The document provides an overview of the Renaissance and Reformation periods in Europe. It summarizes that the Renaissance began in Italy in the late Middle Ages as a period of cultural, intellectual and artistic revival influenced by classical Greek and Roman culture. It then spread to Northern Europe. The Reformation began as a religious challenge to the Catholic Church led by Martin Luther in Germany in the 1510s and 1520s and his 95 Theses criticized Church practices. This led to the establishment of Protestantism and divisions in Christianity across Europe in the following centuries.