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1494
Italian Wars
In 1494 King Charles V|| of France invaded Italy. This began a series of wars. England and the Popes became involved. The biggest impact of the wars was the exposure Europe got to ideas of the Italian Renaissance. The wars ended in 1559. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Writes 95 Theses
Luther writes a letter to the Pope expressing his concern of the selling of indulgences among the Church. -
1524
Peasant's War
Peasants in Germany had high taxes and no power. This led to unrest and 10,000 peasants stormed castles and montaseries. Nobles and Martin Luther suppressed and denounced the uprising. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
A set of laws that ended the Pope's religious power in England and made Henry the 8th head of Church. -
1536
John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion
John Calvin published a book expressing his ideas about God, salvation, and human nature. -
1540
Jesuit Order Founded
Ignatius of Loyola wrote a book about meditation, prayer, and study called "Spiritual Exercises". In 1540 he created a religious order called Society of Jesus, the members were Jesuits. These Jesuits focused on three activities, schools in Europe, converting non-christians to Catholicism, and stopping the spread of Protestantism. Paul |||, a Pope, approved the Jesuit order. -
1542
Start of Roman Inquisition
The Church Court, or Roman Inquisition, was created to fight Protestantism and impose religious uniformity. They had harsh methods such as torture to force confessions and punish denial. Those accused of being Protestant, practicing witchcraft, or breaking church law were tried. Jews were either forced to leave Spain or be converted. The Church's image was damaged by their abuse of power. -
1543
Nicolaus Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies
-Created the heliocentric theory which is that the sun stood at the center of the universe
-The 7 assumptions -
1545
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was made up of Church leaders. During a council meeting in Trent, Italy, new agreements were created. The first agreement was that the Church's interpretation of the Bible was final. The next was that faith and good work was needed for salvation. And the final agreement was that the selling of indulgences was banned. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
An agreement created by the German princes allowing each prince to the pick the religion of their country. Either Lutheran or Catholic. -
1558
Reign of Elizabeth |
After founding the Anglican Church, Elizabeth became head. Although this created religious peace in England, eventually Elizabeth was threatened to be overthrown by Catholics. She also had money problems during her reign. -
1560
Scotland becomes Calvinist
John Knox, a Scottish preacher, supported Calvinism. He spread Calvinist ideas throughout Scotland and his followers became Presbyterians. In the 1560's, nobles made Calvinism Scotland's official religion. -
Aug 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Huguenots, Calvin's followers, and Catholics were violent with each other often. The most violent clash of all was the St. Bartholomew's day clash where Catholic mobs hunted and murdered Protestants. The massacre spread to other cities and lasted 6 months. As a result, 12,000 Huguenots were killed. It ended when King Henry became catholic. -
Edict of Nantes
In 1598 King Henry's Edict of Nantes allowed religious freedom of Protestants. -
Galileo Galilei Publishes Starry Messenger
-built a telescope
-supported Copernicus's beliefs -
Francis Bacon publishes The Elements of the Common Laws of England
-created the experimental method also known as expiricism
-his understanding of the world led to practical knowledge and improved people's lives -
René Descartes publishes The Discourse on the Method
-developed analytical geometr
-relied on mathematics and logic -
Thomas Hobbes Publishes Leviathan
-believed in a monarchy of the people handing their rights over to a strong ruler
-created the idea of a social contract -
John Locke publishes Two Treaties of Government
-belived that everyone is born free with three human rights: life, liberty, and property
-believed that the purpose of the government is to protect rights and the citizens should overthrow it if they fail to do so -
Baron de Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws
-Created the theory of separation of powers
-Believed in natural rights -
Volitaire publishes Candide
-fought for freedom of religion
-fought for freedom of speech -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau publishes The Social Contract
-did not believe that reason, science, and art would improve life
-believed that civilization corrupted people's natural goodness