What if the Renaissance occurred a century earlier?

[DireSituation]

As the title obviously asks- What if the Renaissance occurred a century earlier?


Let's just say a multitude of events caused the Renaissance to occur in the 13th-14th century, rather than the 15th century. I know it'll be a pretty big change, but what would world events turn out to be?

An earlier discovered New World?

An even stronger European power, resulting in even more colonialism?

Modern warfare (Post-18th century) developing earlier as a result of advanced ordinance and/or refined military strategies?



Discussion time, little ones.

 

[carlton_bach]

Define Renaissance. We had one in the twelfth century, for example.

 

[Earling]

Burckhardt decides to have the Renaissance start earlier, with some focus on the political changes which took place during the conflict between the Guelfs and Ghibellines.

 

[DireSituation]

Define Renaissance. We had one in the twelfth century, for example.

I'm talking about the Renaissance that supposedly starts is Tuscany, 15th century.

 

[carlton_bach]

I'm talking about the Renaissance that supposedly starts is Tuscany, 15th century.

Well, with what defining characteristics? You could have the anticising artistic style become dominant earlier with more influence from Sicily. The later literary culture pretty much depends on print, but the earlöier one is not impossible as a countermovement to a perceived Arabicising courtly literature. Architecture and sculpture is tougher because the advances depend on engineering development that was pretty much linear, but you could have a more Vitruvian look to Italian architecture earlier if people wanted it. Of course that still depends on a search for manuscripts that takes Italian scholars waay from Arabic science 'ad fontes'. Even so, it won't be the same Renaissance.

 

[Alex Richards]

If Constantinople falls to the Ottomans earlier, the scholars who fled Byzantium for Italy will arrive earlier, they were a major factor in starting the Renaissance.

 

[rcduggan]

Burckhardt decides to have the Renaissance start earlier, with some focus on the political changes which took place during the conflict between the Guelfs and Ghibellines.

He is not talking about a historiographical change, rather an actual alteration of history.

I was about to write about Constantinople falling earlier, but it seems Alex Richards beat me to the punch. Perhaps a POD could involve Timur - maybe he is more successful and manages to conquer all of Anatolia? Once this is complete, he moves on to take Constantinople.

 

[DireSituation]

Now, while I loved the explanations for an earlier Renaissance, my main inquiry was how it would affect history. Maybe not up to modern times, but how would it affect what I mentioned in the first post?