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Inquisition was the practice of finding and ridding any heresy, or those whose thoughts go against the church. This wouldn't end until the mid-1800s and would end the lives of many. Inquisition would threaten those who opposed the teachings of the church. Galileo, would be one of the many famous people who would be charged with heresy for believing that the sun is the center of the universe and not Earth.
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Humanism was a widely followed belief followed by many people. It focused on the study of Greek and Latin classics and bringing back the ancient values. Humanists of the time would end up producing a broader view of life which in turn expanded people's minds to learning more about the world and allowed growth in not only the people but trade as well. It was a time when people focused more on the human nature.
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Art during the Renaissance had many advances which includes perspective. Artist's would turn a 2-D painting into a 3 dimensional piece by simply adding depth. With the addition of depth, a more realistic art form was created. Da Vinci's mural, "The Last Supper", would use this technique to give his work a depth by using linear perspective.
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Printing can't be said without thinking about Johan Gutenberg. He would revolutionize the way information would be spread and the use of propaganda. Because of Gutenberg's printing press, Martin Luther could spread the issues of the Church. Not only that, the creation of books was a much easier task and could be distributed to larger crowds.
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One of the most influential times was the creation of the printing press. After this was made, it made transferring knowledge easier. It also became more available for the people and allowed them to learn how to properly read. And because they could now read, they would find how the Church was deceitful about the teachings of the Bible.
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Leonardo da Vinci was an architect, inventor, sculptor, but was most well-known for his paintings. Some of his famous works include the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man. Da Vinci was intrigued by the human body and learned more about its form.
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Erasmus was a well-known humanist and scholar of his time. He also wrote a book highlighting the many issues of society and the unfairness of the church. One of his most famous attributes was the translation of the New Testament into Greek.
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Machiavelli is infamous for his most notable work, "The Prince." In his book, he highlights the idea that leaders should focus more on being ruthless and self-preserving to achieve their goals rather than waste their time trying to impress the people. His idea for tyrannical leadership earned him the reputation as being a n immoral atheist.
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Durer influenced the art world with his different type of art style using copper engraving. Most of his art is of religious themes and detail of the human form such as his work "Adam and Eve."
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The man who would challenge the beliefs of ancient scientists, Copernicus devoted his time to learn about planetary motion and astronomy. He would then readjust Ptolemy's geocentric model by placing the sun, instead of the earth, at the center. This would become his version of a heliocentric model. Copernicus also believed that the planets' distance from the sun would affect the speed and size of the orbit.
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Like Da Vinci, Michelangelo was a popular painter, sculptor and architect. His most famous works are the statue of "David" and even more famous ceiling painting on the Sistine Chapel. He explored and emphasized the human form as well and paved way to more techniques in the art world.
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Taking after previous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, too, was a truly accomplished artist. From a young age, he had nearly mastered his art and learned more from other well-known artists. His painting known as the "School of Athens" showcased his new, expressive style of art and how he used depth to create realism.
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A major influencer of the Renaissance era, known for splitting away from the ruling Catholic Church, Martin Luther changed the course of religion forever. Because of his extreme devotion to his religious beliefs, Luther wished to defend the Bible and go against the flaws of the Church which ended in him splitting off into his own religion of Lutheranism that many converted to.
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Thomas Cranmer would be the Archbishop of Canterbury that would end King Henry VIII marriage with Catherine of Aragon and would be part of the Religious Reform. After becoming the Archbishop and ruling was under Edward VI, he would make the book of Common Prayer. Once Mary I reigned, he was tried for treason and after a long trial, was finally sentenced to burn for his religious association.
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Most known for his six wives, Henry VIII would become a well-known figure of the Renaissance. Before the various marriages he goes through, he had to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, but since the Church would not allow it, the King broke away and created his own church, the Church of England.
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The Catholic Church was known for being corrupt in their ways. This was especially true when they began selling indulgences that they said were "tickets to salvations" and that they could be bought to get rid of any sins committed. To reformer, Martin Luther, this was the tipping point which caused him to write and post the 95 Theses to the church door.
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Yet another religion would rise from the Religious Reform by a man name John Calvin. He applied many of the teachings of Martin Luther in his religion, but included many new rules. Calvinists were believed to be these perfect religious communities, but this was only due to the strict rules such as no art or dancing that were supposed to "make the society better."
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After the death of her sister, Elizabeth I took reign and would mend the disputes of religion and create a "free-zone" that allows people to practice their religions freely. She also steered England away from War with France and beat out the Spanish Armada in 1588.
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For centuries, people believed that the Earth was at the very center and that other planets rotated around us due to the teachings of Plato and Aristotle. Copernicus and other scientists researched and found that the sun, in fact, was at the center. Since this idea went against that of the beliefs of the Church, the heliocentric theory was shot down by many.
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The foundation of scientific inquiry was sought by the man Francis Bacon. He focused on supporting scientific theory with tangible evidence and experimentation unlike the teachings of Plato and Aristotle. Today's scientists use his scientific method for the base of their learning and new discoveries.
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The start of many new discoveries of the Scientific Revolution comes from Galileo. He went against the teachings of Plato and proved his theories with logical experiments that evolved the thinking of science today. He was even able to create the telescope based off of the simple looking glass. Galileo understood that the planets revolve around the sun, despite others telling him otherwise.
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Shakespeare would become one of the most famous poets and play writers of his time and would even be a large contributor to new words for the English language. Some of his many most known plays include "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet." He would write in vernacular which allowed the masses to understand and find entertainment in his works.
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"I think; therefore I am." This famous quote belongs to philosopher Rene Descartes. He attributed in many fields of work with out-of-the-box approaches. He introduced Cartesian geometry and with his own laws of refraction, found a new understanding of a rainbow. Like Galileo's work, the church did not agree with his work and prohibited it.
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The scientific method would step outside the normal beliefs of the people and follow along the lines of the work of Galileo and Copernicus. This method would teach people to find evidence to support theories instead of blindly believing the words of Aristotle and Plato. New discoveries could be found with the use of the scientific method.
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Newton was a major founder in some of the most important scientific discoveries of today. To list a few, he came up with the laws of motion and the theory gravity that shape the physics that people know today. He also improved knowledge on light and the idea that white included the full spectrum of colors.
