The Northern Renaissance was a period of great cultural and intellectual change in Europe during the 14th-16th centuries, roughly spanning the 14th to the 16th century. This period spread across northern European countries like Germany, France, England and the Low Countries, areas that had previously been dominated by the medieval Catholic Church. Major changes included a shift from medieval scholasticism and theology to the secular spirit of Renaissance humanism which promoted naturalism, individualism, and classicist ideals.