Renaissance

How was the Renaissance different from the period preceding it?  You will in all likelihood look this up, but what I want from you is not the copied answer but the answer to whether or not it really was much different.  If so how.  Understanding that was the change in the 14th century (1300s) or 15th century (1400s) – was it 1375 or when did the change occur, or was it less dramatic and more evolutionary