Renaissance/Reformation/Scientific Revolution

Petrarch

Jul 20, 1304

Petrarch was a early Renaissance scholar and poet. He is credited with the founding of Renaissance Humanism. Petrarch also developed the concept of the "Dark Ages."

Humanism

1400

Humanism is the philosophy of focusing on human and worldly issue, with a move away from religion. Humanists believe that education should stimulate creativity. This education is known as the humanities, which includes grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history.

Johann Gutenberg

1400

Johann Gutenberg is famous for the invention of the printing press with moveable type. This would cause the Printing Revolution, causing the number of books in the world to exponentially increase. The large increase in books is what gave more people the reason to read, since books were more readily available.

Perspective

1415

Perspective is a key factor in making artwork look more realistic. An example of perspective is that distant objects would appear smaller than objects in the foreground. The technique of perspective is credited to Filippo Brunelleschi.

Lorenzo de'Medici

Jan 1, 1449

Lorenzo d' Medici was a very important part of the Renaissance, as he was a patron of the arts. He would invite and pay poets, philosophers, and artists to Florence, increasing and spreading humanism in Florence. Because of the numerous amount of gifted artists, poets, architects, and scientists now in Florence, ordinary people were now able to appreciate art outside of the Catholic Church.

Printing Revolution

1450

The Printing Revolution started with the invention of the printing press by Johann Gutenberg, who used it to print the first complete edition of the Bible. Printed books were far easier to create than hand-copied books. This gave people more access to learning through books, as Europe when from a few thousand books in 1455 when the printing press was invented to 25-20 million by 1500.

Leonardo da Vinci

Apr 15, 1452

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most famous Renaissance men, who had many different specialties. He was artist and an inventor. He also studied botany, optics, anatomy, and engineering. He is known for some of the most famous paintings of all time, with the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. As an inventor, had had sketchbooks full of ideas, some of which included submarines and flying machines.

Erasmus

Oct 28, 1466

Desiderius Erasmus was a religious scholars of the Renaissance. He wrote texts on many subjects, including a Greek version of the Bible(TBC)

Michelangelo

Mar 6, 1475

Michelangelo was an Italian architect, poet, painter, and sculptor. He is one of the most famous Renaissance men, second possibly to da Vinci. His most well known work is painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Thomas More

Feb 7, 1478

Thomas More was an English humanist who pushed for social reforms. In his book Utopia, he outlined the idealistic society where everyone is educated and justice is achieved for all.

Martin Luther

Nov 10, 1483

Martin Luther was German monk and professor. He was outraged by how greedy the Catholic Church was. He pushed for reforms for the Catholic Church, headed by the 95 Theses, which described the problems he had with the church.

Thomas Cranmer

Jul 2, 1489

Thomas Cranmer was the leader of the English reformation. He would push for changes to the church under the rule of Henry VIII. Speaking of Henry III, one thing that Cranmer is famous for is making the case for the annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon marriage.

Henry VIII

Jun 28, 1491

Henry VIII was the King of England during the English Reformation. A starting point for the English Reformation was Henry VIII wanting to have his marriage annulled, which was firmly against the churches values.

Elizabeth I

Sep 7, 1533

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England and the daughter of Henry VIII. One of her first and largest actions as Queen was to build up the Protestant Church of England.

Heliocentric Theory

1543

The Heliocentric Theory is the concept of the Sun being the center of the solar system and all other planets revolve around it. The first mathematical model of the Heliocentric Theory was brought forth by Nicolaus Copernicus.

Council of Trent

Dec 13, 1545

The Council of Trent was an attempt at counter-reformation, as it was created in response to the Protestant Reformation. The council issued statements and clarification on scripture, doctrine, and the biblical canon.

Scientific Method

1550

The Scientific Method is an empirical method for gaining knowledge. It includes a process of observations, hypotheses, and testing.

William Shakespeare

Apr 23, 1564

One of the most popular figures of the Renaissance, William Shakespeare was an author and playwright. He penned 37 plays, many of which are still performed today. He is also credited for adding the most words to the English language, with a towering number of 1700.