Lang timeline

The Renaissance begins

Sep 19, 1300

it is generally believed to have begun in Italy during the 14th century. The Renaissance spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Hundred Years' War begins

Feb 5, 1337

The name the Hundred Years' War has been used by historians since the beginning of the nineteenth century to describe the long conflict that pitted the kings and kingdoms of France and England.

April 6, 1341: Francesco Petrarch Is Crowned Poet Laureate

Apr 6, 1341

Many historians cite this date as the beginning of the Renaissance.

The Black Death arrives in Europe

Oct 12, 1347

he plague arrived in Europe in October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. People gathered on the docks were met with a horrifying surprise: Most sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those still alive were gravely ill

The Great Schism begins

Mar 27, 1378

The schism in the Western Roman Church resulted from the return of the papacy to Rome by Gregory XI. The Romans put into operation a plan to ensure the election of a Roman pope.

1401: Ghiberti Wins The Right To Sculpt The Northern Doors Of The Baptistry

Jan 3, 1401

Ghiberti is commissioned and takes 28 years to sculpt the bronze doors of the Florentine church. The doors remain one of the most valued treasures of the Renaissance

Construction begins on Giotto's bell tower in Florence

Apr 5, 1403

In 1401, Brunelleschi entered a competition to design a new set of bronze doors for the baptistery in Florence. He ended up winning and it was soon contructed

Brunelleschi creates Linear perspective

Jan 18, 1413

Linear perspective revolutionized art. It allowed art to have depth and appear to be in 3D.

1420: The Papacy Returns To Rome

Apr 19, 1420

The Papacy, having been located in Avignon since 1305, returns to Rome, bringing with it the prestige and wealth necessary to rebuild the city.

1423: Francesco Fosari Becomes Doge Of Venice

Sep 3, 1423

Fosari assumes the position of doge and attempts to usurp great political power, to the distaste of the Great Council, Venice's oligarchic ruling body, which asserts its power over the doge and torments him until his resignation.

1447: Pope Nicholas V Ascends To The Throne

Nov 13, 1447

Pope Nicholas V takes the first steps toward turning Rome into a Renaissance city, undertaking many construction projects and strongly encouraging the arts.

1450: Francesco Sforza Seizes Control Of Milan

May 23, 1450

After a short experiment with republican government, Milan returns to monarchy when Francesco Sforza takes control of the city. His most prominent successor is Ludovico Sforza.

Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Empire

May 29, 1453

conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire. The dwindling Byzantine Empire came to an end when the Ottomans breached Constantinople's ancient land.

1453: Constantinople Falls

Dec 29, 1453

The center of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Turks, provoking an exodus of Greek people and works of art and literature into the Italian city-states.

Gutenberg bible is published

Oct 22, 1454

The preparation of making this bible was around 1450. The first finished copies were available in 1454 and 1455.

Cosimo de' Medici dies

Aug 1, 1464

Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, called "the Elder" and posthumously "Father of the Fatherland". was an Italian banker and politician, the first member of the Medici family that de facto ruled Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance.

Lorenzo de' Medici becomes the head of Florence

Mar 18, 1469

Known For: Statesman and de facto leader of Florence whose reign coincided with a boom in the Italian Renaissance, thanks largely to his patronage of arts, culture, and philosophy.

Lorenzo de'Medici becomes ruler of Florence

Jul 5, 1469

the Florentine statesman and arts patron is considered the most brilliant of the Medici. He ruled Florence for some 20 years in the 15th century, during which time he brought stability to the region.

1471: Sixtus IV Becomes Pope

Oct 3, 1471

Sixtus IV becomes pope, undertaking many successful projects in Rome, but disgracing the Church through his corruption and practice of nepotism.

Death of the painter Hugo van der Goes, of Ghent

Jun 2, 1482

Van der Goes was an important painter of altarpieces as well as portraits.was one of the most significant and original Flemish painters of the late 15th century

Columbus reached the Bahamas

Oct 12, 1492

On 3 August 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. On 12 October, the expedition reached land, Watling Island in the Bahamas.

1494: Ludovico Sforza Permits The French Invasion Of Italy

Jul 27, 1494

In an attempt to weaken his enemy, the King of Naples, Ludovico invites the French to invade Italy, granting them free passage through Milan. Though this invasion fails, the French return in 1499, turning on Ludovico and taking Milan, and opening an era of foreign competition for Italian land.

Death of the painter Hans Memling, of Bruges

Aug 11, 1494

When Memling died on 11 August 1494, he was an acclaimed artist at home and abroad.His style, compositions and use of colors were followed by many artists.

Da vinci paints the last supper

Mar 5, 1495

The Last Supper is a late 15th-century mural painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is the most recognizable paintings in the world still today

Pope Julius II assumes the role of Pope

Apr 30, 1503

who was pope from 1503 to 1513, was a noted Renaissance patron of the arts. A warrior pope, he failed to bring Italy under papal control.

1503: Pope Julius II Assumes The Papal Throne

May 13, 1503

The ascension of Pope Julius II begins the Roman Golden Age, during which the city and Papacy both prosper. Julius II reverses the trend of moral degradation in the Papacy and takes great steps in the rebuilding of Rome.

Michelangelo finishes "David"

May 7, 1504

Michelangelo sculpted the David from September of 1501 until May of 1504, resulting in this icon of the Renaissance .The David is just over 5 meters high and exceeds five tons.

Death of the painter Sandro Botticelli, of Florence

Feb 18, 1510

died May 17, 1510, Florence), one of the greatest painters of the Florentine Renaissance. His The Birth of Venus and Primavera are often said to epitomize for modern viewers the spirit of the Renaissance.

The start of the Reformation

Jun 14, 1517

The Reformation was a movement within Western Christianity in the sixteenth-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Roman Catholic Church and papal authority in particular.

Martin Luther nails the 95 theses on the door of the withenburg church

Oct 31, 1517

Martin Luther challenges the traditional practices of the church and Pope Leo X. Luther believed that a person's wealth should not impact their status in the after life.

Leonardo Da Vinci dies

May 2, 1519

Da Vinci died of a probable stroke on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67. He continued work on his scientific studies until his death; his assistant, Melzi, became the principal heir and executor of his estate.

Pope Leo X threatens Martin Luther with Excommunication

Jan 3, 1521

Pope Leo X excommunicated the German priest Martin Luther. After his excommunication, the church demanded he further defend his views at a meeting in Worms

Death of the composer Josquin Desprès

Aug 27, 1521

Passed away in the year 1521, the 27th of August. Josquin des Prez, also spelled Desprez, des Prés, or Després. One of thegreates composers during the renaissance.

Knights of St John abandon Rhodes to the Turks

Aug 15, 1522

The Knights of Saint John first came to Rhodes in the year 1309 and during their 200-year rule of the island, the Ottoman Turks made several valiant attempts

1523: Pope Clement VII Ascends To The Throne

Feb 5, 1523

Pope Clement VII comes to power in difficult times, following Pope Leo X. He soon proves himself an incompetent politician, and his poor decisions lead to the sack of Rome.

Francis I invades Italy

Apr 4, 1524

Francis I first invasion to Italy was one of most successful campaign's in Italy.The Emperor Maximilian was allied with Pope Leo X, while Ferdinand II of Aragon duke of Milan and his Swiss protectors and Florence were all hostile to the French.

Publication at Worms of William Tyndale's English translation of the New Testament

Apr 18, 1526

Tyndale had to take his English translation of the New Testament to Cologne to have it printed, but his endeavour was uncovered and he was forced to halt the printing and flee.

May 6, 1527: The Sack Of Rome

May 6, 1527

After Pope Clement VII refuses to grant the imperial army a ransom, it attacks the city of Rome, taking the city in just over twelve hours. The sack of Rome symbolizes the downfall of Renaissance Italy, much of which is subjugated to Imperial-Spanish rule by the settlement of Bologna in 1530.

Siege of Vienna by the Turks Fall of Cardinal Wolsey

Dec 3, 1529

expedition by the Turks against the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Leopold I that resulted in their defeat by a combined force led by John III Sobieski of Poland.

Henry the 8th of England

Apr 20, 1533

Henry was excommunicated from the Catholic Church because he annulled his first marriage and married again without the permission of the church.

Michelangelo completes the fresco The Last Judgement in the Sixtine Chapel

Aug 9, 1541

The Last Judgment (Italian: Il Giudizio Universale) is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo covering the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

Martin Luther dies

Feb 18, 1546

Luther died following a stroke on February 18, 1546. At the age of 62 during a trip to his hometown of Eisleben.

Ivan the terrible is born

Jan 1, 1553

Ivan conquered large amounts of territory transforming Russia into a multienthnic country. He became the first Tsar of Russia.

Charles V abdicates as Holy Roman Emperor

Sep 7, 1555

Having already resigned the sovereignty of the Netherlands in 1555, Charles V resigned Spain on January 16th, 1556. In theory, Charles V was the most powerful monarch in Europe.

The peace of Ausburg

Sep 25, 1555

The Peace of Augsburg, also called the Augsburg Settlement was signed in September 1555 by Charles V, Holy .Roman Emperor, and the Schematically League, signed on 25 September 1555 at the imperial city of Augsburg.

Death of the miniaturist Simon Bening, of Bruges

Dec 4, 1561

Simon Bening (c. 1483 – 1561) was a Flemish miniaturist, generally regarded as the last major artist of the Netherlandish tradition.[2] Bening, born either in Ghent or Antwerp, was probably trained by his father, illuminator Alexander Bening, in the family workshop in Ghent. He travelled between Ghent and Bruges and became a member of the guild of San John and Saint Luke in Bruges as an illuminator in 1508. He made his own name after moving to Bruges in about 1510, where he had lived since.

The First modern atlas is published

May 22, 1570

The first true atlas in the modern sense was published on 22 May 1570. Giles Coppens de Diest at Antwerp published 53 maps.

The Royal Exchange opens in London, England.

Jan 23, 1571

The Royal Exchange was officially opened on 23 January 1571 by Queen Elizabeth.Only the exchange of goods took place until the 17th century.

Shakespeare builds the Globe Theatre

Sep 5, 1599

Globe Theater was a theater in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend.

The Medici family is kicked out of Florence by Girolamo Savanarola

May 23, 1998

Cosimo de' Medici
After only two years in power, he was forced out of the city in 1494, and died in exile. Thanks in part to the efforts of Pier's younger brother Giovanni .