How can the Reformation and the Age of Discovery be seen as Extensions of the Renaissance?

Black Death

1346

The high number of deaths had a dramatic effect on the world's population at the time and shows the ability of diseases to spread widely in society. The next significance of the Black Death was the knowledge that modern societies have learned about preventing and stopping the spread of pandemics.

The Spanish Inquisition

1478

The Spanish Inquisition was a judicial institution that lasted between 1478 and 1834. Its ostensible purpose was to combat heresy in Spain, but, in practice, it resulted in consolidating power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom.

Christopher Columbus

1492

Christopher Columbus was a navigator who explored the Americas under the flag of Spain. Some people think of him as the "discoverer" of America, but this is not strictly true. His voyages across the Atlantic paved the way for European colonization and exploitation of the Americas.

Venice

1500

The Republic of Venice was a major financial and maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important centre of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century.

Florence

1500

Florence was very important during the Renaissance because it was a major center of Renaissance culture. ... Wool from the area around Florence was sold all over Europe and even over to the Middle East. This brought a lot of money to Florence, which allowed rich people to support artists who made Florence important.

Michelangelo

1501

Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter, and architect widely considered to be one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance — and arguably of all time. His work demonstrated a blend of psychological insight, physical realism, and intensity never before seen.

Henry the VIII

1509

Henry VIII is one of the most written about kings in English history. He established the Church of England and the Royal Navy. ... He is also credited with establishing the Royal Navy, encouraging shipbuilding, and the creation of anchorages and dockyards.

The Reformation

1516

The Reformation became the basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. The Reformation led to the reformulation of certain basic tenets of Christian belief and resulted in the division of Western Christendom between Roman Catholicism and the new Protestant traditions.

The Disputation on the Power of Indulgences

1516

Popes are empowered to grant plenary indulgences, which provide complete satisfaction for any remaining temporal punishment due to sins, and these were purchased on behalf of people believed to be in purgatory. This led to the popular saying, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs".

Martin Luther

1517

Martin Luther, a 16th-century monk and theologian, was one of the most significant figures in Christian history. His beliefs helped birth the Reformation—which would give rise to Protestantism as the third major force within Christendom, alongside Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy