The Renaissance is essentially a continuation of the Middle Ages, its parameters being less defined by political or social change and more by the development of intellectual and artistic concepts. The movement began in Italy, inspired by the rediscovery of Rome’s ancient past, before burgeoning across Europe. Although many of today’s historians question the use of the term ‘Renaissance’, which was popularised by Jacob Burckhardt in the late nineteenth century, the Doctor has never had any difficulty in viewing this period as a single entity.