Renaissance/Reformation

Humanism

1300

Humanism was the concept of many beliefs, methods, and philosophies that circled around the human realm. Humanism took place during the Renaissance time period, which was around 1300-1700. Humanism was a very influential thing, which is why it lead to the Renaissance being a very important time in history.

Perspective

1300

During the Renaissance, the idea of perspective was expanded. Many Renaissance artists used this concept as one of their techniques on many of their works of art. Perspective was one of the big ideas that came out of the Renaissance.

Johannes Gutenberg

1395

Johannes Gutenberg is important because he invented the printing press. This invention lead to the mass production of books, which later lead to more literate people. Gutenberg's invention lead to knowledge being spread all over the world.

Printing Revolution

1440

The printing press, created by Johannes Gutenberg, was a very big change for people in Europe, and all over the world. The revolution of printing allowed for a mass production of books in a short period of time. This also lead to knowledge being spread all over the world, and it also lead to a higher literacy rate.

Lorenzo de' Medici

Jan 1, 1449

Lorenzo de' Medici was the ruler of Florence from 1469 to 1478 with his brother, who was assassinated. All of Florence stood by Lorenzo after his brother's assassination and supported him. He is known to be the most powerful patron of the Renaissance period.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Apr 15, 1452

Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous renaissance artist. He created famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He was known for the term, "Renaissance Man." He was very influential and inspired many other artists.

Erasmus

Oct 27, 1466

Erasmus was one of the most famous and influential scholars in Europe during his time. Erasmus was a very good writer who influenced many people. He was the one who sort of defined the humanist movement.

Pope Paul III

Feb 29, 1468

Pope Paul III was the Pope from 1534 to 1549. He became the Pope after the sack of Rome in 1527. Also, he was the first Pope after all of the uncertainties of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation.

Machiavelli

May 3, 1469

Machiavelli was a writer and a diplomat during the time of the Medici family's exile. He was sent to jail and tortured after being art of a group that tried forming a militia against the Medici family since they were rising to power again. While he was away, he wrote the book, The Prince, which is about how a prince should act to obtain what he needs and how to rule his kingdom. Machiavelli is known as the "father of modern political theory."

Copernicus

Feb 19, 1473

Nicolaus Copernicus was an important astronomer back in the late 1400s and early 1500s. He is best known for his theory of a heliocentric solar system, which means that the planets and other objects orbit the sun. His theory was talked about a lot and it became such a big theory because everyone else believed the earth was the center of the universe, not the sun.

Michelangelo

Mar 6, 1475

Michelangelo was a famous man during the Renaissance who was an artist, sculptor, architect and poet. He was most known for his sculptor of David and his paintings on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. His works influenced many other artists in later years.

Thomas More

Feb 7, 1478

Thomas More was a lawyer and philosopher during King Henry VIII's ruling. He did not like King Henry's ways though, and he didn't acknowledge Henry as head of the Church of England., which lead to his death in 1535. Thomas was canonized by the Catholic Church though, and became a saint in 1935.

Raphael

Apr 6, 1483

Raphael was another famous man from the Renaissance time period. He painted a series known as the "Madonnas," which was influenced by Leonardo Da Vinci. He also had works such as La belle jardiniere and the Entombment. His movement toward Mannerism influenced a lot of painting styles in Ital after he had passed.

Martin Luther

Nov 10, 1483

Martin Luther is most famous for starting the Protestant Reformation. He started questioning the ways and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, which was what eventually lead to the reformation. Martin wrote 95 Theses hoping to let people know how the Church was corrupt. He was one of the most controversial and influential figures in Christian history.

Thomas Cranmer

Jul 2, 1489

Thomas Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1532 to 1555, and he was one of the leaders of the Reformation. He was acknowledged by Henry VIII because he supported the Henry's divorce with his wife Catherine of Aragon. Cranmer is well known for one of his best achievements, writing the "Book of Common Prayer."

Henry VIII

Jun 28, 1491

Henry VIII was a king who ruled England for 36 years. Some of his decisions and changes is what led his nation to the Protestant Reformation. He was one of the main people at fault for the reformation happening. He had six wives, and beheaded two of them.

John Calvin

Jul 10, 1509

John Calvin was known as Martin Luther's successor as the preeminent Protestant theologian. He is credited for being the most important person in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation. While John ruled in Geneva, it became the center of Presbyterianism in Scotland, the Reformed Church in the Netherlands, and the Puritan Movement in England.

Sale of Indulgances

1517

The sale of indulgences was a way of the Church corrupting people and getting their money. An indulgence was a payment that someone could make to the Church so they could exempt their sins and they would all be forgiven. These corruptive ways of the Church was a reason Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation.

Elizabeth I

Sep 7, 1533

Elizabeth I was the child of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She ruled England and Ireland for a while before she died. Elizabeth was the last ruler of the House of Tudor. She is considered one of the greatest English monarchs in history.

Heliocentric Theory

1543

This theory was proposed first by Nicolaus Copernicus. He published the idea of the heliocentric system in his book, "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium," which in English is, "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies." It was the theory that said that the planets orbited the sun, and the sun was the center of the universe rather than the earth being the center.

Scientific Method

1543

The scientific method was first formalized by Francis Bacon. His work was heavily influenced by Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo. The scientific method was designed to provide an objective and good approach while doing an experiment. It also improves their results of the experiment.

Francis Bacon

Jan 22, 1561

Francis was an attorney general, and he also served as the Chancellor of England for awhile. He was influenced a lot by the Aristotle ideas and the men Copernicus and Galileo. He was so influenced that he used their ideas to help develop the scientific method, which was a very big concept, and it was important.

Galileo

Feb 15, 1564

Galileo was a really important figure in the change from natural philosophy to modern science, and he was a big figure in the scientific revolution. He discovered the moons of Jupiter and named them; Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. Galileo also helped to develop the telescope.

William Shakespeare

Apr 23, 1564

William Shakespeare was one of England's greatest poet/writers of all time. A lot of his works are still recognized and read even to this day. Many of his plays are still performed by people all over the world. William Shakespeare was so influential, that is legacy will most likely live on for a long, long time.

Isaac Newton

Jan 4, 1643

Newton was a mathematician, astronomer and physicist, who is known to be on of the most influential scientist ever. He was a very important figure in the scientific revolution. Isaac Newton came up with laws to help explain some ideas of science, and his most famous is the law of gravitation.