West and the World

The Bubonic Plague Begins

Jan 1, 1347

The Bubonic Plague was a deadly disease the swept through Europe killing approximatley 30-60% of the European population. Infected people suffered from large boils on their bodies as well as bleeding and vomitting blood, leading to organs shutting down.

Renaissance Begins

Jan 1, 1350

The Renaissance was an artistic and cultural movement in Europe. It was the rebirth of a new society forgetting its Medival ways. It was also a movement of literature and religion. Leonardo da Vinci was better known as the Renaissance Man because he was talented in many areas. Da Vinci was an artist, architect, engineer, inventor, mathematician and sculptor.

Brunelleschi creates linear perspective

Jan 1, 1413

Filippo Brunelleschi was a successful arcitecht and engineer. He is credited with the construction the dome of the Florence Cathedral. He painted using linear perspective and then collaborated it in his arcitechture.

Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orleans

Jan 1, 1429

Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press

Jan 1, 1439

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1439. His printing press came from the idea of a wine pressing mechanism. His printing press was hand powered, in which ink was rolled over the raised letters which were moveable. The letters were then pressed against paper.

Cosmo de Medici dies

Jan 1, 1464

Cosmo de Medici was very wealthy. He used his wealth to do many great things in Florence, Italy. He built a library, as well as helped artists by taking them in and caring for them. He was the most powerful man in Florence.

Spanish Inquisition Begins

Jan 1, 1478

The Spanish Inquisition was a religious movement. King Ferdinand and his wife Isabella decided that Catholicism would unite Spain. It started by driving out those who did not follow the Catholic faith (Jews, Protestants, non believers). Thomas de Torquemada became the inquisitor general and began to execute non-followers as part of the process.

Sandro Botticelli paints the Birth of Venus

Jan 1, 1486

Sandro Botticelli was an Early Renaissance artist who belonged to the art school of the Medici family. The Birth of Venus is considered one of his most famous works.

Columbus discovers the America's

Jan 1, 1492

Christopher Columbus was an explorer. He is credited with discovering the America's and began, the settling of many European colonies where the United States and Cnada are today.

da Vinci Paints The Last Supper

Jan 1, 1495

Leonardo da Vinci was an extremely famous painter during the Renaissance. He is often refered to as the "Renaissance Man" because he was a very skilled man. He was an inventor, architect, painter, sculptor, and scientist.

Raphael paints The School of Athens

Jan 1, 1510

Raphael is an Earlu Renaissance artist. He painted with great depth and perspective. This is one of his most famous works.

Michelangelo paints the sistine chapel

Jan 1, 1512

Michaelangelo was another Renaissance artist. He is considered one of the greatest artists in his time as well as the greatest artist of all time. His greatest works are in the Sistine Chapel. He was also a sculptor and arcitecht.

Machiavelli writes the Prince

Jan 1, 1514

Machiavelli was a political theorist, diplomat and historian. The printed version of his novel was not published until 5 years after his death. The Prince is said to be one of the first works in modern philosophy as well as political philosophy.

Thomas More Utopia

Jan 1, 1514

Thomas More's novel is considered a political philosophy novel. In the novel he discusses his ideas with others as well as explains his idea of a a Utopia or perfect world.

Martin Luther 95 Theses

Jan 1, 1517

Martin Luther was a leader of a religious revolt. On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of a Catholic Church. He began the great reformation of the Protestants.

Start of the European Wars of Religion

Jan 1, 1524

The European Wars of Religion began after the reformation of the protestants.

Ivan the terrible is born

Jan 1, 1533

Ivan the terrible was the Grand Prince of Russia. He became the Ruler of all of Russia after successfully conquering many lands, making Russia almost one billion acres. It is said that Ivan was intelligent, but there were times when he would rage. Some believe this was caused by a form of mental illness.

Henry VIII of England excommunicated

Mar 6, 1533

Henry VIII was excommunicated from England because he wanted to divorce his wife, which was not approved of by the church.

Jesuit Order founded by Ignatius Loyola

Jan 1, 1534

Ignatius Loyola becam a very religious man after being badly injured in the war. He was very sure about his faith and he followed the Catholic Church. He arrived in Paris after a journey to Jerusalem to preach his move and faith to others. In Paris he found six people who swore to follow the pope and faith. Loyola was then ordained as a priest. The pope as the Society of Jesus to go around and teach the faith, but Loyola thought he should start new and created the Jesuits.

Desiderius Erasmus dies

Jan 1, 1536

Erasmus was the "philosopher of Christ,". He was a scholar and classicist and is one of the fathers of humanism.

Scientific Revolution/ Copernicus

Jan 1, 1543

Copernicus is said to have started the scientific revolution. He was a Renaissance astronomer who changed the course of science when he made his theory of how the Earth is not in the centre of the universe. He published a book on modern astronomy that is said to have began the scientific revolution.

Spain declares bankruptcy for the 1st time.

Jan 1, 1557

Spain went bankrupt because they failed to repay national bonds.

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth I

Jan 1, 1559

Queen Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England when she was twenty five years old.

Saint Bartholomew's Massacre

Jan 1, 1572

The Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre occured after the Christian Faith had been reformed in France. The Royal family's spiritual advidor, a Jesuit Priest urged the Family to kill all of the protestants in turn for their sins. so in 1572, the clergy and the army surprised people by starting a mass murder. Hundreds of thousands of protestants were killed and many escaped to other countries in Europe.

Edict of Nantes

Apr 13, 1598

The Edict of Nantes was a group of legal documents issued by King Henry the IV of France in 1598. It basically established civil rights for the Huguenots, Calvinist Protestants within predominantly Roman Catholic France.