English Renaissance The Renaissance was a very influential period in England and the rest of Europe. This brought many cultural advances and new ideas. Renaissance is a term that literally means “new birth”. This is the term that many Italian intellectuals used to describe the period they were in (Grendler). During this period, many successful artists and other people rose to fame. For example, William Shakespeare and Leonardo da Vinci became famous, along with their famous works (Judkins). The English Renaissance was a great era in England, during which many new inventions were created, art and literature flourished, and philosophers began to seek new knowledge to advance society. Although during the "Dark Ages", which predated the Renaissance, the only people who received any education were wealthy landowners and royals. Even in the early Renaissance, many ordinary people could not read or write. Renaissance philosophers decided that to advance society, the majority of people had to be educated and learn to read and write (Guisepi). From the ideas of scholars and philosophers like Petrarch and Boccaccio, came the first official form of schooling and education (Guisepi). It was at this time that humanists and humanism were born. “Humanism was the defining intellectual movement of the Renaissance. It was based on the belief that the literary, scientific and philosophical works of ancient Greece and Rome were the best guides for learning and living” (Grendler). Many scholars of this era based the majority of their beliefs on humanistic beliefs and parts of the Bible. Humanism was introduced into school curricula to teach children good character and prepare them to hold an important position as a judge, teacher, or doctor in the future (Grendler). Humanism had a major impact on English society and changed it for the better. He made the general public more educated and brought intellectual unity within society.