From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, Europe underwent a great deal of changes, including attitudes towards learning, science and technology, art and literature, and the way humankind felt about themselves and towards their society. The Middle Ages were the time period between ancient and modern times in western Europe. Before the Middle Ages, western Europe was part of the Roman Empire. After the Middle Ages, western Europe included the Holy Roman Empire, the kingdoms of England and France, and a number of smaller states. The history of the Middle Ages extends from the end of the Roman Empire, about the fifth century A.D. to the 1500's. The Renaissance was a great cultural movement that began in Italy during the 1300's. It spread to England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and other countries in the late 1400's and ended about 1600. The word Renaissance refers to the act of being reborn. During the Renaissance, many European scholars and artists studied the learning and art of ancient Greece and Rome. They wanted to recapture the spirit of the Greek and Roman cultures in their own artistic

All of these changes from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance changed much of Europe. People were less concerned with religious thinking, and concentrated more on understanding people and the world. The scholars and artists emphasized the study of humanity. Scholars and artists rediscovered ancient works and gained inspiration from them. Architects began to design nonreligious buildings rather than cathedrals. Painters and sculptors began to glorify people and nature in their works. More and more writers composed prose and poetry not in Latin, but in their native languages, including French and Italian. This increasing use of the vernacular opened a new literary age, and gradually brought learning and literature to the common people.

Learning and the arts during the Middle Ages were devoted to glorifying God (theology) and strengthening the power of the church. Almost all the great ideas and artistic achievements reflected the influence of the church. Painters and sculptors tried to give their works a spiritual quality. They wanted viewers to concentrate on the deep religious meaning of their paintings and sculptures. They were not concerned with making

Some common words found in the essay are:
Middle Ages, God Renaissance, Greek Arabic, Europe People, Renaissance Europe, Roman Empire, French Italian, middle ages, Netherlands Spain, Greek Roman, Renaissance European, painters sculptors, scholars artists, roman empire, ages renaissance, middle ages renaissance, western europe, ages western europe, renaissance cultural, people nature, changes middle, england france, changes middle ages, middle ages western,
Approximate Word count = 784
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)