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Aug 22, 1310
Dante writes the divine comedy
Dante's masterpiece in the Italian vernacular is the Divine Comedy. It is the story of the soul's journey to salvation. It is divided into three majro sections: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven or Paradise. -
Aug 22, 1390
Chaucer writes the Canterbury Tales
Chaucer used the English vernacular in his famous work the Canterbury Tales. His beauty of expression and clear, forcefull language were important in making dialect the chief ancestor of the modern english language. -
Aug 22, 1415
Donatello creates his statue of St. George
Donatello spent time is Rome studying and copying the statues of Greeks and Romans. Among his numerous works was a statue of Saint George, a realistic, freestanding figure. -
Aug 22, 1434
Jan Van Eyck paints the Arnolfini portrait
Jan Van Eyck was among the first to use oil paint, wich enabled the artist to use a wide variety of color an creat fine details as in his painting Giovannt Arnolfini and His Bride. -
Aug 13, 1447
Last Visconti ruler dies
Milan was one of the richest city-states in Italy. In the fourteenth century, membesr of the Visconti family established themselves as dukes of Milan and extended their power over all of Lombardy. The last Visconti ruler of Milan died in 1447. -
Aug 19, 1494
Charles VIII invades Naples
French King Charles VIII led an army of thirty thousand men into Italy in 1494 and occupied the kingdom of Naples in Southern Italy. -
Aug 22, 1505
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. It is a very famous painting currently. -
Aug 23, 1509
Erasmus writes his satire The Praise of Folly
Erasmus wrote The Praise of Folly in 1509, he humorously criticized aspects of his society that he believed were most in need of reform. -
Aug 19, 1513
Machiavelli writes The Prince
Machivelli wrote one of the most influential works on political power called The Prince. His central thesis concerns how to acquire and keep political power. -
Oct 23, 1513
War between the protestant and catholic states
In Octboer 1513, war broke out between the Protestant and Catholic states in Switzerland. Zurich's army was routed, and Zwingli was found wounded on the battlefield. His enemies killed him, cut up his body, and burned the pieces, scattering the ashes.The leadership of Protestantism in Switzerland now passed to John Calvin. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther presents the ninety-five theses
Luther did not see himslef as a rebel, but he greatly upset by the widespread selling of indulgences. On October 31, 1517, Luther sent a list of Ninety-Five Theses to his church superiors, especially the local bishop. -
Aug 23, 1521
the church excommunicates Luther
The church was unable to accept Luther's ideas for change, so they excommunicated him. -
Aug 19, 1527
Invading armies sack Rome
In 1527 on may 5th, thousands of troops belonging to the spanish king Carels I arrived at the city of Rome along with mercenaries. -
Aug 19, 1528
Castiglione writes The Book of the Courtier
In 1528 the italian baldassare Castiglione wrote a book called The Book of the Courtier. in the book Castiglione describes the characteristics of a perfect renaissance noble. -
Aug 23, 1534
The Act of Supremacy is passed in England
The Act of Supremacy 1534 declared that the king was ''taken, accepted and reputed the only supreme head on earth of the new church of england. -
Aug 23, 1540
The Society of Jesus becomes a religious order
The society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, was founded by a Spanish Nobleman, Ignatius of Loyola. -
Aug 23, 1545
The council of Trent is formed
Paul III ( who recognized the Jesuits as a new religious order) also began the council of trent, another pillar of Catholic Reformation. -
Aug 23, 1555
the peace of augsburg divides Germany
Martin Luther Begins the Protestant Reformation. The peace of augsburg divides Germany into catholic and protestant states.