World History
Chapter 1
The Renaissance and Reformation (1300-1650)
Between the 1300s and 1500s, Europe experienced a period of cultural
rebirth known as the Renaissance. During the same period, the
Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution reshaped
European civilization.
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Beginning in Italy and later spreading to northern Europe, the
Renaissance reached its most glorious expression in painting,
sculpture and architecture.
The intellectual movement known as humanism stressed the
study of classical Greek and Roman cultures and the
development of the individual.
Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin challenged
church corruption and eventually broke away from the Roman
Catholic Church entirely.
In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church
undertook its own vigorous reform movement.
Religious fervour led to widespread intolerance and persecution
by both Protestants and Catholics.
During the Scientific Revolution, startling discoveries by
individuals such as Copernicus, Newton and Galileo changed
the way Europeans viewed the physical world.