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The dome that covers the Florence cathedral is known as Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome.When it was designed, it was the largest dome in the world.This immediately created problems as its size prevented the traditional method of construction. Its structure is a double shell supported by sturdy pillars. Their building plans eschewed the flying buttresses and pointed arches of the traditional Gothic style then favored by rival northern cities like Milan, Florence’s arch enemy. -
Renaissance, period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages .The Renaissance also witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of commerce, and the invention or application of such potentially powerful innovations as paper, printing, the mariner’s compass, and gunpowder.
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The famous Pietà is a sculpture in white marble, designed and created by the Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, now preserved within the Basilica of San Pietro. It is a timeless and one-of-a-kind Italian work of art, worshiped by Christians around the world, depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the lifeless body of her son Jesus, immediately after being crucified by our salvation.This famous sculpture was commissioned from the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères. -
School of Athens, fresco (1508–11) painted by artist Raphael, in the Stanza della Segnatura, a room in Pope Julius II’s private apartments in the Vatican. It is perhaps the most famous of all of Raphael’s paintings and one of the most significant artworks of the Renaissance.The School of Athens is a complex allegory of secular knowledge, or philosophy, showing Plato and Aristotle surrounded by philosophers, past and present, in a splendid architectural setting. -
Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, reigned together with his mother, Juana I of Castile. With his reign the Habsburg House was established in Spain, replacing the Trastamara dynasty.He fought for European hegemony against France, England and the Papacy.For religious reasons he confronted the German princes who had embraced Protestantism.Conquest of the Mexican Empire by Hernán Cortés in 1521.Conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro in 1533. In 1542 created the consulate of Seville.
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King Charles I did not fully master Castilian and on his rise he brought with him to Castile the Flemish court that took possession of the positions of power in the Castilian courts, so the Castilian nobility did not view this act favorably.This caused a series of urban revolts by the people and the bourgeoisie that would end up including the Castilian nobility.The communal army was greatly damaged in the battle of Villalar and lost territory until the final surrender in Toledo in February 1522.
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The Peace of Augsburg was a treaty signed between Ferdinand I of Austria, representing Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and the German princes.This was signed on September 25 and had the objective of ending the conflicts between the emperor, who had tried to restore Catholic unity since the beginning of his coronation, and the Protestant German princes.In the treaty, Charles V recognized the official existence of the Lutheran churches and granted princes the right to choose religion. -
Philip II, king of the Spaniards and champion of the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation. During his reign the Spanish empire attained its greatest power, extent, and influence, though he failed to suppress the revolt of the Netherlands and lost the “Invincible Armada” in the attempted invasion of
England.The Spanish court did much to poison the whole Spanish system of government, and this played no small part in causing the Eighty Years’ War and the rebellions of the Moriscos of Granada. -
The Alpujarras rebellion was a conflict that occurred in Spain between 1568 and 1571 during the reign of Philip II. The abundant Moorish population of the Kingdom of Granada took up arms in 1567. When the royal power managed to defeat the rebels, it was decided to deport the surviving Moors to various points in the rest of the Crown of Castile, whose Moorish population increased.Philip II was overwhelmed. Apart from the deaths and expulsions, thousands were sold as slaves within Spain.
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Eighty Years` War, the war of Netherlands independence from Spain, which led to the separation of the northern and southern Netherlands and the formation of the United Provinces of the Netherlands.The war began with two invasions of the provinces by mercenary armies under William I of Orange and raids by the Geuzen, the irregular Dutch land and sea forces.By 1573 the Geuzen had captured, converted to Calvinism.By the Twelve Years` Truce, begun in 1609, the Dutch frontiers were secured.
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Response to the Union of Arras was the Union of Utrech, an agreement signed in January 1579. This union included the seven northern provinces, headed by Holland and Zeeland. The document included the right of each province to maintain its traditions, the military union of all of them and the freedom of religious worship. However, although the Spanish crown was still recognized as ruler of the provinces, the agreement greatly deteriorated relations with the king. -
The Walloon states of Artois and Henado, the cities of Douai, Lille and Orchies constituted the Union of Arras in January 1579. With it Farnese signed the treaty of Arras.In this treaty, in exchange for the guarantee of their freedoms of Spanish troops, the unionists agreed to recognize Philip II and maintain the Catholic religion. Likewise, an agreement was reached,the organization of the Council of State would be carried out in the same way as it was in the reign of Charles V. -
The Spanish Armada were 130-ship naval fleet by Spain in 1588 as part of a planned invasion of England. Following years of hostilities between Spain and England, King Philip II of Spain assembled the flotilla in hope of removing Protestant Queen Elizabeth I from the throne and restoring the Roman Catholic faith in England.Spain’s “Invincible Armada” set sail, but it was outfoxed by the English.The defeat of the Spanish Armada was one of the most significant chapters of the Anglo-Spanish War. -
Baroque art and architecture, the visual arts and building design and construction produced during the 1700s .The earliest manifestations, which occurred in Italy, date from the latter decades of the 16th century, while in some regions,certain culminating achievements of Baroque did not occur until the 18th century. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and tendency to distinctions between the various arts
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The Daphne and Apollo statue was commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1622, in the early career of Bernini. Apollo and Daphne by Bernini is a portrayal of the mythological story from Metamorphosis by Ovid. If you would like to discover the strange tale that inspired the Daphne and Apollo statue, then read further below.Although retold in Ovid’s book, the story of these two characters originally came from Greek and Roman mythology. Thanks to the advances in printing technology. -
The elliptical square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a Baroque architect and artist, in the 17th century during the reign of Pope Alexander VII. It is estimated to hold up to 300,000 people at once.It has:two massive colonnades embrace the square, symbolizing the maternal embrace of the Church.Inside the northern arcade is the Bronze Door, a massive bronze portal.At the top of the columns, you'll find 140 statues.Two beautiful fountains, each located on either side of the obelisk. -
One of the most famous of the paintings by Velázquez, and an example of his great mythological works, is The Spinners, also known as The Fable of Arachne . Arachne was in fact so adept at weaving that she became arrogant, and claimed that her ability rivaled that of the goddess Athena. Athena, as the patron deity of weavers and quite an accomplished weaver herself, immediately took notice of Arachne, and travelled to Lydia in order to confront the boastful woman. -
Neoclassicism opposed the Baroque style which was characterized by a gloomy, excessively decorated and vain aesthetic, to represent the passions and emotions of the individual. Around 1800, Neoclassicism was displaced by the new current of Romanticism, which was characterized by exalting freedom, emotions and the subjectivity of the individuality of the being, in rejection of the predominance of the enlightened reason of Neoclassicism.
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Oath of the Horatii, oil painting by French artist Jacques-Louis in 1784. The work, depicting a scene from Roman legend, created a sensation when it debuted and remains one of the best-known Neoclassical paintings.Oath of the Horatii tells the story of the first millennium of the Common Era by the Roman historian Livy, of sons from two families, the three Horatii brothers and the three Curiatii brothers, who engaged in combat to settle the wars between Rome and Alba Longa around 669 BCE. -
One of the most productive stages of Goya's artistic career were his years as a chamber painter for King Charles IV of Spain. Within this period, the group portrait of the monarch's family is his most representative work.We see an attempt by the Crown to show itself as a strong and united family nucleus, the foundation of a solid and stable monarchy trying to appear secure. However, the effect achieved is just the opposite: the hierarchy rank is naturally displaced by the roles in the family