1434-1494
Medici family rules Florence
1440
Invention of the printing press
1503-1506
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
1509
Erasmus publishes Praise of Folly
1516
Thomas More publishes "Utopia"
1517
Martin Luther/95 theses
1521
Diet of Worms
1534
Act of Supremacy establishes the Church of England
1543
Copernicus publishes heliocentric theory
1545-1563
Council of Trent
1618-1648
Thirty Years War
1633
Trial of Galileo
1687
Newton publishes Principia Mathematica
1776
Declaration of Independence
Middle Ages
Also known as the medieval period, the time between the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD and the beginning of the Renaissance in the fourteenth century.
Feudalism
the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.
Renaissance
"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome
Petrarch
the father of Italian Renaissance humanism
Humanism
A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements
Secularism
An indifference to religion and a belief that religion should be excluded from civic affairs and public education.
Individualism
The unique importance of each individual
Rationalism
Belief in reason and logic as the primary source of knowledge
Florence
an Italian city-state and leading cultural center during the Renaissance
Medici
aristocratic Italian family of powerful merchants and bankers who ruled Florence in the 15th century
Leonardo Da Vinci
Italian painter, engineer, musician, and scientist. The most versatile genius of the Renaissance, he filled notebooks with engineering and scientific observations that were in some cases centuries ahead of their time. As a painter he is best known for The Last Supper (c. 1495) and Mona Lisa (c. 1503).
Michelangelo
(1475-1564) An Italian sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. Famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of the biblical character David.
Realism
artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy
Classicism
Deriving from the orderly qualities of ancient Greek and Roman culture; implies formality, objectivity, simplicity, and restraint.
Erasmus
(1466?-1536) Dutch Humanist and friend of Sir Thomas More. Perhaps the most intellectual man in Europe and widely respected. Believed the problems in the Catholic Church could be fixed; did not suport the idea of a Reformation. Wrote Praise of Folly.
Thomas More
He was an English humanist that contributed to the world today by revealing the complexities of man. He wrote Utopia, a book that represented a revolutionary view of society.
Protestant Reformation
Religious reform movement within the Latin Christian Church beginning in 1519. It spit the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the 'protesters' forming several new Christian denominations, including the Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican Churches, among many others.
Simony
the selling or buying of a position in a Christian church
Indulgences
Selling of forgiveness by the Catholic Church. It was common practice when the church needed to raise money. The practice led to the Reformation.
Martin Luther
a German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses, or statements of belief attacking the church practices.
Sola Scriptura
"Scripture alone." It is the belief that all man needs for salvation is the Bible. This is a tenet for most Protestants.
95 Theses
It was nailed to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 and is widely seen as being the catalyst that started the Protestant Reformation. It contained Luther's list of accusations against the Roman Catholic Church.
Gutenberg Printing Press
used movable type to print, increased literacy and helped spread the Reformation
Charles V
This was the Holy Roman Emperor that called for the Diet of Worms. He was a supporter of Catholicism and tried to crush the Reformation by use of the Counter-Reformation
Diet of Worms
Assembly of the estates of the empire, called by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1521. Luther was ordered to recant but he refused. Charles V declared Luther an outlaw.
John Calvin
1509-1564. French theologian. Developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism. Attracted Protestant followers with his teachings.
Predestination
Calvinist belief that God long ago determined who would gain salvation
Elect
In Calvinist doctrine, those who have been chosen by God for salvation.
Anabaptists
Protestants who insisted that only adult baptism conformed to Scripture. Protestant and Catholic leaders condemned Anabaptists for advocating the complete separation of church and state.
Henry VIII
(1491-1547) King of England from 1509 to 1547; his desire to annul his marriage led to a conflict with the pope, England's break with the Roman Catholic Church, and its embrace of Protestantism. Henry established the Church of England in 1532.
Act of Supremacy
1534 Declared the king to be head of the English church rather than the Pope (created by Henry VIII)
Jesuits
Also known as the Society of Jesus; founded by Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) as a teaching and missionary order to resist the spread of Protestantism.
Heresy
(n.) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred
Counter-Reformation
the reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to the Reformation reaffirming the veneration of saints and the authority of the Pope (to which Protestants objected)
Inquisition
A Roman Catholic tribunal for investigating and prosecuting charges of heresy - especially the one active in Spain during the 1400s.
Council of Trent
Called by Pope Paul III to reform the church and secure reconciliation with the Protestants. Lutherans and Calvinists did not attend.
30 years war
(1618-1648) This Bourbon vs. Habsburg War resulted from a conflict between the Protestant Union and the Catholic League in the Holy Roman Empire
Treaty of Westphalia
Ended Thirty Years War in 1648; granted right to individual rulers within the Holy Roman Empire to choose their own religion-either Protestant or Catholic
Scientific Revolution
A major change in European thought, starting in the mid-1500s, in which the study of the natural world began to be characterized by careful observation and the questioning of accepted beliefs.
Nicolas Copernicus
(1473-1543) concluded that the sun is the center of our solar system. Heliocentric Theory or Copernicus Theory. He wrote "On the Revolution of Heavenly Spheres"
Galileo Galilei
Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars
Empiricism
the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
Isaac Newton
English mathematician and scientist who invented differential calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravitation, a theory about the nature of light, and three laws of motion. His treatise on gravitation, presented in Principia Mathematica (1687), was supposedly inspired by the sight of a falling apple.
Rene Des Cartes
Scientist in England who strongly supported theory and mathematical proving (not so much experiments). He was credited (sort of) of helping Bacon create the scientific method, but ONLY the theory side of it. Analytical Geometry. I think therefore I am.
Scientific Method
a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.
Charles Darwin
English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882)
Enlightenment
A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. Writers of the enlightenment tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of the Enlightenment rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism.
Divine Right
Belief that a rulers authority comes directly from god.
Natural Rights
the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
Deism
A popular Enlightenment era belief that there is a God, but that God isn't involved in people's lives or in revealing truths to prophets.
Voltaire
(1694-1778) French philosopher. He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the corruption of the French government, and the intolerance of the Catholic Church.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
A French man who believed that Human beings are naturally good & free & can rely on their instincts. Government should exist to protect common good, and be a democracy
Social Contract
An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed
Thomas Hobbes
English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute monarchy as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679)
John Locke
English philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty and property.
Adam Smith
Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economics. Seen today as the father of Capitalism. Wrote On the Wealth of Nations (1776) One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.