What ideas and events helped lead up to the Renaissance?

Historians have identified several causes for the emergence of the Renaissance following the Middle Ages, such as: increased interaction between different cultures, the rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts, the emergence of humanism, different artistic and technological innovations, and the impacts of conflict

The widespread use of farming, as well as the end of the Dark Ages. The Renaissance was a time for the exploration of the arts and sciences and because people know had a lot more time that was previously unavailable, greater cities began to sprout up and in these were the great minds and names we now recognize. Another indirect contributor was the desire to learn more rather than to simply accept what was already considered a fact.