Michelangelo

A Miracle is Born

Mar 6, 1475

On March 6th, 1475 Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born to Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena and Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarotto Simoni in Caprese, Italy. He was greatly loved and was a believed gift from "God to the World."
This event is significant because Michelangelo would go on to be one of the greatest sculptors and painters that Europe and the rest of the world has ever seen.
Source: (Lace 10)

Printing of the First English Book

Nov 18, 1477

In 1477, the first known book in England, "Dicets and Sayings of the Philosophers," by William Caxton was printed. This was a huge industrial step for not only writers, but the entire country. He was also one of the first people to learn how to use a printing press. This event started a new movement, and novels were beginning to gain popularity. After this momentous change in literature, business soon picked up for authors.

(British Library Article)

Interest at a Young Age

Sep 7, 1485

Aorund age 10 and above, Michelangelo began to show his interest in the arts. He would carry his sketchbook around with him and draw anything he laid his eyes upon. He started to have trouble in school, and was unable to read or write at this age. He knew his passion in life at such an early age, and he only truly cared for art.
(Lace 12)
This event is important because it showed how dedicated Michelangelo would be to his work later on in his lifetime.
Source: (Lace 12)

Apprenticeship

Apr 17, 1489

When Michelangelo was just a young teenager, Lorenzo de' Medici recognixed his great talent and work. Known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, Medici was widely know in Italy as a ruler and a patron of the arts. He offered for the young boy to live on his estate among many other people similar to him to practice his artwork. Here, the young boy lived and practiced his sculpting for the finest eyes for a few years. This period of time effected his future art in a very positive way.
(Magill 717)

The Passing of the Magnificent

Apr 9, 1492

On April 9th, 1492, the great Lorenzo de' Medici passed away. This caused Michelangelo to move back home to Caprese, Italy. During this time, just like his earlier years, he enjoyed to sketch and paint in his freetime. All of his practice on his work growing up effected his art positively, as he is still receiving fame today.
(Lace 14)

Discovering a New World

Oct 12, 1492

On October 12th, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his three ships founded North America. To him, he believed he was the first discoverer but that was not the case. In fact, many native american tribes lived there already. This is important because the word of more accessible land attracted other countries who later established empires there.
(Eyewitness to History article)

Direct Sea Route to India

May 10, 1498

In May of 1498, explorer Vasco da Gama discovered a direct sea route to India. He did this while sailing first around the Cape of Good Hope, and eventually wound up on a trading port on the coast of India. Before this, people were uncertain to if this was actually possible. Because of this revolutionry finding, trade in Europe and Asia increased and inspired exploration.
(History article)

The Pieta

Dec 9, 1498

In 1497, a cardinal named Jean de Billheres ordered Michelangelo to carve a statue to go onto a side chapel of the Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of christ after his cruxification. He received many uncertain questions about the pieta, but he was quick to correct any doubtful opnions.
(Magill 517)

Mona Lisa

Dec 10, 1503

Beginning in 1503, famous Renassaince artist Leonardo da Vinci started to create the Mona Lisa. Many other of his works are popular, so it is no surprise that this is also very famous. But unlike his other work, the painting is his most famous piece. His brilliant brush strokes and talent shows in this esquisite piece.
(Britannica article)

The Statue of David

Oct 27, 1504

From the years 1501 to 1504, the talented Michelangelo worked on the marble Statue of David. He was contracted to create it by the board of the Cathedral of Florence. This sculpture is very big, standing at around 14 feet tall. This piece is known as "technically perfect" to all who have seen it. It still remains in Florence today, and can easily be seen at the cathedral.
(Barter 74)

Heliocentric Theory

May 30, 1508

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who lived from 1473 to 1543. He developed the heliocentric theory which states that the sun is in the middle of our solar system, and the planets revolve around it. His discovery inspired many scientific and Enlightenment ideas. This is important because his presence started many other discoveries all over Europe.
(A&E article)

The Ceilings of the Sistine Chapel

Dec 9, 1512

In 1508, Pope Julius II proposed to Michelangelo to paint a simple design to cover the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Instead of painting a geometric ornament with the twelve apostles on the ceiling, he decided to show the beauty of scenes from the Old Testament. This long and agonizing process took him four years to complete. This is one of his most famous pieces.
(Magill 519)

Popularity

May 5, 1513

Shortly after his tedious but lovely paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo was wanted by several people to do projects for them. This lasted many years, and he was only able to start a few, and complete even less. During the time period up to hid death, he had a busy schedule. He worked on wall designs, windows, paintings, and sculptors. His artistic abilities were also stretched.
(Barter 76)

Unfinished Projects

Jun 11, 1559

A few years before his death, Michelangelo began to work on his own pieta to be apart of his tomb. During this time, he also had other things to accomplish that he never got around to. For example, he was contracted to construct a massive pieta for Pope Julius II's tomb to no avail. Unfortunately, Michelangelo passed away before he could finish his own pieta, but his other works are still famous today.
(Barter 78)

Introduction of Tobacco

Aug 12, 1559

Starting in the late 1550's, tobacco was introduced in England and many other european countries. These include Portugal, France, and Spain. This started when Christopher Columbus observed indians growing it and introduced it to Europe many years later. This is important because tobacco was one of the leading contributations to a successful economy in this time period.
(University of Minnesota article)

Death

Feb 18, 1564

On February 18th, 1564, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni died. Even though he isn't physically here, his legacy still lives on. His masterpieces are on display all around Italy to be seen by anyone who wishes. He is known as one of the greatest sculptors alive, and will never be forgot in the artistic culture.
(Barter 78)