1445
1492
1520
1789-1799
Printing
Press
Christopher
Columbus
Protestant
Reformation
French
Revolution
1350AD
1800AD
Black
Death
Leonardo
Da Vinci
Sistine
Chapel
1347-1350
1452-1519
1508-1512
Democracy
In
America
1776
The Black Death – Bubonic Plague
1347 - 1350
Description: A terrible plague – called the Black
Death - was carried by fleas on sailing ships returning
from the ports of Asia and killed millions of people in
Europe. The disease spread by lice, unsanitary
drinking water and lack of proper sanitation. It
started in Florence, Italy, and spread across Europe.
Significance: Between 25 and 50% of the
people in Europe died because of this
plague. Food became cheaper in price
and land values dropped by up to 50%.
Why Important: Ordinary people who survived could now afford land and
food – things they never had an opportunity to have before. The Black Death
also led survivors to think more about their lives on earth and they
appreciated the beauty that life offered. This was also represented in the arts
and literature and is at the heart of the Renaissance era.
(Source: www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/plague.htm)
The Printing Press
1445
Description: Johannes Gutenberg developed the
idea of a moveable type printing press which
allowed writers to spread their words through
books at a lower cost than when books were
handwritten. The lower cost allowed for more
books to be printed, sold and to reach more
people.
Significance: Before the printing press books
were hand-written in Latin and a lot of people
could not read Latin. To reach more people
writers started writing in other languages that
were spoken every day like English, Spanish
and German.
Why Important: Books written in people’s own languages
at lower costs allowed more people to read. This created
more knowledgeable people and launched new industries like
paper-making which led to a stronger economy.
Leonardo Da Vinci Works
1452 - 1519
Description: Leonardo Da Vinci was one of
the greatest painters and inventors of the
Renaissance era. He painted two of the most
famous paintings in the world – The Last
Supper and The Mona Lisa. He also drew out
inventions in a notebook.
Significance: Leonardo Da Vinci became
a symbol of the renaissance period where
knowledge and art were admired. He was
fascinated with watching objects and
human anatomy. He made notes and
sketches of future inventions.
Why Important: His initial paintings and sculptures were so life-like that
they inspired other artists of this period to also paint realistic poses of
people. His notes and sketches eventually became inventions in the future.
There are many inventions that trace back to his notes including how the
parachute works, flying machines, armored tanks and aircraft landing gear.
Christopher Columbus Exploration
1492
Description: King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain were looking for new ways to
reach Asia so they sent an Italian navigator,
Christopher Columbus, westward across the
Atlantic with three small ships – the Nina, the
Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Significance: Columbus didn’t realize it, but he
landed in America instead, which was unknown to
Europeans at that time. Christopher Columbus’
travels created awareness with Europeans that
there is life beyond Europe and the Dutch, English,
and French started exploring and traveling to
America and Asia.
Why Important: This age of exploration brought many more European
people to America. They started trading their goods and living there, but they
also brought diseases that killed millions of Native Americans. Their travels
and explorations changed America from just having Native Americans living
here to having many different nationalities settling down.
Sistine Chapel
1508 - 1512
Description: Michelangelo painted a mural
on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the
Vatican Palace in Rome. It covers 6,000
square feet, includes 145 separate paintings,
and took nearly five years to complete.
Significance: This painting became one of
the most famous works of art in the
Renaissance period. The artists had taken
pride in showing the beauty in human beings
and nature. The painting expressed the detail
of different human emotions such as anger,
sorrow, and strength.
Why Important: It is important because this was
Michelangelo’s most famous painting that represented the
rebirth of arts and culture in Europe. He was very
inspirational to many artists of this time.
Protestant Reformation
1520
Description: Martin Luther and many other
people in Europe felt that the church was
corrupt and was more interested in money
and wealth than God. Luther questioned the
teachings of the Catholic Church and because
of this, he was thrown out of the church.
Significance: Martin Luther started a
new church called the Protestant
Reformation that argued that the Bible,
not the Pope, was the key to salvation.
Why Important:
The Protestant Reformation led to many long
years of religious wars in Europe between Protestants and Catholics,
but in the end, it provided greater religious freedom for everyday
people along with political, economic, and intellectual freedom.
Democracy In America
1776
Description: In the 1770s, the
thirteen American colonies were
ruled by the British and the people
revolted against British control.
Significance: America became a
free nation and created its
Declaration of Independence and
the Constitution.
Why Important:
With their freedom, American colonists turned
away from European traditions and ways, and they started their own
traditions. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence that
they created so long ago is still the base of how we live our lives today.
French Revolution
1789 - 1799
Description: The French revolution started
because people demanded more personal and
political control over their lives. King Louis XVI
and Queen Marie Antoinette were against the
revolution because they wanted to keep their
power, but they were executed.
Significance: Napoleon Bonaparte, a hero of
the revolution, took control of France. He
turned out to be a dictator and named himself
emperor of the new French Empire in 1804.
He finally lost control as a dictator in 1815.
Why Important: The French Revolution gave French people more political
freedom and it also became a model for other countries such as Greece,
Belgium, Italy and Germany to start revolutions against their own monarchy
of kings and queens who ruled by controlling the people.
Summary
My name is Benito Mariano, I’m 11 years old and I was born in 1498
in Rome. I come from a large family, but my parents tell me that a
few generations ago, a disease called the Black Death killed most of
them. It was called the Bubonic plague and it lasted for three years,
killing millions of people in Europe. I’m glad I didn’t live during those
times. One of the good things that came from the Black Death was
that people who survived focused on celebrating the beauty around
them, and this led to the beginning of the time that I live in that we
call the Renaissance era and we love art, history, philosophy and
science.
One of the men I admire is Johannes Gutenberg because he created
the movable type printing press. This made books affordable and
available to more people. We are also now seeing books in many
languages, and that happened after Gutenberg invented the printing
press. At school we read about Leonardo Da Vinci and we learn
about his paintings and inventions. My favorite Da Vinci paintings are
the “Last Supper” and the “Mona Lisa.”
Summary Continued
These are exciting times. An explorer named Christopher Columbus
rediscovered America, and many explorers all over Europe are now
traveling to America and Asia to trade goods and see the world.
We go to church every Sunday at the Sistine Chapel, and during the
service I sometimes daydream. When I look up at the painted ceiling
that the famous artist Michelangelo is working on, I see the beauty of
Renaissance art.
There are many wonderful things happening all over Europe. People
want more freedom from the Catholic Church, and I think there will be
some large changes over the next generations. Maybe new religions
will be formed? In fact, I think people will continue to demand more
personal freedom for the next several hundred years, and this will
make life better for the everyday person who will be able to have more
control of their lives.
I hope you enjoyed the story about my life. Ciao!