montytimelineGEF

The meaning of the word Renaissance

Dec 1, 1350

The Renaissance comes from the french word meaning "rebirth". (New Again)

The Beginning Of The Rennaissance

Dec 1, 1350

The European Renaissance began in 1350 Italy and spread all over Europe over the next 200 years. This time period proved to be a rebirth of learning for Europe with a humanistic emphasis. Europeans were emerging from the Middle Ages- a long and difficult period filled with hard times, little hope of improving one's life and limited access to reading materials.

Humanism

Dec 11, 1400

During the European Renaissance, people looked back to the ancient Greeks and Romans to see what made them special. Europeans also got excited about the beauty of the human form and the potential of mankind. Some of the finest art works in European history were produced with these thoughts in mind.

Cosimo de Medici

Dec 11, 1429

Cosimo de Medici, viewed as the "father" of the Medici family, inherited a family bank and rose to great power and influence in city state of Florence. He and his family provided much of the funding that was required in order for Renaissance, painters, sculptors, and craftsmen to be able do their work.

Ottoman conquest of Constantinople

Dec 11, 1453

The city of Constantinople was attacked by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Many precious ancient manuscripts were rushed from the city and taken safely into Western Europe. Scholars were delighted with the chance to study them. They entered Europe during the Renaissance period- perfect timing!

Johannes Gutenberg

Dec 11, 1455

In 1455 German printer Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press that looked somewhat like a wine press and had movable metal letters for printing. It made it possible for many copies of a book or manuscript to be printed rather than hand-copied one at a time. It also meant that people could have printed works in their own language.

Lorenzo de Medici

Dec 11, 1469

This rich and influential ruler of Florence followed in his grandfather's footsteps and provided financial and political support for Renaissance artists, inventors, and craftsmen in Italy. Lorenzo was one of the many famous members of the Medici family that lived in and around Florence. His grandfather was Cosimo de Medici.

Botticelli completes the Birth of Venus

Dec 7, 1486

Botticelli finished painting his work called The Birth of Venus in 1468. This painting was his perception of the ancient Greek goddess Venus floating in from the Mediterranean Sea on a giant seashell. In the painting, she is scantily clad in loose flowing garments because the Renaissance artists wanted to show off her female form as part of their humanistic emphasis.

Bartolomeu Dias

Dec 11, 1488

This Portuguese explorer led an expedition around the Cape of Good Hope making a navigational breakthrough. Europeans had never travelled that far east by ship prior to that time. In his day, his ability to lead his crew on a voyage of that kind was the equivalent of us sending a man into space for the first time.

Christoppher Columbus

Dec 11, 1492

Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed for Spain and helped prompt colonization of the Americas. He may not have been the first explorer to "discover" the Americas, but he was the first to do so in such a way that many colonists followed his lead and created permanent settlements in what people at that time referred to as the "New World".

Da Vinci paints The Last Supper

Dec 9, 1495

Da Vinci was an Italian artist and inventor who painted a majestic painting of Jesus and disciples sharing a final meal before his crucifixion. He painted this New Testament scene as he pictured it in his imagination. The picture is still there to this day, but has had to be repaired and restored on more than one occasion.

Da Vinci Paints The Mona Lisa

Dec 9, 1503

In 1503 Italian painter, sculptor, and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa over a three to four year period from 1503-1506. It appears he used a married woman as a model and the painting shows her with an amusing and mysterious smile on her face. This is one of the most famous paintings in European history.

Raffael

Dec 9, 1508

Italian artist and sculptor Raffael Sanzio lived from 1483 to 1520. However, his most famous works were not produced until 1508. The greatest works by Raffael include Parnassus, The School of Athens, and The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament. Much of his work is based on his drawings and utilize an art form called the metal point technique.

Michelangelo begins painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Dec 9, 1508

Michelangelo began painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1508,but did not finish it until 1512. He painted as ordered on the ceiling of the sistine Chapel. It pictured nine scenes from the Bible and 300 different characters that flowed from the mind of Michelangelo as he sought to bring these Biblical events to life.

Henry the VIII

Apr 21, 1509

Henry the VIII became king of England when he was 17 years of age. He was definitely Renaissance minded. Over the years of his reign, he showed himself to be self-absorbed and ruthless, but also spoke four different languages, composed music, and led England to greater prominence by the time he died.

Erasmus

Dec 12, 1516

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Scholar, Catholic priest, and humanist who some believe was the greatest scholar of the Northern Renaissance. He disputed with both Martin Luther and some Roman Catholic Church leaders on a variety of issues. In 1516 his Greek New Testament was published which led scholars to read the New Testament in both Greek and Latin.

Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the Church in Wittenberg

Oct 31, 1517

Martin Luther was a scholar and monk who posted his complaints with the Catholic Church in order to call attention to what he claimed were false teachings and inappropriate practices (selling indulgences) being supported by the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. His actions led to the birth of Protestantism.

The Reformation

Dec 12, 1517

This reform movement started by Martin Luther and also led by others, was based on a perception that the Roman Catholic Church had lost its way and was supporting superstitious beliefs and inappropriate claims regarding the forgiveness of sins. Martin Luther challenged such practices as the selling of indulgences for the forgiveness of sins.

Copernicus

Dec 12, 1543

Nicholas Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who reluctantly put forth his heliocentric theory that many Catholic Church leaders thought didn't agree with the Bible. Copernicus helped us understand that the earth revolved around the sun. He has been proven right and now today the Catholic Church supports his theory.

William Shakespeare

Dec 12, 1603

Shakespeare was an English playwright who perhaps produced this greatest play in 1603 when he wrote Hamlet. Hamlet is about a Danish prince named Hamlet who seeks revenge because of the wrongful death of his father. Shakespeare is also known for his mastery and amazing use of the English language along with his popular use of drama and theatre.

Galileo Galilei

Dec 12, 1603

In the same year that Shakespeare was writing Hamlet, Galileo, an Italian inventor, scientist and astronomer invented a telescope that he used to study the heavens. He may not have technically been the first to invent the telescope, but he was the first to use it to study the heavens. He is also called the "Father of the scientific method".