To follow Chris Resro's answer, part of the question should be why did it stick in Europe, and go away in other places? Renaissance is generally considered the 14th to 17th centuries, 1301 to 1700. More specifically the late 14th, around 1380 or so to about the middle 1600s. Preamble - Changing weather, and the Black Death. The Great Famine of 1315-1317 and later the Black Death from 1342 to the about 1400 (It came back a few times). The weather in Europe did not get quiet as bad again.