The Renaissance began in Italy around 1300 and saw a revival of interest in classical Greek and Roman art, literature, and learning. Known as humanism, this movement emphasized the importance of human beings and the idea that individuals are good and creative, differing from the Church's view of humans as sinful. Humanist ideas spread from Italy to Northern Europe through education and the new printing press invented by Johannes Gutenburg. While Italian humanism had a secular focus, Northern humanism had more of a religious, Christian focus as seen in the works of Desiderius Erasmus and Sir Thomas More. The Elizabethan Age refers to the English Renaissance during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I from 1558 to 1588, when she encouraged
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