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Period: 1347 to 1400
Pre-1400: The Black Death and the Rise of Florence
In 1347, the Black Death began ravaging Europe. Ironically, by killing a large percentage of the population, the plague improved the economy, allowing wealthy people to invest in art and display, and engage in secular scholarly study. Francesco Petrarch, the Italian humanist and poet called the father of the Renaissance, died in 1374. -
Period: 1400 to 1450
1400–1450: The Rise of Rome and the de Medici Family
The beginning of the 15th century (probably 1403) saw Leonardo Bruni offer his Panegyric to the City of Florence, describing a city where freedom of speech, self-government, and equality reigned. In 1401, Italian artist Lorenzo Ghiberti was awarded a commission to create bronze doors for the baptistry of San Giovanni in Florence; architect Filippo Brunelleschi and sculptor Donatello traveled to Rome to begin their 13-year stay sketching, studying, and analyzing the ruins there. -
Period: 1451 to 1475
1451–1475: Leonardo da Vinci and the Gutenberg Bible
In 1452, the artist Leonardo da Vinci was born. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, compelling many Greek thinkers and their works to move westward. Arguably one of the key events in the Rennaissance, in 1454, Johannes Gutenberg published the Gutenberg Bible, using a new printing press technology that would revolutionize European literacy. Sixtus IV was appointed Pope in 1471, continuing the major building projects in Rome, including the Sistine Chapel. -
Period: 1476 to 1500
1476–1500: The Age of Exploration
The last quarter of the 16th century witnessed an explosion of important sailing discoveries in the Age of Exploration: Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; Columbus reached the Bahamas in 1492; and Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498. In 1485, Italian master architects traveled to Russia to aid in the rebuilding of the Kremlin in Moscow. -
Period: 1500 to
1550 and Beyond: The Peace of Augsburg
In 1556, Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia wrote "A General Treatise on Numbers and Measurement" and Georgius Agricola wrote "De Re Metallica," a catalog of ore mining and smelting processes. Michelangelo died in 1564. Isabella Whitney, the first English woman ever to have written non-religious verses, published "The Copy of a Letter" in 1567. The Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator published his "World Map" in 1569. -
Period: 1501 to 1550
1501—1550: Politics and the Reformation
By the first half of the 16th century, the Renaissance was impacting and impacted by political events throughout Europe. In 1503, Julius II was appointed pope, bringing in the start of the Roman Golden Age. Henry VIII came to power in England in 1509 and Francis I succeeded to the French Throne in 1515. Printmaker Albrecht Dürer visited Italy for the second time between 1505 and 1508, residing in Venice where he produced a number of paintings for the emigrant German community.