Christopher Columbus was an explorer, navigator, and colonizer born in the Republic of Genoa (in modern-day Italy) in 1451. He lived during the transition period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement that began in Europe in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century. It was a time of renewed interest in classical learning and literature, as well as in the arts, sciences, and exploration. Columbus's voyages of exploration, which began in 1492, were a product of the Renaissance spirit of discovery and exploration.