The West and the World

West and the World

Period: Jan 1, 1300 to Jan 1, 1600

Bubonic Plague beings

Jan 1, 1347

Bubonic Plague or The Black Death was carried over seas from China by rats with infected fleas. the plague would develope over a few days and would kill you very quickly. It wiped out a third of europes population in a few years.

Renaissance beings

Jan 1, 1350

The Renaissance was an intellectual movement in the 14th century. It was the beginning of a new era, mainly in art and liturature but also in customes and religion.

Brunelleschi creates Linear Perspective

Jan 1, 1420

Linear persepective is the illusion of making something appear 3-dimensional on a 2-dimensional surface. It was originated in Florence, Italy by artist and architect Brunelleschi who demonstrated it's principles for the first time.

Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans

Oct 12, 1428

Began in 1428 ended in 1429 and took place during the Hundred Years War. She lead a team of relief forces to Orleans, and was one of the first women to do so.

Johann Gutenburg invents the Printing Press

Jan 1, 1450

The date to which Johann invented the Printing Press is debatable. He was from Mainz, Germany a goldsmith and businessman. there were records of other printing mechanizms before his time but his was special because the letters and numbers were interchangable.

Cosimo de Medici dies

Aug 1, 1464

Born September 27th 1389 Cosimo de Medici went by many names. being the representative of the Medici Bank he was the wealthiest man of his time and created a dynasty that would rule for many centuries.

Spanish Inquisition Begins

Sep 27, 1478

Being one of the most deadly inquisitions in history it was run by civil and church authorities. It was drafted to weed out the non-believers from a nation or religion. victims would be tortured if found guilty.

Sandro Botticelli paints Birth of Venus

Jan 1, 1486

This is one of his most famous pieces, it hung in the country villa of Medici indicating that the Medici family had him paint it. on the left of Venus is the God of Winds with the gentle breeze that blows the goddess to shore. On her right is the Goddess of the Seasons waiting to recieve Venus.

Columbus discovers the America's

Jan 1, 1492

He left port Palos of Spain in the summer of 1492. He planned on sailing till he reach Asia but the trip was much longer then anticipated and he crew started going mad. He promised after a while that if land wasnt sighted in 2 days they would return home... they spotted land the next day.

da Vinci paints The Last Supper

Jan 1, 1495

For almost 18 years Leonardo da Vinci worked for Ludovico Sforza and Duke of Milan. The Duke decided he wanted this particular religious scene painted for him and Leonardo took the challenge happily for he recieved a large sum for his work.

Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel

Jan 1, 1510

Pope Julius II requested that michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel. He wanted to return Rome to it's former glory and show up anything Pope Alexander VI had ever done.

Raphael paints The School of Athens

Jan 1, 1511

The School of Athens is a representation of all the great philosophers and scientists of history. Although none of them were alive at the same time this painting shows all of them under the same roof.

Machiavelli writes the Prince

Jan 1, 1513

The Prince is a little book that gives practicle advise on how to rule a city, mainly Florence. He wrote it for Lorenzo de Medici and it focused larger on portraying virtue, not necessarily what makes a good prince but what makes a good human being.

Thomas More Utopia

Jan 1, 1514

Thomas More wrote the book Utopia in 1514, it is a book about philosophy. The first book explains a meeting of 3 gentlemen, Thomas More himself being one of the main characters, and they discuss whether philosophy can have an influence on politics.

Martin Luther 95 Theses

Oct 31, 1517

Widely regarded as the primary means for the Protestant Refromation. Martin Luther used these theses to show how unhappy he was with the churches indulgences and he eventually founded Protestantism

Ivan the Terrible is born

Aug 25, 1530

Vasilyevich was Ivans last name, he was the Grand Duke of Muscovy at the age of three after his fathers death in 1533. Ivan was the first ever recorded Russian Tsar.

Jesuit Order founded by Ignatius Loyola

Aug 15, 1534

Ognatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The Society of Jesus was licensed to teach and preach the faith and for the care of sould in life.

Desiderius Erasmus dies

Jul 12, 1536

Desiderius Erasmus was born on October 28th 1466, he was the illegitimate child of a physicians daughter, the father later turned monk. He was a Dutch Humanitarian and lived in Paris and London on and off for the majority of his life teaching and working other humanitarians.

Henry VIII of England excommunicated

Dec 17, 1538

Henry VIII's excommunication was mainly due to his lack of courtesy for the church and his annulment to Chatherine of Aragon for his marriage to Anne Boleyn. He had declared himself the "Supreme Head of the Church of England."

Scientific Revolution/Copernicus

Jan 1, 1543

Copernicus was a Polish scientist and mathematician. He basically founded the orbits of the plants in our solar system.

Spain declares bankruptcy for the first time

Jan 1, 1557

Spains Phillip II declared four separate state bankruptcies in 40 years. Spain was the first sovereign country to declare bankruptcy.

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

Jan 15, 1559

Queen Elizabeth I's reign is known as The Golden Age. Little is known about Elizabeth herself but her abilities are known world wide.

Start of the European Wars of Religion

Jan 1, 1560

Even though religion was the basis for the conflict of these wars they were not just about confessional disputes. these wars were a huge turning point for the government of European countries.

Saint Bartholomew's Massacre

Aug 24, 1572

Influenced by his mother King Charles IX of France ordered the assassination of Huguenot protestant Priests. This led to a massive massacre of tens of thousands of people.

Edict of Nantes

Apr 13, 1598

A decree that was signed by King Henri IV of France at Nantes to restore peace the France after it had been ravaged by the Wars of Religion.