West and the World

Bubonic Plague Begins

Jan 1, 1348

-Carried by fleas living on black rats.
-Peaked Between 1348-1350.
-Arrived on merchant ships.
-Became the most devastating pandemic.
-Wiped out more than a third of Europe’s population.

Renaissance Begins

Jan 1, 1350

-Was a cultural movement that lasted from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and then later spreading to the rest of Europe.
-There is controversy about the extent to which the Renaissance improved the culture of the Middle Ages.

Brunelleschi creates Linear Perspective

Jan 1, 1420

-“Linear perspective is a way of creating a convincing, perfect illusion of space on a flat or two-dimensional surface.”
-Almost every Renaissance artist wanted linear perspective, a way of creating an accurate representation of space that could match the naturalism to the human figure.

Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans

Apr 29, 1429

-The Siege of Orleans marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England.
-This was Joan of Arc's first major military victory.
-The first major French success to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415.

Johann Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press

Jan 1, 1450

• Gutenberg's workshop was set up at Hof Humbrecht, a property belonging to a distant relative. -By 1450, the press was in operation and a German poem had been printed, possibly the first item to be printed there. -Gutenberg was able to convince the wealthy moneylender Johann Fust for a loan of 8000 guilders.

Cosimo de Medici Dies

Aug 1, 1464

-Was the first of the Medici political dynasty, de factorulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance.

Spanish Inquisition Begins

Sep 27, 1480

-Was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs.
-It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval Inquisition which was under Papal control.

Sandro Botticelli Paints Birth of Venus

Jan 1, 1486

-Botticelli was commissioned to paint the work by the Medici family of Florence.
-It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a fully grown woman, arriving at the shore.

Columbus Discovers the America's

Oct 12, 1492

-Was an explorer, navigator, and colonizer, born in the Republic of Genoa, in what is today North Western Italy.
-He completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents.

da Vinci Paints The Last Supper

Jan 1, 1495

-Was created as part of a scheme of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.
-The painting represents the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, as it is told in the Gospel of John, 13:21.

Michelangelo Paints the Sistine Chapel

Jan 1, 1508

-Painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is a work of High Renaissance art.
-The ceiling is that of the large Papal Chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV.
-The chapel is the location for Papal Conclaves and many important services.

Raphael Paints The School of Athens

Jan 1, 1510

-Is one of the most famous murals by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael.
-It was painted between 1510 and 1511 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with murals in the rooms now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

Machiavelli Writes The Prince

Jan 1, 1513

-Is a political treatise by the Italian diplomat, historian and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli.
-From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus.
-Although, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death.

Thomas More Utopia

Jan 1, 1516

-Was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and Renaissance humanist.
-He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and was Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to May 1532.
-Most scholars see Utopia as some kind of comment or criticism of European society, "for the evils of More's day are laid out in Book I and in many ways apparently solved in Book II."

Martin Luther 95 Theses

Oct 31, 1517

-The background to Luther's Ninety-Five Theses is based around practices within the Catholic Church regarding baptism and absolution.
-Significantly, the Theses rejected the accuracy of indulgences.

Start of the European Wars of Religion

Jan 1, 1524

-Were a series of wars waged in Europe.
-All of these wars were strongly influenced by the religious change of the period, and the conflict and rivalry that it produced.

Ivan the Terrible is Born

Aug 25, 1530

-Was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547.
-Historic sources talk about Ivan's complex personality: he was described as intelligent, yet would often rage and was prone to outbreaks of mental illness.

Jesuit Order Founded by Ignatius Loyola

Aug 15, 1534

-Was a Spanish knight from a local noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, and was its first Superior General.
-A religious leader during the Counter-Reformation.

Desiderius Erasmus Dies

Jul 12, 1536

-Was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian.

Henry VIII of England Excommunicated

Dec 17, 1538

-December 17th, 1538, Pope Paul III announced that Henry VIII had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
-Henry VIII upset the Pope and the Catholic Church by:- *Annulling his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marrying Anne Boleyn
*Declaring himself “Supreme Head of the Church of England
*Persecuting those who opposed the Acts of Supremacy and Succession
*Dissolving the monasteries
*His handling of the Pilgrimage of Grace

Scientific Revolution/ Copernicus

Jan 1, 1550

-"Was the dawning of modern science during the early modern period, when developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, medicine, and chemistry transformed views of society and nature."
-According to traditional accounts, the scientific revolution began in Europe towards the end of the Renaissance and continued through the late 18th century

Spain Declares Bankruptcy for the First Time

Jan 1, 1557

-Philip II of Spain inherited what was considered Europe's most wealthy nation, with no economic problems.
-By 1598, Spain was essentially bankrupt and Philip III inherited a nation doomed to fail.

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

Jan 15, 1559

-The coronation of the first Elizabeth is of greater historical importance than most.
-It the last occasion on which the Latin service was used.
-What happened on that day was an importent policy the new Queen would pursue, a pointer to the Elizabethan religious settlement which has unchanged ever since.

Saint Bartholomew's Massacre

Aug 23, 1572

-Was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots, during the French Wars of Religion.

Edict of Nantes

Apr 13, 1598

-Put into place by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic.
-In the Edict, Henry was aiming to promote civil unity.