Renaissance/Reformation/Scientific Revolution

Petrarch

Jul 20, 1304

A poet and a scholar, his humanist philosophy set the stage for the Renaissance. He is considered the "father of humanism." His writing was for his one true love, Laura. He was the one who formed the bridge between the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Humanism

1400

Humanism involved the scholarly study of Greek and Latin classics and the ancient church fathers in hopes of reviving worthy ancient values. They advocated studying liberal arts to celebrate the dignity of human kind and prepare life of virtuous action. The Italian humanists searched out manuscript collections, making volumes of Greek and Latin learning available to scholars. Humanism was important because it emphasized the importance of human values instead of religious beliefs.

Perspective

1415

The technique of linear perspective was developed by Filipo Brunelleschi. The three components to the linear perspective system are parallel lines, the horizon line, and a vanishing point. Linear perspective helped pave the way for future Renaissance artists and it made their paintings look more realistic.

Printing Revolution

1436

The printing press with movable type was thought of by Johann Gutenberg. The printing press allowed for books to be published more quickly. The importance of this was it allowed for the rise of schools and demand for books. It enabled the fast flow of information and lead to the spread of new ideas. The first book that was printed in several volumes and multiple copies was the Bible.

Lorenzo de Medici

Jan 1, 1449

Lorenzo was an Italian statesman and ruler of the Florentine Republic, who was the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of the Renaissance. He was known for sponsoring artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo. The peace that he helped maintain among the various Italian states collapsed with his death.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Apr 15, 1452

Da Vinci was the ideal Renaissance man He was a painter, advisor to kings, engineer, physiologist, botanist, etc. Some of his famous artworks include the Mona Lisa, Vertruvian Man, and The Last Supper.

Desiderius Erasmus

Oct 27, 1466

Erasmus was one of the major religious scholars of the age. he wrote texts on many subjects including a new Greek edition of the bible. His significance was that he called for a translation of the Bible into the vernacular. He was also disturbed by corruption in the church and sought religious reforms.

Pope Paul III

Feb 29, 1468

Pope Paul III came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation. He convened the Council of Trent in 1545 and was a significant patron of the arts.

Niccolo Machiavelli

May 3, 1469

Machiavelli was convinced by chaos of foreign invasions that Italian political unity and independence were ends justifying any means: he concluded any strongman could impose order on divided and selfish people. He wrote The Prince, which reccomends the temporary use of fraud and brutality to acheive Italian unity. He came up with virtu, the ability to act heroically and decisively for the good of ones country.

Albrecht Durer

May 21, 1471

Durer was a painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. He applied Renaissance painting techniques to engravings. His engravings and paintings often portrayed religious upheaval or were quite realistic.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Feb 19, 1473

Copernicus was a Renaissance and Reformation era mathematician and scientist. He was the one who camp up with the idea that sun was at the center of the universe rather than the Earth. The model was called the heliocentric or sun centered model.

Michelangelo

Mar 6, 1475

Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. Some of his famous works include the statue of David and the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Thomas More

Feb 7, 1478

Sir Thomas More was an English humanist who pushed for social reforms. In his book Utopia, he described an ideal society where all are educated and justice is believed for all.

Raphael

Apr 6, 1483

Raphael was an Italian painter and architect of the Renaissance. His work included the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur. Some of his most famous pieces include The School of Athens and The Sistine Madonna.

Martin Luther

Nov 10, 1483

Luther was a German monk and professor who sparked a revolt in 1517. He was angered by the sale of indulgences and decided to draw up his 95 theses. He argued that indulgences had no place in the Bible and Christians could only be saved by faith. The printing press spread Luther's ideas very quickly and he gained many followers. Luther's teachings differed from the Roman Catholic Church.

Thomas Cranmer

Jul 2, 1489

Cranmer was the appointed Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII. He annulled the marriage of Henry and Catherine so Henry could remarry and have a son. Cranmer drew up the book of common prayer which became required reading at all Anglican services. He died a heretic to Roman Catholics.

Henry VIII

Jun 28, 1491

King Henry VIII started the English reformation. In 1527, Henry sought an annulment from his first wife Catherine, who had only borne a daughter. King Henry ended up marrying six different women in his life. His ultimate goal was to have a son to take over the throne when he died. In 1547, Henry was succeeded by his nine year old son Edward.

John Calvin

Jul 10, 1509

Calvin was a French born priest and lawyer who was strongly influenced by Reformation ideas. He accepted most Lutheran beliefs but added his own belief in predestination. He preached that God had long ago determined who was and was not going to gain eternal salvation. The people of Geneva, Switzerland invited Calvin to lead their community. He established a theocracy that religious leaders felt entrusted by God to build a Christian society based on hard work, discipline, thrift, and honesty.

Sale of Indulgences

1517

To finance their lifestyles. church officials sold indulgences. Only the rich could afford to buy them. An indulgence lessened the time one spent in purgatory before going to heaven. Many Christians, including Erasmus, objected to their sale.

Elizabeth I

Sep 7, 1533

In 1558, Elizabeth took the throne. The Elizabethan era united England and avoided future religious wars. She compromised between Catholics and Protestants and she did not allow herself to be put at head of the Anglican Church.

Heliocentric Theory

1543

The heliocentric theory was first proposed by Copernicus. Heliocentric means that the sun is at the center. A heliocentric system is one in which the planets revolve around the sun.

Council of Trent

1545

The Council of Trent was an ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council issued condemnations of what it defined as heresies committed by Protestantism and key statements and clarifications of the Church's doctrine and teachings. The council met for 25 sessions.

Galileo Galilei

Feb 15, 1564

Galileo was an Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician. He has been called the "father of observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of the scientific method", and the "father is science." He studied speed and velocity, gravity and free fall, the principle of relativity, inertia, and projectile motion.

William Shakespeare

Apr 23, 1564

William Shakespeare is seen as the towering figure of Northern Renaissance literature. Between 1590 and 1613, he wrote 37 plays. He explored Renaissance ideals such as the complexity of the individual and used common language understood by all. He added 1,700 words to the English literature.

Isaac Newton

Dec 25, 1642

Newton was an English mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time. Using principles he created, he was able to remove the last doubts about the validity of the heliocentric model of the solar system.