The legacy of Renaissance

By diego190
  • 1400

    Pre-1400: The Black Death and the Rise of Florence

    In 1347, the Black Death began ravaging Europe. Ironically, by killing a large percentage of the population, the plague improved the economy, allowing wealthy people to invest in art and display, and engage in secular scholarly study.
  • 1400

    1400–1450: The Rise of Rome and the de Medici Family

    Leonardo Bruni offer his Panegyric to the City of Florence, describing a city where freedom of speech, self-government, and equality reigned
  • 1451

    1451–1475: Leonardo da Vinci and the Gutenberg Bible

    The artist, humanist, scientist, and naturalist Leonardo da Vinci was born. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, compelling many Greek thinkers and their works to move westward. That same year, the Hundred Years War ended, bringing stability to northwestern Europe.
  • 1476

    1476–1500: The Age of Exploration

    Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; Columbus reached the Bahamas in 1492; and Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498.
  • 1501

    1501—1550: Politics and the Reformation

    Renaissance was impacting and impacted by political events throughout Europe. In 1503, Julius II was appointed pope, bringing in the start of the Roman Golden Age. Henry VIII came to power in England in 1509 and Francis I succeeded to the French Throne in 1515
  • 1550

    1550 and Beyond: The Peace of Augsburg

    Temporarily eased the tensions arising from the Reformation, by allowing the legal co-existence of Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire. Charles V abdicated the Spanish throne in 1556, and Philip II took over; and England's Golden Age began when Elizabeth I was crowned queen in 1558.