-
1400
Humanism
Humanism is the idea that people should care about making themselves the best they could be. It stressed the importance of the current world and not caring only about the afterlife. Humanists often chose to see the good side of people. The influence of Humanism changed the ideas of people, and was important to many of the important figures of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Scientific Revolution. -
1400
Johan Gutenberg
Gutenberg is best known for his invention, the printing press. This device perhaps single handedly sparked the printing revolution. The very first book that he printed was the Bible which helped to further the Reformation (more people understood what was actually written). Gutenberg was incredibly important to the Reformation and the development and spreading of new ideas. -
1415
Perspective
Perspective is the concept of making two-dimensional objects appear three-dimensional. The use of perspective resulted in pictures that possessed a much greater sense of realism than before. Perspective had an influence on the great artists of the Renaissance and continues to have an influence on the way we make pictures today. -
1440
Printing Revolution
Gutenberg's invention of the printing press greatly changed Europe for the better. The press caused the spread of information quickly and soon started a revolution. The Printing Revolution improved the knowledge, discoveries made, and literacy of many people. -
1452
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most famous members of the Renaissance. He was a "Renaissance Man" and achieved many great things in the fields of science, math, art, and more. He drew up plans for inventions that were far advanced for his time, and created diagrams of the human body. Leonardo da Vinci was important in the development of humans' understanding of the world around them. -
1457
Michaelangelo
Michaelangelo was another icon of the Renaissance. He was interested in many subjects such as art, architecture, and poetry. Michaelangelo excelled in art specifically, he created many of the most famous works of art in the world. His works have had a huge influence on the development of art, his techniques were revolutionary at the time and are still used today. -
1466
Erasmus
Erasmus was one of the leading humanist figures of the Northern Renaissance. He wrote many works expressing his belief in need of reform, religion, etc. He kept out of the Reformation though, wishing to keep his distance. Erasmus's works have been influential throughout time and are continued to be studied in the modern era. -
1468
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III led the movement to reform the Catholic Church (called the Catholic Reformation). He called for the Council of Trent in 1545 to end corruption within the Church. Pope Paul III also strengthened the Inquisition to fight against Protestantism. -
1469
Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli was an influential politician, diplomat, historian, humanist, and philosopher. He is best known for his book, "The Prince". Machiavelli's book laid out the best way for a ruler to rule over the people of a country (at least in his own opinion). -
1473
Copernicus
Copernicus was an important member of the Scientific Revolution, he was the creator of the heliocentric model of the solar system (the sun in the center rather than the Earth). His findings were discredited by the church and he was forced to recant his findings. Copernicus would continue to study, but did so quietly. Copernicus was important in inspiring others to continue to study astronomy. -
1478
Thomas More
Thomas More was a humanist, as well as a philosopher. One of his most noted works "Utopia", described the steps that could be taken in order to make a country as perfect as humanly possible. He was opposed to the Protestant Reformation and a devout Catholic. More ended up being executed for his religion by his friend, King Henry VIII. -
1483
Raphael
Raphael was an Italian architect and artist. He created many paintings based on religion such as "Sistine Madonna". Raphael was another influential face in the arts, creating many new techniques such as with chalk, creating more depth in paintings than previously seen before. -
1483
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was arguably the most crucial member of the Reformation. Luther wrote the "95 Theses" with all of his complaints about the wrongdoings of the Roman Catholic Church, and instead of recanting, like the Church wanted him to, he decided to separate himself and create a new religion called Lutheranism. Luther's ideas were heard around the world and soon many people became Protestants, forming and joining new branches of religion. -
1491
Henry VIII
King Henry was one of the most infamous monarchs of all time. He is well known for having six wives, five of which met untimely, and often peculiar deaths. Henry VIII also broke away from the Catholic Church and created the Church of England which changed only a few rules so that he could get a divorce. He was responsible for more deaths (mostly Catholics) than any other monarch in England's history. -
1498
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation. Cranmer was key in the divorce of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and many religious reforms. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII's rein. He was eventually put to death by Queen Mary for being a Protestant. -
1509
John Calvin
John Calvin was another religious reformers of the Reformation. Much like Martin Luther, Calvin broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and created his own religion. His religion was centered around predestination, that people were already determined on where they would go in the afterlife: heaven or hell. While Calvin followed a much stricter teachings, he was still important to the Reformation and making others break away. -
1517
Sale of Indulgences
Indulgences were essentially pieces of paper that could be bought that would reduce the amount of punishment that you had to undergo. Indulgences worked out great economically for the Church, but it brought into question some of their true intentions. They caused eventual Protestants, like Martin Luther, to break away from the church, leading to the Reformation. -
1533
Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She seized the throne after the death of her brother, Edward. Rather than determine that any one religion could not be practiced, she let both Protestants and Catholics alike do as they pleased. She was important in settling the constant conflicts between the two and establish peace to a certain extent. -
1542
Inquisition
The Inquisition was a method used by the Catholic Church in order to combat "heretics". Those who were labeled as heretics were interrogated by the Church. These interrogations often featured the torture of the victim until they "confessed", once they confessed they were put to death by being burned at the stake. The Inquisition brought about widespread fear and was not effective in countering the efforts of Protestants. -
1543
Heliocentric Theory
The Heliocentric Theory is the idea that the sun was at the center of the solar system, with all other planets orbiting around it. This was first proposed by Copernicus. His claim however, differed from that of the Church's geocentric (the Earth was in the middle) model. Copernicus's Heliocentric Theory intrigued several scientists who then looked to the sky in order to find answers. -
1545
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was called by Pope Leo in order to do away with corruption in the Roman Catholic Church. Practices that did not have a place in the Church were done away with. It cleared up Church doctrine and condemned the Reformation. -
1561
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was an important member of the scientific revolution. He supported scientific knowledge and called for inductive reasoning (careful observations of events in nature). He pushed for the use of scientific method and that scientists should take a skeptical and methodical approach. -
1564
Galileo
Galileo was one of the most efficient scientists of the Scientific Revolution, discovering breakthroughs in physics, astronomy, engineering, and more. He supported the heliocentric solar system, found out a wide range of information on the planets, and sunspots. He also studied speed, velocity, gravity, and more in physics. -
1564
William Shakespeare
Perhaps the most famous name in all of literature, William Shakespeare is responsible for many of the most famous plays and stories ever. Shakespeare himself contributed over 1,000 new words to the English language. Also important, was his work being written in the vernacular, which made it easier for the common people to digest his material. -
Isaac Newton
Newton was extremely important to the world of science and math. He is most well-known for his laws of motion which hoped to explain some of the mechanics of the Earth. Newton was also the creator of calculus. His findings are still being used to this day.
