Major Events of the Renaissance
|
*The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, in the 1300s. *The word "Renaissance" means "rebirth" and refers to a renewed interest in culture and learning in Western Europe. *Trade increased between Europe and the Near East as a result of the Crusades. *The Italian cities of Venice and Genoa controlled Mediterranean trade *Gunpowder was invented and used for the first time in warfare. *An epidemic of bubonic plague called the "Black Death" swept across Europe destroying one-fourth of the population. |
*The Medici family ruled Florence and made the city a center for painters, sculptors, architects, and writers. *Many kings and princes invited artists and scholars to their palaces where fine artistic and literary works were produced for their enjoyment. *By the end of the 1400s, the Renaissance had spread from Italy to most European countries. *Cervantes, Spain's greatest writer, wrote Don Quixote - considered by many the world's best novel *Johannes Gutenberg of Germany invented movable type which led to the appearance of printing presses across Europe. *Joan of Arc inspired her people to drive the English out of France during the Hundred Years' War. *Columbus left Spain and sailed to the New World. *John Cabot sailed to the east coast of North America and claimed the land later known as the 13 Colonies for England. *The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama sailed around Africa to India. |
*The Italian Renaissance produced such great artists as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. *Galileo became the founder of modern experimental science. *Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a book which said rulers should use any means to keep themselves in power. *William Shakespeare wrote plays and poems during the English Renaissance. *Erasmus became the most famous humanist writer of the Renaissance; "humanists" wrote about human behavior--thoughts, actions, and feelings. *Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, showed that the sun-not the earth-was the center of the solar system. *Martin Luther, a German monk and scholar, became a leader of the Protestant Reformation after disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church. *The Spanish crew of Ferdinand Magellan made the first voyage around the world. *Jacques Cartier claimed the St. Lawrence River for France. *England defeated the Spanish Armada ending Spain's sea power and opening the way for the English colonization in the New World. |
Top of page