[dragonwriter]

> What caused the end of the middle ages was the cultural renaissance of Europe.

The Renaissance in Italy started well before the usual end date for the Middle Ages. There's a lot of things that motivate the dating of the end of the Middle Ages -- the discovery of the New World, the spread of the Renaissance to much of Europe, the completion of the reconquista, and a number of other things contribute.

[vorg]

Probably discovering the New World and movable type printing together had the most impact in ending the "Middle Ages" in Western Europe.