The Legacy of Renaissence By Fernanda1723 1305 Giotto completes his work on the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. 1308 Dante writes his epic poem the Divine Comedy. 1341 The first great humanist, Petrarch, is named the poet laureate of Rome. 1419 Architect Brunelleschi designs the dome for the Florence Cathedral. 1434 The Medici family becomes the head of the city-state of Florence. 1450 Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press. 1453 The Ottoman Empire captures the city of Constantinople, signaling an end to the Byzantine Empire. 1469 Lorenzo de Medici becomes head of the city-state of Florence. He is one of the great patrons of the arts. 1485 Henry VII becomes king of England beginning the reign of the House of Tudor. 1486 Boticelli completes the painting The Birth of Venus. 1492 Explorer Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas. 1495 Leonardo da Vinci paints the Last Supper. 1498 Vasco da Gama arrives in India after sailing around the southern tip of Africa from Portugal. 1501 Michelangelo begins his work on the sculpture David. 1503 Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa. 1508 Michelangelo begins his painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. 1509 Henry VIII becomes king of England. 1509 Humanist author Erasmus writes Praise of Folly. 1511 Raphael paints his masterpiece The School of Athens. 1516 Sir Thomas More publishes his work Utopia on political philosophy. 1517 Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Church of Wittenberg. This signals the start of the Reformation. 1519 Ferdinand Magellan begins his voyage around the world. 1527 Rome is sacked by the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. 1534 Henry VIII separates the Church of England from the Catholic Church of Rome so that he can divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England. 1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated by the English navy. 1599 William Shakespeare builds the Globe theatre. He will write many of his great plays over the next few years including Hamlet and Macbeth. 1610 Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter. 1618 The Thirty Years War begins.