Today: a series of developments in
the mid-fifteenth century
Be thinking about. . .
• To what extent was this event
both rooted in local geographies and
yet influential far beyond that space?
Be thinking about. . .
• To what extent was this event
both rooted in local geographies and
yet influential far beyond that space?
• To what extent does this development reflect
continuity with the past?
Be thinking about. . .
• To what extent was this event
both rooted in local geographies and
yet influential far beyond that space?
• To what extent does this development reflect
continuity with the past?
• How feasible is it to separate political and
religious factors in these circumstances?
1. The Emergence of Printing
(c. 1450)
Fust, Gutenberg, Schoeffer . . .
Invention of movable type a process
Pressure Frame
First Printed Documents include:
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Poem on the Last Judgment
Astronomical Calendar
Papal indulgence for fighting the Turks
Gutenberg bible
“Gutenberg” Bible (c.1455)
early print mimics manuscripts!
Mainz Catholicon (1460)
• “Printed without help of reed, stylus or pen
but by the marvelous concord, proportion and
harmony of punches and types. . . “
Printing 1450 - 1500
• By the beginning of the sixteenth century,
more than 6 million books had been printed,
with the average edition running between 200
to 1,000 copies.
• In 1500, about 35,000 books were published
each year in Europe, and a century later the
number had jumped to between 150,000 and
200,000 books.
Pope Alexander VI (1501):
“The art of printing is very useful insofar as it
furthers the circulation of useful and tested
books; but it can be very harmful if it is
permitted to widen the influence of
pernicious works. It will therefore be
necessary to maintain full control over the
printers so that they may be prevented from
bringing into print writings which are
antagonistic to the Catholic faith or which are
likely to cause trouble to believers.”
What were the historical consequences of
printing technology?
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New pedagogical possibilities
Expansion of literacy
Standardization of languages
Stimulated scholarship
Enabled propaganda, etc.
(Some criticized it as cheap and vulgar…)
2. Single-Point Perspective
Filippo Brunelleschi’s innovation at the
Baptistry (c.1424)
3. New critical perspectives on
texts and history
Lorenzo Valla
(1406-1457)
• How does one prove a forgery?
Lorenzo Valla
(1406-1457)
• How does one prove a forgery?
– Incorrect language and terminology
– Errors of fact
– Incompatible characters
– Behavior anomalies
– Lack of supporting evidence
– Contradiction by historical records
– Reason to suspect fraud
– Etc.
4. The Fall of Constantinople
(1453)
5. Portuguese Exploration
(Henry the Navigator, 1395 – 1460)
Consequences of Ottoman
expansion for European trade?
Portuguese exploration by 1500
The Slave Trade in Africa
(Existing slave trade routes by 1400)
Portuguese round the tip of Africa to meet
up with eastern trade routes
6. 1469 marriage of Ferdinand of
Aragon and Isabella of Castile
1478 founding of the
Spanish Inquisition
1492 Muslim Granada falls
and Jews expelled from Spain
1492 Ferdinand and Isabella
send an Italian sailor to find a new
route to India
• Maps of Spanish exploration
The Atlantic Trading Triangle
Rethinking Late-Medieval Europe:
Decline? Bridge? Transition?
Recovery and reconnaissance?