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Jan 25, 1494
Italian Wars
France and Spain fought for control over Italy along with the involvement of England and several popes. The Wars helped expose the rest of Europe to the ideas of the Italian Renaissance. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Writes 95 Theses
Martin Luther wrote a protest against the selling of indulgences. The theses reached the pope and he responded by excommunicating Martin Luther. -
Apr 4, 1525
Peasant's War
German peasants upset by high taxes and a lack of power, stormed castles and monasteries. -
Nov 3, 1534
Act of Supremacy in England
Provided Henry Vlll the right to be supreme head of the Church of England. -
Sep 12, 1536
John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion
A book published by John Calvin that expressed ideas about God, salvation, and human nature. -
Sep 27, 1540
Jesuit order founded
A religious order for the pope's followers that founded schools throughout Europe, tried to stop the spread of Protestantism, and converted non-Christians to Catholicism. -
Jul 21, 1542
Start of Roman Inquisition
A Church court established by the Catholic Church to fight Protestantism and impose religious uniformity. -
Jan 1, 1543
Nicolaus Copernicus "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium"
A work that projects the heliocentric theory of the Polish Renaissance. It triggered the Copernican Revolution and made a major contribution to the Scientific Revolution. -
Dec 13, 1545
Council of Trent
Doctrines agreed on by Catholic bishops and cardinals. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
A peace treaty signed between the Roman Empire and the Lutheran German princes that ended religious wars and made Lutheranism legal in the Roman Empire. -
Nov 17, 1558
Reign of Elizabeth I
The daughter of Henry VIII, she ruled following her sister's death. She was extremely loyal to her country and established the Church of England. -
Jun 9, 1560
Scotland Converts to Calvinism
Protestant nobles led by John Knox made Calvinism Scotland's official religion. -
Aug 23, 1572
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
The hatred between Catholics and John Calvin's followers led to extreme violence influenced by Catholic mobs to hunt down Protestants. -
Edict of Nantes
Granted freedom to Protestants and ended the French wars of Rebellion. -
Galileo Galilei "Starry Messenger"
His book describes his observations of the heavens such as, the sun having dark spots, the moon having a rough surface, and Jupiter having 4 moons. It supported the theories of Copernicus. -
Francis Bacon's "Novum Organum"
The book encouraged the experimental method to discover knowledge of the natural world. -
Rene Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy"
The books formulate modern thinking. His ideas reshaped the thinking of humanity, "what is true?" to "what can I be certain?" -
Thomas Hobbes "Leviathan"
He published the book Leviathan in which he describes an influential formulation of social contract theory. -
John Locke's "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Two Treatises of Government"
Essay's that display his theories that people could learn from experience and improve themselves. They have the natural ability to govern their own affairs and look after the welfare of society. theories -
Voltaire "Lettres Philosophiques"
Included essays of government and societal ideas. -
Baron de Montesquieu's "On the Spirt of Laws"
A study on three types of government, republic, monarchy, and despotism. He proposed that separation of powers would keep any individual or group from gaining total control of the government. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality"
Lays the foundation for his political thought and expressed his passion for individual freedom. He believed the only good government was freely formed by the people.