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In 1473, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in Caprese Michelangelo, Italy. He was then raised mostly by his father, Lodovico Buonarroti, because his mother died when he was six years old.
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In 1488, Michelangelo was apprenticed to a workshop in Florence. At 13 years old, he studied classical sculpture. His years there lead to him meeting sculptors, poets, and scholars. Michelangelo created two sculptures at the age of 16, Battle of the Cenaturs and Madonna Seated on a Step.
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In 1499, Michelangelo carved an extremely successful sculpture called the Pieta. The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ. Michelangelo was commisioned by a cardinal named Jean de Billheres to create this work for a chapel in Rome.
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In 1502, Michelangelo started carving a statue of David. He began this work when he was 26 years old. This statue is almost 17 feet tall. He carved it in an unusual way because most artists showed David after he defeated the giant Goliath, but Michelangelo showed David before.
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In 1508, Michelangelo was hired by Pope Julius ll to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The ceiling was orginally painted blue with gold stars. Michelangelo painted scenes from the Old Testament. He finished painting in 1512.
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In 1509, Henry VIII became king of England. He was born to Henry VII, first of the Tudor line, and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV. Henry VIII ruled England for 42 years.
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Between 1513 and 1515, Michelangelo carved a statue of Moses. This work was to be part of the tomb of Pope Julius ll. The statue is 8' 4" high. Due to a mistranslation of Hebrew Scriptures, Michelangelo gave Moses horns.
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In 1533, Michelangelo began his last great work. He started painting The Last Judgement, which is located in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Italy. The painting shows the second coming of Christ and God's final judgement on humanity. Michelangelo finished in 1541
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Ivan IV is also known as Ivan the Terrible. He ruled Russia as czar from 1533 to 1584. During that time, he gained a lot of land for Russia. Ivan created a military dominated Russia.
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In 1547, a close friend of Michelangelo's died. Her name was Vittoria Colonna. They met each other in 1538 and became close friends, exchanging letters and discussing religion, politics, and art. She was one of Michelangelo's only friends. She inspired Michelangelo to write poetry.
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In 1564, Michelangelo died. He died in Rome, Italy. He was 88 years old at the time. He briefly suffered from an illness before his death. After he died, his body was laid to rest at the Basilica di Santa Croce.
