Religion - World in 1500 - Renaissance - Reformation By Rokhaya 610 BCE Muhammad founded the Islamic religion. 114 BCE Silk routes emerged connecting trade between the Mediterranean Basin and Asia. 100 BCE Paper was invented by the Chinese. 597 Jesus began the Christian religion. 1231 The Inquisition was used to reinforce Catholic doctrine. 1350 The Renaissance began in the Italian city-states and spread to Northern Europe. 1382 John Wycliffe argued the Bible was the highest religious authority- not the Pope. 1400 Erasmus spread the idea of humanism. 1415 Jan Huss was burned at the stake for being a heretic. 1430 The Songhai Empire was established in Africa. 1438 The Hapsburg family was the most powerful family in Europe. 1440 Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. 1450 The Ottoman Empire spread to Africa, the Middle East and Southern Europe. 1498 Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper. 1499 Michelangelo sculpted the Pieta. 1500 Leonardo da Vinci painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. 1503 Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. 1508 Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. 1517 Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses through a church door. 1520 Henry VIII broke from the Church in Rome and divorced his wife. 1521 Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther. 1526 The Mughal Empire began in Northern India. 1534 Henry VIII became the head of the Anglican Church. 1540 The Jesuits were spread the Catholic faith. 1545 Catholic leaders met at the Council. 1561 John Calvin developed the idea of predestination. 1563 Elizabeth I sponsored Sir Francis Drake's exploration to the New World. 1588 Queen Elizabeth I defeated Philip II´s Spanish Armada. 1598 Henry IV issued the Edict of the Nantes. 1618 Cardinal Richelieu got France involved in the Thirty Years War.
