How did florence earn the title birthplace of the renaissance