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1398
Johan Gutenberg
Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher. He helped with the invention of the printing press. The printing press had movable type and launched a revolution for printing. This made it so that printing became a quicker process, books were spread around the world, and the literacy rate increased. -
1400
Humanism
Humanism is the scholarly study of Greek and Roman classics. People rediscovered things from the Greeks and Romans and wanted to live like them. There was more importance put on liberal arts to learn about humankind. People during this time period wanted to be the best at multiple different things which became known as a Renaissance man. -
1415
Perspective
Linear perspective was first introduced by Brunelleschi. Perspective displayed depth on a two-dimensional plane by the use of vanishing points. The concept caught on and many artists started doing this. Perspective would make the overall artwork look more realistic. -
1440
Printing Revolution
The Printing Revolution was sparked by Gutenberg's movable type. This allowed books to be produced at a higher rate. More books provided more learning environments causing the literacy rate to increase. People were now knowledgeable and could get information more easily. -
Jan 1, 1449
Lorenzo de Medici
De Medici was a politician, diplomat, and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. He administered the family's fortune by putting a lot of money into artists. He sponsored artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli. -
Apr 15, 1452
Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci was an ideal Renaissance man. He was exceptional at many different things. He was a painter, engineer, botanist, and physiologist. One of his most famous paintings is the Mona Lisa. -
1466
Desiderius Erasmus
Erasmus was a humanist and a major scholar at the time. He called for translation of the bible into the vernacular for everyday language. Erasmus produced a new Greek edition of the Bible. He was disturbed by the corruption in the church and called for reform. -
May 3, 1469
Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli was a humanist known for The Prince. His idea was "the end justifies the means." This means you can get to your goal no matter how you get there. He also imposed the idea of virtu, the ability the act heroically and decisively for the good of one's country. He showed how the leaders of their countries should act and impose regulations. -
Feb 19, 1473
Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus was a Polish astronomer. He proposed a heliocentric model of the universe. He challenged the Roman Catholic Church in the idea that Earth was the center of the universe. He made it so all knowledge would be put into question making more scientific advancements. -
Mar 6, 1475
Michelangelo
Michelangelo was a painter, architect, and sculptor. He is known for his huge sculpture of David. He was also hired by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Chapel. -
Feb 7, 1478
Thomas More
More was an English humanist who pushed for social reforms. He notices problems within society such as crime and starvation. He exploits these problems by writing Utopia which is an ideal society where all people are educated and justice is achieved for everyone. -
Apr 6, 1483
Raphael
Raphael was a painter and an architect. His most famous painting was The School of Athens. Raphael was an important artist that brought about finesse in realistic artwork. -
Nov 10, 1483
Martin Luther
Luther was a German monk and professor. He disagreed with the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther was angered by the sale of indulgences and made his 95 Theses protesting against the Church. Luther paved the way for other branches of Christianity to break away from the original Catholic Church to become religions. -
Jul 2, 1489
Thomas Cranmer
Cranmer was the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the English Reformation. He was the one who annulled Henry VIII's first marriage. Cranmer drew up the book Common Prayer for Anglican services. He was tried for treason because of being a Protestant and was burned at the stake. -
Jun 28, 1491
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII wants to get divorced from his wife so he can have a son. The pope says he can't annul the marriage causing Henry to break away from the Roman Catholic Church and form his own English Church. He was in charge of this church which allowed him to re-marry eventually leading to a son. He shows that countries can break away from the Roman Catholic Church. -
Jul 10, 1509
John Calvin
Calvin was a French born priest and lawyer. He was strongly influenced by Martin Luther by creating his own religion. Calvin creates a similar religion but with the idea of predestination which means that God chooses who can and cannot go to Heaven even before you exist. Calvin made the religion more difficult by saying there were saints and sinners causing people to devote themselves to a Christian life. -
1517
Sale of Indulgences
The sale of indulgences was involved in the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. A person would pay the Roman Catholic Church for a repentance of sin. A pope just made the sale of indulgences up to make more money and have the ability to pay for the artwork for the church. Many Christians objected to this sale which started the uprooting of the Roman Catholic Church. -
1542
Inquisition
Pope Leo strengthened the Inquisition to fight against Protestantism. It was a special court set up during the Middle Ages that used testimony, torture, and executions to root out Protestant heresy. Catholics could no longer use irreligious books including the writings of Calvin and Luther. This helped Catholics stay with the Roman Catholic Church in a more unconventional way. -
1543
Heliocentric Theory
The heliocentric theory says that the sun is the center of the universe. Planets, asteroids, comets, and the moon revolve around it. This theory was first proposed by Copernicus. This theory questioned the knowledge of the Roman Catholic Church and allowed future scientists to continue with this idea. -
1545
Council of Trent
Pope Leo led a movement to reform the Catholic Church. The Council of Trent was called to end corruption and worldliness in the church. The Council declared that salvation comes through both faith and good works rather than just paying to be saved. This helped to turn around the Roman Catholic Church so people wouldn't leave. -
1561
Scientific Method
The scientific method is an attempt to discern the activities by which success is achieved. Scientists follow the steps of collecting data, forming and testing a hypothesis through experiments, and concluding a result. This allowed many scientists to discover a lot more since they had an organized system to follow. The scientific method is still working today. -
Jan 22, 1561
Francis Bacon
Bacon was an English philosopher and scientist. He served as the Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon for an empirical approach which became known as the scientific method. He was gathering data, analyzing it, and conducting experiments which placed a great method for future scientists to follow. -
1564
William Shakespeare
Shakespeare was a major figure in the Northern Renaissance. He wrote 37 plays which most of them being well-known and read today. Shakespeare explored ideas such as the complexity of an individual. He used common language so most people could understand his writing also adding about 1,700 words to the English language. -
Feb 15, 1564
Galileo Galilei
Galileo was a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He supported the sun-centered theory proposed by Copernicus. Galileo constructed a telescope and refined the scientific method. His understanding of the universe played a major role in the scientific revolution with his discoveries and methods. -
Isaac Newton
Newton was an English physicist, astronomer, and mathematician who had one of the greatest minds in the Scientific Revolution. He developed the laws of motion and his theory of gravity. Newton said that white light was composed of all colors of the spectrum. He is credited with helping to develop calculus. His discoveries were essential to the advancement of science and mathematics.
