-
Jan 1, 1449
Lorenzo De' Medici
Lorenzo De Medici was important in the Italian Renaissance because he and he's family was the most 'powerful patrons' of the Renaissance. He ruled the Italian city of Florence as a patron of artists, writers, and humanists. During his reign, the city saw a rebirth of the arts and philosophers.1 -
Apr 15, 1452
Leonardo Da Vinci
His interests included invention, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, paleontology and cartography. He's considered one of the greatest painters of all time, even though only 15 of his paintings have survived. The Mona Lisa is the most famous artwork of his. -
Oct 28, 1466
Erasmus
Erasmus was the dominant figure of the early humanist movement. Neither a radical or an apologist, he remains one of early Renaissance controversial figures. “The Freedom of the Will” is an essay by Desiderius Erasmus. -
May 3, 1469
Machiavelli
Machiavelli was one of the most influential writers of the Renaissance era. Today, he is considered the father of political science because he was the first person to record and explain politics in a realistic manner that shows the darker side of government. -
Feb 19, 1473
Copernicus
Copernicus finished the first manuscript of his book, "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" in 1532. In it, Copernicus established that the planets orbited the sun rather than the Earth. He laid out his model of the solar system and the path of the planets. -
Mar 6, 1475
Michelangelo
He was important to the Renaissance because he changed the way the world viewed art and artists. His contributions to the era inspired others to see art and artists as valuable assets to the community. Before him, artists were looked at, as just craftsmen. -
Feb 7, 1478
Thomas More
He was a significant figure the Renaissance. His work, Utopia has continued to influence the dystopian genre of literature today. The work he has influenced is prominent in our curriculum, as we are taught about faulty codes and the different types of government and idealism. -
Mar 6, 1483
Raphael
He was considered so great because he changed the way people viewed art. His ability to convey classic character and simplicity in his portraits makes many believe that his art was the best expression of humanism in the Renaissance era. He painted personalities into his art work. -
Nov 10, 1483
Martin Luther
He was a man of spectacular thoughts on the Catholic community during his time. He had affected society in the 1500s. He took part in what is currently known today as the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was a great man of the Renaissance who had changed the corrupt Catholic Church. -
Jul 2, 1489
Thomas Cranmer
He was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. -
Jun 28, 1491
Henry VIII
Henry VIII was a Renaissance person as he was very had various contributions in literature and cartography, and was intelligent in several subjects. In addition, he also contributed greatly through religious, military, and political ways to England. -
1500
Humanism
Humanism was the most important philosophy to the renaissance because it encouraged the kind of glorification of self that was needed to get out of the dark ages. A renaissance man was a humanist, but a humanist did not have to be a renaissance man. A renaissance man is a classic and very specific person. -
1500
Perspective
During the renaissance perspective was used to give the painters artwork a more realistic vibe. -
Jul 10, 1509
John Calvin
Calvin made a powerful impact on the fundamental doctrines of Protestantism, and is widely credited as the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation. -
Sep 7, 1533
Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I was an influential Queen of England reigning during a time of economic, political and religious upheaval. She presided over an era of economic and political expansion, which lay the framework for Britain’s later dominance as a world power. It was Queen Elizabeth who also established the supremacy of Protestantism in England. -
Jan 22, 1561
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, an English Philosopher, used the ideas of Aristotelian to promote the application of induction, an important technique that is used in modern science. Bacon also served as a Lord Chancellor in England. -
Feb 15, 1564
Galileo
Galileo provided a number of scientific insights that laid the foundation for future scientists. His investigation of the laws of motion and improvements on the telescope helped further the understanding of the world and universe around him. -
Apr 23, 1564
William Shakespeare
His Contribution to the renaissance was that he created a new style of play writing because he mixed both tragedy and comedy into one "which in his times was a big deal because way back then comedies were comedies and tragedies were tragedies,they were never collaborated.". -
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton's work focused on several topics which eventually became the basis for the entire field of classical physics. While he had many achievements, his most important theories included those that governed the laws of motion and the foundations of calculus. -
Pope III
The worldly Paul III was a notable patron of the arts and at the same time encouraged the beginning of the reform movement that was to affect deeply the Roman Catholic Church in the later 16th century. He called the Council of Trent in 1545.
