Western Civilization - The European Renaissance and Reformation

Machiavelli

1500 CE

Florentine statesman who lived during the Renaissance,

was one of the first politicians that did not comply with traditional moral standards and promoted secularism.

In essence, he was the definition of a “Renaissance Man”

Protestant Reformation

1500 - 1600 CE

Religious movement in England.

led to the establishment of Protestant churches throughout England,

took place in order to restore the original morality of Christianity without the bureaucratic rule of the Roman Catholic Church.

Martin Luther

1480 - 1540 AD

Is known as “The Father of Lutheranism”, as he led the reformation and wrote the 95 theses.

Helped bring the Catholic Church down from its pedestal from which it preached corruption.

Indulgences

1095 - Present Day

Indulgences are the idea of buying one’s salvation.

It was exploited by the Catholic Church in order to obtain wealth and power.

Were also one of the reasons Martin Luther was particularly enraged by the Catholic Church’s principles.

Johannes Gutenberg

1390 - 1460 AD

Was the inventor who created the printing press.

through his invention, the word of reformation reached England on a wide-scale level, knowledge also became more centralized after his invention,

the the printing press made the written word accessible to everyone.

Da Vinci

1450 - 1520 AD

Italian prodigy who found excellence in multiple fields, but is particularly known for his art.

He painted the Mona Lisa, one of the most important Classical Renaissance pieces in history.

Is known as “The Renaissance Man” and carved the path for the rest of Europe to follow in his footsteps.

Printing Press

1440

A publishing concept that consisted of using types or plates to print text.

Helped Martin Luther spark the reformations, a series of key changes to the religious institutions of England.

Changed the process of writing, publishing, and printing up to today.

95 Theses

1517 AD

A list of statements published against the morality of the presiding Catholic Church at the time.

The 95 Theses are the foundation of Lutheranism and many other branches of Christianity that were born from the reformation.

Drew peoples eyes to the corruption and greed the Catholic Church was preaching.

Elizabeth I

1558 - 1603

The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.

She never married, this was strategic considering that if she were to marry, she would lose her authority to her husband.

Led the English against Spain by forming strategic alliance ships with the dutch and defeating the Spanish Armada.

Dutch East India Company

1602 - 1799

This company centered around Holland.

It was formed in order to obtain leverage and get a monopoly in the Asiatic spice trade.

The company was exponentially wealthy and controlled trade in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

Christopher Columbus

1451 - 1506 AD

Columbus was an Italian explorer that led explorations to the New World.

His letters attracted attention and interest from Europeans who read his letters regarding the New World which influenced colonization in the Americas.

He brought new contraptions and luxuries back to Europe, bringing his partner in business(Spain) glory.

Columbian Exchange

1492 - 1800 AD

Was an exchange of goods such as spices and other products between America and Europe.

Introduced potatoes to Europe, which resulted in an overall population boom due to the fact that potatoes are seen as the “perfect nutritional food”.

Spices were brought to Europe, which influenced European dietary factors for years.

Spices

1400 - Present day

Spices were a popular exchange and import factor during the age of exploration.

They were popular consumer goods that influenced European dietary factors up to the common day.

Spices were also extremely valuable due to their popularity and consumer demand.

Spanish Armada

1588 AD

Spanish fleet that had a sole purpose of restoring the omnipotence of the Catholic Church to England.

Through this battle, the English solidified their naval dominance by defeating the Armada and overall exhausting the Spanish military.

The armada was made of hundreds of ships and 30,000 men.

Counter Reformation

1545 - 1648 AD

A series of efforts made by the Roman Catholic Church in order to strengthen and keep its power in European society, and in essence, were responsive to the Protestant Reformation.

Jesuits established multiple educational institutions and Catholic doctrines focused on good works and faith in order to get into heaven.

Capitalism

1600 - 2025 AD

an economic system that centers around private companies determining their own profit through client-customer relationships.

Capitalism had a great impact on Feudalism, as it tore apart the idea of a closely knit community and formed a society more based on individuality.

Capitalism was a renaissance based value that at first had a negative impact on Christian values.

Bartholomé Las Casas

1484 - 1556

He was a Spanish Clergyman, activist, and social reformer.

Spent a great portion of his life advocating for mistreatment among Native Americans.

One of the worlds earliest Human Rights Activists, and paved the way for the charitable profession.

Shakespeare

1564 - 1616

English playwright and author.

Revolutionized classical arts, as he wrote some of the most significant contemporary plays in the English language (Hamlet, Othello, Romeo & Juliet)

Influenced a spike of interest in Greek tragedies, which shone a new light on renaissance values.

Sir Francis Drake

1540 - 1596 AD

English explorer and privateer.

Was of crucial importance in defeating the Spanish Armada.

Created the second most important circumnavigational discovery in history.

Witch Hunts

1450 - 1750 AD

The act of looking for things associated with the devil amongst individuals.

Used as a scapegoat for unrelated issues; such as infant mortality and land debates.

About 500,000 people were murdered due to the witch hunts in Europe alone, not counting the colonies.

Thirty Years War

1618 - 1648

A war primarily fought in Central Europe between Roman Catholics and Protestants.

Resulted in the death toll of about 8 million, parts of Germany reporting population declines up to 50%.

Holy Roman Church was broken, and Germany was able to determine their own religious stances once again.

Peter The Great

1682 - 1725 AD

Russian totalitarian.

Founded St. Petersburg; a Renaissance born city amidst the Eastern mind of Russia.

Affected Russia in terms of national life, administration, technology, and culture.