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[[File:Florence_Cathedral.jpg|thumbnail|370px|left|The Duomo in Florence, Italy built during the Italian Renaissance]]
The Italian Renaissance (1380s-15541550s) was one of the most exciting periods in human civilization. It witnessed a great flourishing of the arts, literature, philosophy, architecture, and politics. Many of the greatest figures in World Civilisation appeared during the Renaissance in Italy, including Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Raphael. However, several factors led to the end of the Renaissance and the end of one of the most creative periods in human history.
====What was the Renaissance?====
Defining when the Italian Renaissance occurred is somewhat difficult, but the most generous estimate goes from the 1380s to the 1550s. Typically, the Italian Renaissance has been tied to fortunes of Florence and Rome (especially Florence). At the end of the 14th century, after the collapse of the Florentine and Roman economies due to the Great Famine of 13150-1317 caused by the Little Ice Age, the disruption of trade by war between England and France, and the devastation of the Black Plague, Rome and Florence began to rebound. These catastrophes actually helped start the Renaissance because it was initially driven by artists such as Petrarch and Dante who began to question the authority of the Church because it had failed to alleviate the suffering of Italians during these catastrophes.
The end of the Italian is directly tied to Florence's decline and the eventual abandonment of the ideals of the Renaissance. This slow slide began with [[What was the impact of Charles VIIIs invasion of Italy (1494) on the Renaissance?|the invasion of Florence in 1494 ]] by France and gained speed as Italy broke out into warfare between its city-states. Additionally, like most significant political and intellectual movements, the Renaissance gave birth to a significant intellectual and religious backlash. By the 1550s, many of the works of literature and art that help birth the Renaissance were banned. By the mid-1550s, the Italian Renaissance was essentially over. While the Italian Renaissance died in Florence and Rome, its ideas, beliefs, and art had spread across Europe. These other European Renaissances continued even as Florence's and Rome's rebirth ended.
====Florence's Economic Decline====
The Reformation began in Germany and soon Protestant Churches were being established throughout Northern Europe. This cause a crisis in the Catholic Church in Italy and throughout Europe. Many feared that Italy would even turn Protestant. This caused a change in direction in the Catholic Church and led it to change its direction. In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church engaged in a series of reforms and other measures. These sought to make sure that Protestant teachings did not become popular. The response of the Catholic Church became known as the Counter-Reformation. One of the most important aspects of the Counter-Reformation was the increasing role of the Inquisition in Italian Society. Any person, believed to be sympathetic to Protestant ideas was arrested as a heretic by the Inquisition. The Inquisition also arrested those who have opinions and views that were contrary to the teachings of the Church. <ref>Mullett, Michael A., ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415189152/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415189152&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2cee7968947f72dfe9e1cea5b8eafa6e The Catholic Reformation]'' (Routledge, London 1999)p. 56.</ref>
The Counter-Reformation was to have a dramatic impact on artists, writers, and scientists’ in Italy. No longer could they discuss or express their views freely. They were afraid to create any daring works, in case they offended the Catholic Church. In order [[How did Savonarola influence the Reformation and Counter-Reformation?|Girolamo Savonarola]] rose to power in Florence and ruled between 1494-1498. He sought to reverse the influence of secularism and ruled Florence as began its economic and cultural decline. Rulers such as Savonarola forced artists to recommit to ensure that they did not come the church to avoid attracting the attention of the Inquisition, they made sure . The threat of the Inquisition ensured that artists and writers tailored their works were to be more suitably Catholic. The result of the Counter-Reformation was that Italian artists worked in an environment that was repressive. This led to Italy, falling behind the rest of Europe, intellectually and artistically. It should still be remembered that Italy still produced great artists and thinkers such as Galileo, but they were far fewer and less original. The old humanist tradition, of the Renaissance, was abandoned, during the Counter-Reformation.<ref>Mullet, p. 141.</ref>
====Conclusion====
The Renaissance was one of the most important historical epochs, it produced a culture that created great works of art and provided the world, with the humanist view of life, which encouraged individualism and the use of reason. However, economic decline meant that there was less money for the arts and learning. The Spanish came to dominate the city-states and this meant that artists had less freedom of expression. Finally, the Counter-Reformation by enforcing Catholic Orthodoxy meant that artists, thinkers and writers were afraid to be as daring or original as they had been in the past.<ref>Mullet, p. 134.</ref> These factors led to the end of the Renaissance.
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