Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Renaissance period began in the 14th century and ended in the 17th century. This cultural shift simmered in Florence for decades before the word Renaissance first appeared in Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists in 1550.
The Medici family started the Renaissance movement in Florence by using their immense wealth to patronize the arts. Lorenzo de Medici ruled Florence from 1449 to 1492 and encouraged artistic production from Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Michelangelo.
The Black Death between 1348 and 1350 accelerated the conditions necessary for the Renaissance to take root. The massive loss of life led to a shift in worldview where survivors dwelled more on their existence on Earth rather than solely on spirituality and the afterlife.
Linear perspective transformed painting from a flat, symbolic medium into a window into space. Architect Filippo Brunelleschi formalized perspective as an artistic technique in the early 15th century, allowing painters to render a more natural reality.
The Renaissance spread to England during the Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century. The Renaissance arrived in France in 1495 when King Charles VIII imported Italian art and artists to build ornate palaces like the Palace of Fontainebleau.
The Renaissance played a direct role in sparking the Reformation by challenging papal authority and criticizing corruption. In October 1517, Martin Luther published the Ninety-five Theses, which led to a break with the Roman Catholic Church.