text: why did the renaissance occur? i need to know the answer for an assignment for school... someone please help! i've looked in so many places but all give different answers! can someone give me a website, or just paste down here why the renaissance started? thanks and i appreciate it!! the renaissance has no set starting point or place; it happened gradually in different places at different times. likewise, there is not a definite date or place marking the end of the middle ages. the start of the renaissance is almost universally ascribed to central italy, however, especially the city of florence. the poet dante alighieri (1265–1321) is often considered to be the first writer to embody the spirit of the renaissance.  check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/renaissance