Claim: The Portuguese Empire existed at the same time as the Renaissance.
Evidence: It existed for almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to the grant of sovereignty to East Timor in 2002.
The Renaissance -LRB- -LSB- rᵻˈneɪsəns -RSB- , -LSB- rɛnəˈsɑːns -RSB- -RRB- was a period in European history , from the 14th to the 17th century , regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history.