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Jan 1, 1343
Geoffrey Chaucer
"Known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, alchemist and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten year-old son Lewis."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer -
Jan 1, 1350
Begining of the Renaissance
"The Renaissance,was a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance -
Jan 1, 1364
Christine De Pizan
"An Italian French late medieval author. She served as a court writer for several dukes (Louis of Orleans, Philip the Bold of Burgundy, and John the Fearless of Burgundy) and the French royal court during the reign of Charles VI. As a poet, she was well known and highly regarded in her own day; she completed 41 works during her 30-year career (1399–1429), and can be regarded as Europe’s first professional woman writer."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_de_Pizan -
Sep 27, 1389
Cosimo de’ Medici
"Born in Florence, Cosimo inherited both his wealth and his expertise in business from his father, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici. In 1415, he accompanied the Antipope John XXIII at the Council of Constance, and in the same year he was named "Priore of the Republic." Later he acted frequently as ambassador, showing a prudence for which he became renowned."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosimo_de'_Medici -
May 3, 1469
Niccolo` Machiavelli
"Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He was a founder of modern political science,and more specifically political ethics. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language." -
Mar 6, 1475
Michelangelo
"Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer of the High Renaissance who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Despite making few forays beyond the arts, his versatility in the disciplines he took up was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man, along with his fellow Italian Leonardo da Vinci."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo -
Nov 10, 1483
Martin Luther
"Martin Luther, was a German monk, Catholic priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of a reform movement in 16th century Christianity, subsequently known as the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar, with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther -
Jan 1, 1484
Huldrych Zwingli
"was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system, he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel, a scholarly centre of humanism. He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln, where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldrych_Zwingli -
Jul 10, 1509
John Calvin
" John Calvin, was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin -
Jan 1, 1532
The Prince By: Niccolo` Machiavelli
"The Prince, is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (About Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince